One of the chief things a new actor should keep in mind is flexibility. The more you pigeonhole yourself in your attitude about acting, the fewer roles you'll get and the less variety you'll enjoy in the business. One of the major ways to diversify yourself as an actor/entertainer and to create new opportunities is to take up writing.

Lots of actors have made their big breaks by writing themselves roles that allow them to shine. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were virtually unknown until they wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting, which led to Oscars and careers as leading men. Larry David, while a successful television writer on Seinfeld, was hardly a household name before he came up with Curb Your Enthusiasm and turned himself into a TV star more popular today than Jerry Seinfeld. On Saturday Night Live, the competition among the players for stage time is fierce, and the most successful cast members write their own characters and sketches to gain a foothold with the audience. Vin Diesel was just another struggling actor until he wrote, produced, and starred in an independent feature that caught the eye of Stephen Spielberg, who cast him in Saving Private Ryan. Quentin Tarantino smartly constructed his career simultaneously serving as a writer, director, and an actor. Now he is unquestionably a celebrity, appearing as an actor in many films that he doesn't direct. The list goes on.

Many talent agents encourage their actors to try their hands at writing if they so choose. There's no stigma about it, and people in the industry will even take writer/actors more seriously as artists. Showing that you have a real passion for creating entertaining stories demonstrates your commitment to the craft, and that you're not just in it for glory. You'll also find that writing and acting aren't so far apart, and that practicing one can boost the other. As an actor, you've read many scripts and have a clear idea of what sounds good coming out of an actor's mouth. You might even know more than a lot of full-writers. Having a knack for dialogue is an invaluable skill for a screenwriter. As an actor you'll be experienced with a wide variety of stories and genres that will expand your creative range. You'll have a working knowledge about different kinds of character dynamics and relationships. All of these elements can be transferred to the realm of screenwriting with great results.

As you get more acting roles and spend more time working in the entertainment business, you'll be doing a lot of networking. It can be just as important to get to know writers as casting directors. The writers create the roles for the actors to play, and oftentimes they can encourage producers to bring in specific people to audition. Knowing writers and "talking shop" with them is a great way to learn about screenwriting, share ideas, and build important contacts that can help you get cast. The more you act, the more credentials you'll have in the industry, and the more likely you are to have your scripts read. The more scripts you get produced the more roles you can write for yourself.

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