>>211653894
You also need to understand that being a writer in hollywood is a pretty shitty gig, and they're always last in line for consideration when it comes to the money.
Way back in the day with old hollywood and the studio system then they had stables of writers that they just kept on contract for years and years at a time, and so they had a chance to develop and grow their craft. When the studio's got busted up in their monopolies with the theaters they couldn't afford to keep those stables of actors, directors, and writers on staff constantly, and it became more of a gig. You still had plenty of momentum, and it engendered some creativity because people weren't constrained by as many studio mandates (even if they still did for all practical concerns).
You also get lucky once in a blue moon and hollywood goes into a bidding war over the script (even if they never intent to make it, they want to make sure no one else can make it either). But otherwise writers get more and more marginalized, which means you've got less people who are really interested in doing it because you'd be better off working minimum wage.
And just to prove my point, name five screenwriters who aren't writer-directors, without looking it up.
It really is a pretty crummy thankless job for the most part. And even if you wrote the world's greatest scripts it won't matter if everyone else fucks it up along the way.
