One of the greatest screenwriters of all time is Academy Award winner William Goldman. His credits read like the list of AFI’s Best Movies of All-Time. “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “All the President’s Men,” “The Princess Bride,” “Misery,” “Maverick,” “Chaplin,” “Absolute Power,” etc.  And his book, “Adventures in the Screen Trade” is still one of the Industry’s most popular.

I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Goldman speak on a few occasions at different conferences, and his stories are still fascinating, engaging and oftentimes mind-boggling. But the biggest advice he always gives is that “nobody knows anything” and that “there are no rules.” And while this may be true for a man of Mr. Goldman’s stature…it’s not true for you.

Mr. Goldman and other A-List writers can make their own rules. They can demand not to be re-written, or demand that only certain level executives give them notes, or that their agent demand a million dollar payday. For them, there are no rules. Because not only have they already broken in, but they’ve made it to the top.

But you can’t buck the system until you’re a part of it – a successful part of it.

When you’re a struggling screenwriter just starting out and trying to get read for the first time, you gotta play the odds…and you gotta stick to the rules. The basic rules of format and structure, the rules of what sells and what doesn’t (which you can pick up by reading the trades and reading what’s selling), the rules of what to pitch at a conference and what not to (don’t pitch period dramas, Hollywood insider stories, sci-fi epics, or your own true story), the rules of how to contact a producer or agent, the rules of following up with those contacts (don’t call or email incessantly or nag), etc.

If you believe that “nobody knows anything,” then you are basically saying that a trillion dollar business is run by luck. And that YOU, the first time screenwriter, know better than everyone else. And that is an attitude that will ensure that you’ll be looking in from the outside for a long time to come.

Studios, agents, producers, and even media analysts know what works. Are they wrong sometimes? Of course! Are there projects that sell even though they should be unsellable? Absolutely. Are there projects that bomb when they should be no-brainer hits? You bet! But you have to play the odds when you’re starting out. You have to write something that reads as professional and you need to write something that could generally be sellable – horror, thriller, action or comedy.

Now I’m not saying you should play it safe, creatively. Or that you should mask your own voice as a writer. And yes, when it comes to breaking into the business, everyone has a different story to tell. However, I would say that the majority of the “breaking in” stories I hear sound eerily familiar. Usually something like this…”I wrote my screenplay and I knew one of my old college roommates worked for a production company (or agency/manager/studio) and so I asked him to give it a read. He loved it, shot it up the flagpole, his boss loved it, and I landed my first agent (or option).”

That’s how it happens MOST of the time…one referral, one connection to the business, one friend on the inside that they trust. Mixed with some good timing and some luck (yes, it does play a part), and BAM – you’re in. This might make it seem like there are no rules, but indeed that referral connection is rule number one – it’s all about who you know. It’s about networking and knowing the right people in the right places at the right time.

Are the rules changing? Yes, they are. In the land of YouTube, the content creator is King. Nowadays, it’s much more common for Hollywood to reach out to new talent instead of them reaching out to Hollywood. But you need to do something worth reaching out for. And it has to be something that tells executives that not only do you have an original voice, but that you understand what can sell and what can connect with a broad group of people. So if 200 people have viewed your video, that’s not good enough - if 2 MILLION have, you’re getting warmer.

With the internet, many of the old rules have been modified, but that doesn’t mean the rules are non-existent.   So, with all due respect to Mr. Goldman - and he is due a great deal of it - I believe that his quotes should be amended to “nobody knows EVERYTHING” and “there are some rules.”

And understanding them could be your key to Hollywood.