User blog comment:Blacknumber1/Are We the Next Great "Well" of horror writers for film and T.V.?/@comment-26054278-20150708013953/@comment-26425680-20150711122636

"we wouldn't receive any money unless we wrote the screenplay"

Are you sure about that, Grim? A story is automatically copyrighted as soon as you create it, even if it's never published. The trick is proving your copyright, should the need ever arise. In the old days, authors used to mail a copy of their written work to themselves. The date on the postmark would prove their authorship, and the envelope would only be unsealed when and if there was a dispute. Today, you can email your stories to yourself, and the timestamp will serve the same purpose as the postmark did back in the day. There are paid services that will help you hold your copyright, but strictly speaking, they're not absolutely necessary. People should always make sure to give themselves credit for their stories, and only post them to the more established sites (like here). Also, pay attention to the Creative Commons license you assign to your pasta, as you may give permissions that you didn't intend. I'm not a lawyer, but this is what I've found through my own research. Personally, I have no problem with someone using my work to do a reading or create a movie, as long as they themselves aren't making money off of it. If the day ever comes when a professional producer wants to use my work (not that I expect that to happen), believe me, I'm gonna raise Hell if I don't get paid.