Stories can change the world

Hi folks!

This is my undoubtedly the best post yet and I'm a tad anxious, but this group seems so lovely, and what better way than to turn to fellow writers for support? Heads up, there's a lot of context, so I'm not apologizing for the long post. Hahahaha!.

I feel quite lost as a writer right now. I wrote a screenplay in my final year of undergrad; I received lots of positive feedback and encouragement to pursue the story as a production (a film) from professionals in the industry. I think part of the reasons why the story turned out so well is because it was one of my first stories that I wrote with deeper meaning and connection, such as themes of injustice and family.

One of my fatal flaws is that I'm overly ambitious. Once I decide a goal, I sprint. So I decided to try and sell/produce the screenplay; I revised about five drafts, got several eyes on it, and right when I was about to look for an agent, I found the film industry is... quite brutal.

Once you sell your script, it's up to the buyer to decide how much you're involved with your work, and almost all screenwriters have zero to five percentage% say, especially as a newbie. Buyers are allowed to do what they please with the work, even scrap the entire thing and just use the title. With my experience with screenwriting agents, they look for writers who are completely detached from their work. They want a writer to have zero emotional connection to the script, because to them, working with a writer who would fight for their work is a nightmare (which can be true if you meet a writer who is not flexible or open to feedback).

I take full accountability for not researching the industry in more depth before deciding to pursue it. A rookie and avoidable mistake on my end. However, I hate that I spent years writing, dreaming, and hoping, just for it to crumble. I've been advised to produce the film myself, but film budgets range into billions of dollars, especially since mine is a sci-fi film. I used to write prose, and I don't think I have it in me to translate a sci-fi film into a book and try to release it in that medium.

I stare at my draft now, aching over the fact that it may, forever, just be words on a digital document. I truly believe in the story, but it's hard to see it as anything else but a screenplay. I'm also disappointed in the state of the industry, seeing how hungry everyone is for the money, willing to do anything to make sure it sells to the market, rather than the meaning behind creativity.