Exploring the balance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in screenwriting

The motivation of creative behavior is of considerable importance and interest in many fields, but has not been studied in the prominent area of screenwriting, where there is an obvious tension between extrinsic and intrinsic factors. It is generally accepted that writers head for Hollywood looking for wealth and fame, but their own published and private comments suggest intrinsic motivation may be equally or more important. The research question was "How do professional screenwriters perceive the balance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for their work?";A qualitative one time/cross-sectional study was conducted, using semi-structured interviews with 11 current or retired Hollywood screenwriters -- 9 men and 2 women, aged from the 30s to 50s, including 2 ethnic minority members -- and follow-up contact with each of them. Four were writers the researcher had met over the previous 6 years, and the others were introduced by mutual acquaintances or by the acquaintances of acquaintances. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed for intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and other significant themes. The concepts of reversal theory were the principal framework used to interpret the data.;It was found that becoming a screenwriter is strongly intrinsically motivated. This motivation can sustain the writer for many years, but is threatened, and sometimes overwhelmed, by the realities of the business. Other themes included writing habits, feeling unqualified for other work, and feeling like an outsider. All participants reported a businesslike approach to work hours and locations, which contrasts with data for some Oscar winning writers and suggests a difference between the eminent and steadily productive creators. However, they resembled a sample of Oscar winners in that every participant was married.;From these and other findings it was concluded that the professional Hollywood screenwriter works steadily, leads a more or less conventional life despite continual uncertainty and manages, through strong, persistent internal motivation, to overcome external challenges. Because 9 of the screenwriters had also written for television, it is possible that the results apply more broadly to television and other scriptwriters.