I went home to work on the rewrite with a new-found self-confidence: I felt I've earned my credentials by explaining the story's structure with whatever I've learned from Dramatica; I had a hunch I had showed knowledge and expertise and had finally taken the first step on the other side of the market.

More importantly: the rewrite came out exactly as the producer wanted it.  Since I wrote it with software that gave me complete control over the plot, characters, theme and story ending, this was a cinch.  She congratulated me and asked me to participate on several bigger, newer, more important projects.

From then on my life as a writer changed: I became somewhat of an addition to the "A-list."  Got a couple of large projects to develop.  Some big-shot producers started asking me for opinions on their optioned screenplays.  The Berlin-Festival-level directors gave me their personal phone number.  I gave a couple of lectures on Story Analysis.  Got a teaching gig on the regular class for screenwriters.  My students were happy.  The producers were happy.  I was happy.

The best part was that whatever I wrote was no longer competing into that 40,000-scripts-race.  I've earned the right to be actually read instead of just being thrown into the pile.  The big-shots had started considering me as an "upcoming writer" instead of an "unknown wanna-be."  I could talk to producers instead of just their personal assistants.  The market was considering me, instead of just dismissing me.

And just because at one time I was able to demonstrate I knew what I was doing.

(CONTINUED)