HOLLYWOOD—Have you ever thought of becoming a Hollywood screenwriter? Being a successful screenwriter is probably the dream of hundreds of thousands of people. Many people dream of writing, however, most will never take the necessary steps to become successful, simply because they don’t write with passion and don’t see it as a creative craft.

They only see it as a way to get wealthy. Truth be told, there are many screenwriters who have made millions of dollars over the course of their careers. There are even, the “overnight successes” (granted you don’t include the months and months of toiling over the storyline or plot over their scripts before they became an “overnight success.”)

Becoming a successful screenwriter is just like anything else of value, it takes hard work and perseverance. There is no right or wrong way when seeking out a Hollywood writing career. So many get writer’s block for months and then one day, everything comes together. Some of it is pure luck, some of it talent and just never giving up. It’s not something you can jump into. Its the rare and few writers who just seem to understand the rhythm of a movie script and have the talent, that special gift of dialogue from the get go.

It may sound a lot easier than it actually is, but the trick to becoming a successful screenwriter is to start writing. Stop the excuses, no more: there’s a hiccup in the storyline; the dialogue just isn’t working for me; this character isn’t likable. While these are all valid reasons, but none of them mean you should ever stop the writing process. The brutal truth is the best chance at actually getting your movie produced is through the major studios- a byzantine system with a counterintuitive set of rules. Always remember that the first 10 pages are what sucks the audience into the movie, but also in Hollywood, if your first 10 pages aren’t great, that’s all anybody will read of yours ever.

Just ask Billy Ray if he ever had excuses? Billy Ray began writing for television and movies in 1994 with “Color of Night.” He is perhaps best known for writing the screenplay to the 2012 blockbuster “The Hunger Games,” and his Academy Award nominated screenplay for “Captain Philips.” Now he set to pen the script with Leonardo DiCaprio producing and Martin Scorsese directing for “The Devil in the White City.” The film is based on Erik Larson’s non-fiction book of the same name, according to Variety.

DiCaprio will portray H.H. Holmes, dubbed America’s first-documented serial killer, who confessed to 27 murders, but is said to have killed up to 200 people in his lifetime. Leo won’t be just any serial killer, he’ll be a charming, glib psychopath. Holmes, also known under the name Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, built his own three-story hotel later nicknamed “Murder Castle,” where he lured his victims from the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. After murdering his victims in various horrifically equipped rooms (there were gas chambers), Holmes would sell their skeletons to medical schools.

For a very long time, Leo has been wanting to play Holmes. Tom Cruise first purchased the rights to Larson’s book back in 2003 and Leo came on board in 2010, but after years-long studio studio bidding war, Paramount finally reacquired the rights, according to published reports. Fade in, just imagine a long day after exploring the Chicago World’s Fair when suddenly Leo’s dapper 19th century debonair gentleman approaches you (be very frightened).

Rose’s Scoop: Quentin Tarantino’s ultraviolent movie “The Hateful Eight,” first trailer was released on August 12. The post-Civil War tale looks at a group of bounty hunters taking shelter in a lodge during a massive blizzard. But when one of them shows up with a captive who is worth a lot of money dead or alive, the plotting and deception begins. The film “The Hateful Eight,” will open in select theaters on Christmas Day and nationwide January 8, 2016.