Write, write, write

My cave is my castle. It's home, it's where I create, where I percolate and procrastinate, where I can write whatever the hell I want and NO ONE messes with a single word I've put to paper. I love the solitary element, I love being on my own, in my cave, the hermit in charge ... but all of that glory doesn't get movies made ... if you want to be successful, you need to get out there and you need to get good at being out there.

You don't have to sell your soul out there.

Outside your cave there'll be sabertooth tigers just waiting to tear you to shreds. So yeah, it's scary out there ... but only until you develop strategies, sharpen your weapons and summon up the necessary guts. Some say that a hefty 50% of your writer self should be out there living the life of a salesman (check out Tom Browne's post on shared abilities by screenwriters and salespeople). We can argue percentages, but the simple fact is that you won't make it until you learn to sell what you've got to offer.

You're a screenwriter and that means you're in a tough business, the odds are stacked against you. Any sane person will tell you to move on. But you're NOT sane. You are a dreamer, you are a weaver of tales - you don't think the way the pragmatic world outside the cave does. But you do need to make those two worlds meet. Done well, this will actually be fun, productive and creative. Here are just a few things that'll help you learn to make the most of the world outside your cave:

• Learn to pitch: Attend pitching workshops, and screenwriter conferences - learn the basics, then use your friends, family, colleagues and the guy on the bus sitting next to you. Pitch your stories, all the time. Learn about loglines and learn about extended pitches. Over time you'll develop the necessary confidence and clarity.
• Learn about the business: Get to know the world out there. Research the people you plan to engage with. Who are they, what have they done, what do they love and hate? Where's their "in"? Prepare for meetings by anticipating questions and having your answers ready. Especially prepare for curve balls.
• Learn about yourself: If you're introverted - get over it. This is as much a people business as it is a story business. Find ways to change, to cope. Ask others how they perceive you, how you come across. Make changes, smile more if you need to. Producers may be interested in your story, but you'll sink that interested by being a total stiff.
• Get off your horse: You're not an artist, you're a craftsman and yours is not the only true voice. Be humble. Your story, your pitch, is just the beginning of the conversation - never the end. Listen to what your opposites say and weave it into your sale (if not your story). 
• Promote yourself: Get yourself a website, write your own blog, connect with other writers, with directors' circles, with production companies - float your name, your passion, your expertise.
• Never sit back: Devote a bit of every single one of your writer's days to selling. Even if it's only to connect with people via Facebook, Twitter, etc.

There's more, of course, but heck, it's a start. If you do all of the above, you'll be on your way to becoming a prime promoter for yourself and your stories and the magic just may happen. And yeah - you just may learn to love the scary sabertooth world out there.