<p>Both are difficult I know - but is it easier to become a screenwriter or a novel writer?</p>
<p>I would think it would be easier to become a novel writer.</p>
<p>It is easy to become a novelist or screen writer ..difficult to get paid</p>
<p>novelist. My thoughts are that there's only a limited number of screenwriters at a time right? I mean there's a more limited demand for them, but this isn't quite the case with novelists. If that makes sense.</p>
<p>i think novelist is easier.. then again, most people dont even know what they are writing about
the rejection rate is between 95-99%. butt so i guess that the odds go way up if you do your research and are well read.</p>
<p>RTY456 has it right: easy to be either, difficult to get paid.</p>
<p>Living in L.A., I'm an oddity in that I prefer prose. The journey of screenwriters can be tortuous. We know of one who got paid $900K and then the movie was never produced. For others, there's the constant injection of changes by the director, the producer, the actors, and even the friggin' hair stylist or so it seems. There's the old joke about the actress who was so dumb she slept with the writer...the writer having about the least amount of influence.</p>
<p>With a novel, you have pretty good control over the finished product and editors & publishers can't make changes without your permission. (They may not buy without changes but those changes are often negotiable. Or doable without injury to the work.)</p>
<p>Why subject yourself to what's "easiest?", just do whichever you're most interested in. If you're planning on living based on what's easiest, then just quit now.</p>