But if you write screenplays and want to sell one to Hollywood, I'm your man. I want to help you make a sale, get an assignment, get into the game. I'll try to mark off some of the common pitfalls of the business so you won't fall in and don't have to waste time climbing out. My writing partner, Ted Elliott, and I struggled for five years trying to get our first paycheck and that elusive Writer's Guild card. I'd like to think that, by reading this column, a writer could cut that time at least in half.