10 Screenwriting Skills and Traits You Need

Develop your expertise in 10 areas to maximize your screenwriting potential.

During the 13+ years I’ve run this blog, I have been privileged to conduct one-on-one interviews with nearly two hundred screenwriters including dozens with Black List and Nicholl Fellowship winning writers. Along the way, it’s been fascinating to learn the variety of approaches to the craft, yet at the same time how certain universal themes recur.

I was struck by five personality traits and five skill sets that keep popping up in my conversations with professional writers, so I thought it would be helpful to do a series, a checklist if you will, of areas we can focus on as we develop as screenwriters.

Five Screenwriting Traits

Part 1: Passion

Part 2: Courage

Part 3: Consistency

Part 4: Flexibility

Part 5: Persistence

Five Screenwriting Skills

Part 1: Talent

Part 2: Knowledge

Part 3: Experience

Part 4: Voice

Part 5: Conviction

Obviously there is a lot that goes into honing your craft as a writer, but I think these ten aspects of who we are and what we do are especially important for anyone seeking a career as a Hollywood writer.

Are there other traits or skills you think are necessary to be a screenwriter? Love to read your observations, so please head to comments and let me know what you think.