Writing for the Screen

A Working Screenwriter’s Journey in Australia

▶ By Susan Macgillicuddy

It goes without saying that things are different here in Australia, but for screenwriters, the keys to success—to having a career that can span decades once you’ve had that first, strived-for lucky break—are the same as anywhere else.

I remember standing in a producer’s office eons ago, and as he gave me what I would later learn was called a “soft pass” at my first screenplay, I looked over his shoulder and saw a poster with the following slogan:

“Success is a journey, not a destination.”

Well, I was successful, or so I thought. I’d sold my first serious radio play and had it produced and broadcast nationally by Australia’s media Colossus, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ...