One of the problems of screenwriting is that it is useless, as far as I know, to write what one wants. A screenwriter who wants to make money has to say, "What does the market want?" and the market might say: we want thrillers, we want police procedurals featuring these characters (who have already been created), or we want dramas featuring strong women from the North. What some corporations want is a film like Made in Dagenham, which seemed a little formulaic to me (two of the Strong working class women must be estranged before the end, and then reconciled in the Grande Finale), but set in various different places and times, just that same story of lively working class women fighting for their rights, over and over again.
This is pretty much what I learned from Abi Morgan, speaking at the BFI last night. She does a great job of delivering drama to order.
What about dramas about men? Not popular. Not unless they are cracking up under the strain of being Strong Men. If there is a man in a leading role his boss must be a woman. Ideally, a black woman.
But it seems that screenwriters can write to please themselves, but these scripts are not likely to ever be made. I have read that you can publicise them to interest people in your talent as a writer (and your commitment in getting your story finished) but producers don't want them. They want what they have decided the public wants, and nothing else. It is a sad day for me because I realise that writing what I want to write may be an end in itself. How long will I have the heart to keep doing it?
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