For the sake of conversation....

Have you ever presented yourself as a screenwriter?

I did once. I told the bagboy at my grocery store I wrote movies after he went on and on about movies. He was amazed. He said, I must be a millionaire!

That was the only time I ever bothered telling anyone I was a screenwriter.

Have you told anyone? What was their reaction?  :)

I said it out of one corner of my mouth once, while drunk... at a bar. And then the bartender told me she was a small horror filmaker, showed me her imdb page with credits. Then I told her that I like to write action and she said "I like action, but it's too expensive to film" And that was that.

I always call myself a hobbyist, lest I clue anyone in on my hopes and dreams.

If anyone ever asks me what my hobbies are, I always say screenwriting. However, I've never introduced myself as a screenwriter. One day, maybe... :P

~Zack~

In a round about way... To actually say: I am a screenwriter? Nope. I'm comfortable using the term editor, and sometimes conversation gets around to editing what? etc., and then querying if I've written anything myself.

I feel a bit pretentious saying: 'I am a screenwriter.' Just sounds like you've got tickets on yourself. Writing scripts even sounds less wank ('scuse my French). If I ever get to a level of having a feature length made, or even a 'short' reaching some note, then I'd be proud to wear the badge, but not without something tangible to prove it. Even then I think I'd say: I write, or I write scripts.

An OSCAR or BAFTA or AACTA, then yep, I'm in.

We should all dream big..  :D

P.S. I'm surprised at the amount of people who don't realise people actually write movies. Perhaps they think they all come from books, comic strips etc. That one always gets me. ::)

Quoted from LC I feel a bit pretentious saying: 'I am a screenwriter.'

)) I did say it once and then laughed. It sounded so funny to me that I would remember it during the day and start laughing scaring people around. The more time passed the funnier it got for me. And that's a true story.

I guess once I'm a real screenwriter it won't sound as funny to me.

I tell people I do it as a hobby which is what I'm doing. However, when I was invited to the film fest in New Mexico, my mom told her friend about it and she told her family I was a millionaire writing films for Hollywood. Laughed so hard when I heard that...

I have a few times in the past. It's a good way to avoid saying you're unemployed, haha. I was much younger, though, and wouldn't feel comfortable using the title now. Recently, I've opted to say "I write movies" to avoid confusion, although at this point, I think it'd be best to say "I've written," if it comes up at all.

Nice post, and very interesting.

Yeah...I did...I sure did and I remember it so vividly.  I look back now and laugh.

I had just finished Fade to White...as in the very first draft.  I was unemployed, but not hurting for money and my girlfriend and I were Spring skiing in Snowmass (Aspen).

I was riding a chair with a couple guys and conversation came to "So, what do you do?"  I said I was a screenwriter, and even clarified I was a horror screenwriter and my first movie would be coming to theaters the following year.

Funniest thing was that I actually did believe that to be true. Oh, naivety...

I tell them I ghost write for Aaron Sorkin and Quentin Taritino.

No - Never have said I was a screenwriter

I find this very interesting! Jeff's post made me laugh because I felt the same way when I first started out. Big hopes and way too much confidence! I guess the more experience we get, the more we respect the art of screenwriting to know what it takes to be one as a professional.  :)

I'm a bit like StevenClark, as this is technically my hobby and not my day job I just say I write scripts, stories and produce films as a hobby.

The weird thing is, most people don't seem to know how to react to that in the UK. They go, "ooh that's nice!" and then change the subject, go on about the weather or something. Every so often I'll find someone who seems genuinely interested to know more, but most don't.

Most I've ever said was "aspiring writer". Gonna be aspiring a ling time I think!

I've never talked to anyone about it. Seems like such a pipe dream I don't bother mentioning it. I treat it as a super secret hobby.

If by some stroke of miracle I get 3 movies made, ones with decent budgets that are of some quality, then I might mention it. I wouldn't say it after one. I'm dead serious.

I was once rotten drunk in some bar and thought it'd be a great idea to ask random people what their favorite movies were. Most of them walked away (I think it was because my breath stunk like Captain Jack Sparrow), but one chap was a very friendly fellow. He told me his favorite was Good Will Hunting and Dallas Buyers Club.

"Why the random question?" He asked.

I told him I wanted to be a filmmaker.

"Good on you. I hope you make it" He said.

To which I replied "Cheers mate."

END

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Tell people about your stories that you have written, see what they think. Learn to pitch. Shit ain't easy.

Never know what contacts you may make.

Quoted from BSaunders I was once rotten drunk in some bar and thought it'd be a great idea to ask random people what their favorite movies were. Most of them walked away (I think it was because my breath stunk like Captain Jack Sparrow), but one chap was a very friendly fellow. He told me his favorite was Good Will Hunting and Dallas Buyers Club. "Why the random question?" He asked. I told him I wanted to be a filmmaker. "Good on you. I hope you make it" He said. To which I replied "Cheers mate." END

That souns like what James Stewart in Harvey would have said)

Great movie by the way.

Quoted from khamanna That souns like what James Stewart in Harvey would have said) Great movie by the way.

I haven't seen it. But if it's ol Jimmy S, it must be good.

Once or twice, while drunk, I've said I dabble in screenwriting.  One time my mates didn't seem convinced so I loaded Simply up on my phone and showed them lol.  I've never said I was any good though, and always played it down lol

I'm surrounded by to many negative people to share something like that.

Quoted from WritingScripts I'm surrounded by to many negative people to share something like that.

You need to surround yourself with other people

One of my work colleagues found out when one of my short scripts won at Nashville Film Fest and it got fed up the line... it was then called out on our weekly team call and suddenly 400 people knew.

I was mortified initially but people were interested and supportive.