Fear can help or hurt your Screenwriting

Feeling that screenwriting is an impossible discipline? Know there is something wrong, and it is not writer's block? Fear is the answer to you possibly delaying your next and/or first project? 

When we were little kids, we lived life without any fears. We may gotten scolded, grounded, spanked and put down for making mistakes, but we continued being kids. As we grow older, we have it ingrained in our brain that we shouldn't do certain things. This pertains to dreams, as most people believe they are unattainable. 

Fear is a powerful force within us. If we believe we can't accomplish something, we will make excuses, have self-doubts and overthink every step before even trying to start something, We may need guarantees to commit our time and energy to beginning a project. Without this project, we lack the credits, experience and skills to achieve our professional goals. Despite our fears, we can turn them into fuel to do amazing things. Just think about the power of focus. The moment we commit to one action, we can go above and beyond the call of duty, and still have time to live our life. 

We only fear because we believe what we want may not happen. We assume there is a negative outcome at the end of the tunnel. Furthermore, we may fear taking our car to the auto repair shop over potential financial setbacks. If our engine fails and/or the transmission is worn out, we already know this will cost us money. Fear sets in: Our freedom to operate independently is at risk. 

What do we do with fear? What if we can only be brave while under the influence of drugs and alcohol? The truth is that we must face our fears--substance free--to know the answer. The longer we wait to take serious actions, the more stress and pressure we will experience. 

Fear of rejection is common among many people, especially in the dating scene. People who lack confidence are afraid their romantic interest will say no. They've already imagined having this person in their future, so if they say no their fantasy may evaporate into thin air. What makes this worse is that vulnerable people can attach their happiness to someone else. If they never get into a relationship with this individual, they will be miserable forever. 

No person is responsible for our happiness, only we control this outcome. 

We hear it all too often: Our significant other will tell us that I am not happy. They want to see what they can get. They wanna know if the grass is greener on the other side. They didn't get to have fun. They may fear leaving a relationship out of comfort and unforeseen events. When they loose the fear to take a risk, they can make a big mistake to lose their relationship. 

If people do not entertain their imagination, they will regret not knowing what could have been. 

Fear of success is another barrier that can block your screenwriting. What if you live in an environment with people you do not want to leave behind? Maybe you believe you want to leave them, but you care too much to make a bold move. Emotional attachments create fear, delay decisions and stall out production. 

Nice people enjoy giving to others. They will devote more time and energy to people, whereas their projects, goals and dreams remain on the back-burner. There are really cruel people who use others to pave their future path. When these people do not have a need for someone who poured their heart into them, they toss them away and move on to the next best opportunity. These negative experiences can impact what nice people do in the future. The best way to deal with bad encounters is to identify the users as losers. Keep in mind and remember that not every person is preying on you. 

Don't lose trust in humanity. 

Focus on losing your fears. Gaining confidence relies on us to do something uncomfortable daily. If we fear writing a screenplay, then we will fear pitching our project to executives. What are your fears? Make it a habit to confront your weaknesses. Screenwriting is process that takes many steps. Once you reach the finish line, you will be thankful you had confidence to take action. 

Happy Screenwriting! 

Just Write The Script!

Assertive mood: Stop making excuses to write your script later. If you have real passion for screenwriting, you will begin creating compelling stories that give people escapism. Focus on one creative idea you can expand on right now and just go for it. Plan the process, enjoy the steps. 

There is no guarantee we will see tomorrow. We don't have all the time in the world to keep postponing our dream. Screenwriting is as simple as just starting a script. Don't concentrate on whether your first daft is good or bad. Get out of your head with all those fears of people judging, criticizing and insulting your work and you. Quit thinking it is too hard to make it in Hollywood. You are good enough! 

Having a positive outlook to write at will is better than using positive reinforcement as a reward structure. Empowering our writing to improve this world is better than chasing fame to get attention. Write movies because you believe your dream can inspire others to also do great things. 

Behind the scenes you will be a hero. Just write the script! 

You Only Live Once...

Dreams will never wait for us. If we live our life for a dream, we will miss out on many priceless moments. Don't make everything about your dream... However, take the necessary steps to live your dream. You only live this life once so make every opportunity matter. 

Humility is A Dying Breed: Social Media Is Ruining Screenwriting

Only a Film Degree--We must work to be screenwriters

We all know humble. We all know braggers. We all know action. We all know inaction...

Social media has casted a negative light on the writing world. On social media platforms, more people talk about the act of writing instead of waking every day to be proactive go-getters. In hindsight, writers once got work done; they completed scripts to option. Unfortunately, social media has turned screenwriting into a dream that is viewed as unreachable.

Screenwriting is an art form. It is also a discipline that requires time, energy and effort. Truth is, finished scripts are appealing to producers. There is little demand for unfinished scripts because they can't be produced. What separates professional screenwriters from aspiring screenwriters: Discipline.

Think about these comparisons: I am working on my degree versus I earned my degree. Any person can be working on a degree; however, only a select few will actually satisfy all the requirements to complete their degree programs.

Screenwriting is made out to be difficult. The real truth is that anything in life can be difficult if we fear the next step. We can make waking up on time to reach work a major challenge. We can make exercising daily an insurmountable task. We can postpone talking to someone we like over the lack of confidence. Placing constraints on our screenwriting will create fear. A large number of people worry about criticism. They automatically assume that receiving criticism is a precursor to failure. Their dream is better shared in forums, on discussion boards, on social media and in real life conversations.

Braggers need to draw attention to themselves. They need this attention to feel worth. The problem with sharing our dreams without doing the work is that we can block access to production. We spend way too much time trying to impress people with our creative ideas. We may post images about what we are supposedly doing, even if we are not actually working hard perfecting our craft. We will ask other writers/people what they think about our ideas so they can praise us. Condescending, bitter and petty attitudes can rule our emotions. We need to prove people wrong all the time. We fake being successful to create that adrenaline rush, that pure excitement of what it's like to accomplish a dream. Nevertheless, we can get carried away with all the attention that our dreams bring us.

Humble writers make movie magic happen. They wake up motivated and inspired to write. They write at their most vulnerable moments. They revise their previous projects. They don't crave attention. They already know their value as human beings choosing to be writers. There is no internal motivation to trick people, unless these themes are injected into characters.

Know the difference between being humble and bragging. If you are working hard, you earned the right to talk about your success. On the flip side, talking about the dream and not taking action to make it happen will delay the inevitable. Don't waste time. Your screenwriting dream will only come true if you do.

Happy screenwriting!