What I learned sitting on a panel featuring Hollywood screenwriters with Marvel and Sundance experience
And why I didn't feel inexperienced but felt inspired
Bouchercon, the world’s largest annual convention dedicated to mystery and crime fiction, is always a massive undertaking to attend and navigate. This year I decided to throw in the added stress of sitting on a panel at the last minute. Literally a few days before getting on a plane to New Orleans, an opportunity came open:
Screenwriting: Unlocking the Mystery.
Did I have any idea what I was doing? Hell no. In fact, I alerted the amazing moderator, TD (Thomas Dean) Donnelly, that I am a novice to the craft. He has worked on franchises from Voltron to Uncharted, and from Marvel’s Doctor Strange to The Walking Dead. His feature credits include Sahara starring Matthew McConaughey, and Conan the Barbarian. I was just cutting my teeth on screenwriting as a finalist in 2024 and a semifinalist in 2025 in the Killer Shorts Horror Screenplay Competition.
His response to my disclosure blew me away.
Thomas didn’t dismiss my background but embraced it! My journey was valid and actually a smart way to approach breaking into screenwriting. His response made the hour I spent on the panel well worth it because it encapsulated the spirit of what the audience would learn and what I’m going to share with you.
Here are three things I learned sitting on a screenwriting panel with seasoned screenwriters and why I left feeling inspired despite being one of the newest to the game.
Steady wins (or at least gets you further in) the race
Writing is a crazy endeavor. Throw in trying to break into film or TV writing and it spirals even more. Each writer spoke on their experience in the industry and it all boils down to…steady wins the race.
What that meant for this panel was letting the audience know that there are no short cuts to getting a script noticed. Just like with writing a book, sometimes it is the third or thirtieth book you’ve written that gets the agent or publishing contract.
Same for scripts.
Keep writing, keep submitting, keep going. Just like with any creative pursuit, do it because you like doing it, not for fame and glory. Although that would be nice, right?
Gadgets don’t matter
Do you have Final Draft? Do you know what it is? Do you care? If the answer is ‘no’ to all of those, you are on the right track to what matters when it comes to crafting your screenplay.
Yes, the industry standard software, Final Draft, is popular for a reason but when one of the audience members asked about best practices for how to make it easier to use, the seasoned screenwriter Gerald Petievich spoke up.
Gerald told the inquirer you don’t need to worry about the software, just worry about the writing. You can hire someone to format in Final Draft if you need it. Use Word, use pen and paper, use whatever you have and don’t worry about purchasing anything. Yet. Make the investment in the gadgets and software after you make the investment in the craft.
Why does it matter what Gerald said? Gerald is a novelist whose work, TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A., a neo noir thriller, was adapted to the big screen by…himself. He was asked to write the screenplay for the film directed by William Friedkin, the Oscar winning director of The French Connection and Oscar nominee for The Exorcist. Gerald knows a thing or two about how this works.
His advice resonated with the panel too. Do the work first. Worry about the other stuff later.
Everyone’s journey is different
An audience member asked how long it takes to break into film and television writing. TD Donnelly answered that he’s seen people do it in 8 years all the way to 80 years. Obviously that is hyperbole but you get the sentiment. There is no exact timeframe to get your first script noticed although he did say he hadn’t seen anyone do it in under a year.
The entire panel had different entry points into screenwriting:
Adam Meyer has written several true-crime TV series and TV movies as well as films for Hallmark and Tubi.
Josh Mendoza, award winning filmmaker and author of newly released book SHADOW OF THE ETERNAL WATCHER, received an MFA in Film and Television Production from USC's School of Cinematic Arts, just a few years behind Ryan Coogler.
And Ruth Knafo Setton received honors from many screenwriting competitions, including Austin Film Festival, Sundance Screenwriters’ Lab (SUNDANCE, Y’ALL!!!), and Page International Screenwriting Awards. Her novel, ZIGZAG GIRL, won Grand Prize in the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition, First Prize in the Daphne Awards, and was a finalist for Killer Nashville’s Claymore Award.
If you are looking to dip into the screenwriting world, consider submitting to a competition like ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition or Killer Shorts Screenplay Competition. It will give you a reason to explore screenplays and at the end of that exploration, you can submit your work.
Have you ever written a screenplay or made a film? I’d love to hear your journey.
P.M. Raymond
Writer of horror and crime noir. Observer of the world
I'm so glad this was a positive experience and that they took your newness as a great addition! That just seems like the right attitude! Love everything about this Pamela. So cool💜💜💜