The Screewriter - state of play

Another of my absurd projects is to try to become a screenwriter.  I've been nursing this one for a long while now, but so far I've accomplished only:

1.  One complete feature screenplay that could still stand to be a bit better in some ways, despite the fact that it is what I mostly worked on the last embarassingly many years. But we learn as we go.
2.  A treatment adapting one of my favourite novels.
3.  Half of one more feature prequeling the complete feature.
4.  A title and concept for the intermediate prequel.
5.  Improving skills.
6.  Entered a few competitions to very little acclaim.

The absurdities:
1.  Hollywood doesn't buy screenplays for hundreds of thousands any more, if it ever did. A very few, very successful screenwriters can make a handsome living while they're writing hot work.
2.  Once sold, you waive any control at all.  Usually you'll be given one chance to re-write more to the taste of the directing crew, and then a really good writer will come in and re-write you.
3.  Like most creative, enjoyable pursuits there is a super-abundance of people working for love.  There are many thousands of people moving to Hollywood each year to work in really hard, low-paid jobs in the entertainment industry so that they can write spec scripts on the side.  So there are tens of thousands of scripts generated every year.  The selling of advice to aspirants is a business. If you write a letter to an agent, they will throw it out or return it to sender unopened, unless it is a letter they asked you for.  They give you a code to put on the envelope so they know its you.
4.  If I ever wrote anything that got positive attention, the first question will be 'when can you move to X' (probably LA)?  And I can't move there.
5.  I really like strange philosophical challenging science fiction.  Moviegoers need about one of those a year.

The recommends:

• Creative Screenwriting Magazine, especially Jeff Goldsmith's podcast.
• Pilar Alessandra's podcast. I really enjoy this 40 minutes of talk about how to write.  Light and funny.
• Books: Story.  Dramatica.  The coffee-break screenwriter.  The Screenwriter's Bible. and more...  

The action:
1.  currently waiting for the return unopened or the disappearance without trace of a letter I wrote covering a treatment of a novel to the people listed as developers.
2.  working on the first prequel.