Courage And Screenwriting

Sometimes the dictionary says it best...

"Courage: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty."

We all like to live our lives with courage. It gives us the strength, despite what others say, think or feel, to keep pushing on... no matter what. Many times, the characters we create in our screenplays do the things that many of us most fear despite overwhelming odds and consequences, holding to their strong morality. They face their demons and overcome them. And they do it with courage.

In what areas of my life, do I need to practice having courage?

MDJ

Hey Screenwriter! - What Gets You Up In The Morning?

Maybe it's family, a loved one, another job, screenwriting, exercise or a number of other things. We each have something that drives us to get out of bed each morning. Something that gives us the internal energy to face the mysteries of a new day. We can take the time today and examine what drives us each and every day. On a deeper level, maybe it is A Strong Sense of Purpose, Hope, Faith, Meditation, Spirituality. Whatever it is, it is a great idea to stay in touch with that which allows us to greet the sunrise each and every day.

What gets you up in the morning, screenwriter?

MDJ

Screenwriting - Life And Fear

Fear is an interesting thing. It has the ability to paralyze us, stopping us in our tracks. As we walk or run down the trail of life we encounter many challenges. We have been given the power of choice. We can run from our fears or we can face them. We can examine the root cause of our fears. When we choose to face fear, examine it, trace its root cause, then we have the ability to overcome and move on with our lives. If we choose to avoid that which we fear, we will certainly meet it again. Today, I examine my fears.

Do I avoid writing out of fear?

MDJ

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
- Marianne Williamson

Screenwriter - How Do You Keep Your Dream Alive?

Dreams are what keep us getting up in the morning, pushing on, writing those five or ten pages per day. There are many things we can do to keep our dreams pulsating throughout each day. 1) I can work on my screenwriting dream today by keeping my commitment to write. 2) I can set a deadline for the completion of my first, second or third screenplay draft. 3) I can brainstorm creative ways to market my screenplay. 4) I can volunteer to help another work on their life dream. 5) I can journal about my life mission. 6) I can share my dreams with my supportive friends and family members

How do you keep your screenwriting dream alive?

MDJ

Screenwriting And 100 Dreams!

Many years ago, I made a list of 100 things that I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime. I carry that list in my wallet. On occasion, I take the list out and examine it. A number of the items, I have accomplished and others I have not. There are many screenwriting dreams contained in that list. This is my list of dreams. I may refine it, delete items from it or even add 100 more. These are dreams regarding all areas of my life. There is power in writing our dreams down.

What are 100 things you want to accomplish in your lifetime?

MDJ

Screenwriting and The Big Sale!

We have written our best piece of work ever and it is out in the marketplace. We have entrusted those who represent us to handle any potential negotiation so that we may let go and work on our next screenplay. A typical day, nothing too out of the ordinary and the phone rings. It's our agent, manager or attorney. A bidding war has ensued and we are learning for the first time that our screenplay has just sold for six figures. Our life is going to change...

Have you prepared yourself for the day your screenplay sells? Are you ready? What will your life look like? How will it be different? What does it feel like? Today, I take some time to journal about my dreams regarding my big screenplay sale.

MDJ

Is Screenwriting A Pleasurable Part Of My Life?

We have many routines in our lives... Some we may view as unpleasant and others as joyful. When we "have to" do something out of obligation, our hearts may not be into it 100%. In the end, that fact reveals itself through the quality and depth of our results. Screenwriting may be a pleasurable part of our lives or a burden. Do I look at screenwriting as having to sit in a chair and type letters into a computer for hours on end, day after day after day? Or... Do I look at screenwriting as one of the most pleasurable parts of my day, where I get to create worlds, stories, and characters that inspire and transform myself and the world?

How do you make screenwriting a pleasurable part of your life?

MDJ

The Screenwriter's Marketing Plan

We are marketing ourselves all of the time. How we present who we are to family, friends, colleagues as well as to those whom we want to purchase our screenplays is extremely important. We need to know who and what it is that we are marketing. Some questions to ask ourselves: Am I, as well as my product (screenplay) marketable? Do I see myself as a brand? What type of brand (Who am I?) am I marketing? Do I like my brand (self-esteem)? Would I buy my brand (belief in self)? These are very important questions to ask ourselves as we envision our success as a whole screenwriting package.

What is my complete screenwriting marketing plan?

MDJ

Trusting My Screenwriting Process

Before I begin to write a screenplay... 1) I know who my primary characters are. 2) I know how my screenplay begins and ends. I then begin writing. I like to write first thing in the morning. I try to write my first draft as quickly as possible. On the difficult days, I promise myself to write at least one page. I make notes on my screenplay as I move along. Notes about potential story problems, insights into character, plot twists, you name it. I let the story tell itself. I let my characters speak without fighting them. I focus on story first, dialog and character second. I then begin the rewriting process. This is my writing process and I trust it.

What is your screenwriting process?

MDJ

Screenwriting And Intimate Relationships

The most important relationships in our lives can teach us much about others as well as ourselves. I take the time to put pen to paper and list all that I value in others regarding my primary relationships; unconditional gestures of love, kindness, integrity, sincerity, humility, courage and the like. When I do this, I make the relationship real, I see it for what it truly is. I often see those amazing qualities which I may have been unaware of in the past. We tell those we love the specific things that we love about them and why. We also show them our love through actions. Our actions show who we are beyond lip service. When I deeply examine my intimate relationships it enriches my screenwriting.

Have I examined my most intimate relationships lately?

MDJ

Screenwriting: Let Me Begin Today

Maybe it's a new screenplay or one that I have put away or another project. Today I can begin working on that project, knowing that I will be one day closer to finishing it. The present is all that we have and when I am working towards my dreams on a daily basis I am then living a more fulfilling and complete life.  I honor myself by working on my dreams today.  I am then living the life of my dreams and taking an active role in my success.

What do I need to begin today?

MDJ

Make Yourself An Asset Screenwriter

We work hard at our screenwriting craft. We make mistakes and we learn from them. We discover how to write multi-dimensional and unique characters that speak their own voice. We write page-turner stories like no one else. We put our writing out into the world. People love our writing and speak to how talented we are. We receive options, sales and writing assignments. We have discovered our niche. We are in demand. Our ego is in check, we are humble and people love working with us. We have the career we have dreamed of for so long. Our life is a blessing.

How can I make myself an asset as a screenwriter?

MDJ

Who Is My Competition As A Screenwriter?

I have had the opportunity to meet many screenwriters around the globe. I have met unknowns as well as many "A" list screenwriters. I once heard a famous screenwriter give a workshop about breaking in to the business. This individual asked the crowd, "Who is your competition?" There were a few miscellaneous answers from the crowd. The famous screenwriter said, "I am your competition, you are competing with me." I heard this and thought, yes, maybe that is true. If I was a new screenwriter, I would have been a little overwhelmed,... quite overwhelmed. Who are we in competition with in life? I happen to believe when I make another my focus, I am only setting myself up for disappointment and failure. I am in competition with someone as a screenwriter and that someone is ME. I need to focus on being the best writer I can be, with all of my unique strengths and weaknesses. I need to expose those things in my writing and strive to be a better writer every single day. I need to feed, nurture and harvest my talent.

Who is your competition, screenwriter?

MDJ

Puzzles, Life and Screenwriting

A typical puzzle has hundreds to thousands of pieces, each with its own specific place within the finished work. Without every piece in its proper place, the puzzle is incomplete. When we force pieces into spots that they don't belong, the puzzle doesn't work as it was intended. Missing pieces cause a hole in the puzzle. There is such a sense of accomplishment when we place that last piece in the proper spot. We experience feelings of great satisfaction, knowing that we have created a beautiful masterpiece. Our lives and screenwriting can be similar. Screenwriting is like creating a puzzle. We need to have all of the pieces necessary to create a masterpiece. If one or more elements are missing, our work is incomplete. When everything comes together just right, we have created an amazing piece of work.

Are all the successful elements in your screenplay? What about your life?

MDJ

Screenwriting - "Think" or "Do"

We have thousands of thoughts every single day; I need to write. I should get a real job. I know I will make it. My screenplay sucks. I'm a great writer. I can't write shit! I'll just stick with it another year or two. I deserve success. Which screenplay should I write? Laundry, I need to wash that shirt. The thoughts go on and on. Which thoughts do we listen to? Maybe we need to learn how to quiet our minds a bit. There are many ways to do so; Yoga, Meditation and Exercise are just a few. Another option... "Do." I am a screenwriter and when I am writing, I am doing. I designate writing time everyday to train my body and mind.

"Take the body and the mind will follow"

What did you do today? Did you write?

MDJ

Screenwriter: Am I In Control of My Destiny?

We write screenplays. We submit them to agents, producers, managers, actors, directors and the like, and then we wait and wait and wait. Sometimes we receive a response, sometimes we do not. Am I in control of my destiny as a screenwriter? It is true that there are certain things we have control over in this lifetime and there are things we do not. The key is to dig deep inside and ask ourselves certain hard questions: Do I believe that I am in control of my destiny? Am I doing everything possible to sell this screenplay? Is there something I have missed? Have I thought outside of the box when it comes to promoting myself as a screenwriter? What is the craziest thing I could do to promote myself? Do I have a written plan for selling my screenplay? Do I ask for help?

MDJ

The "Likable" Screenwriter

A producer once stated, "I don't necessarily hire the best, I hire the individual that I can stand to be around for sixteen hours a day."

We all have our positive qualities and we all have those challenging qualities. Do my challenging qualities interfere in the most important areas of my life? If they do, I may want to work on them. We may be the very best screenwriter on the planet but if we are inflexible, judgemental, unkind, demanding and just plain nasty, our career will be short lived if lived at all.

Today, we can take stock of the things that make us "likable" and work on our personality challenges.

MDJ

Why Did You Decide To Become A Screenwriter?

Getting in touch with our screenwriting roots is a great way to stay motivated. It was Larned, Kansas in the early eighties and I was resting on the couch in my Aunt and Uncle's living room. I wasn't feeling well and so I got to watch television all day long. HBO and movies all day, a child's dream. A movie by the title, LIAR'S MOON played that day, over and over. I watched it twice. It touched me. I thought, what a nice little story. At it's core, a story about Love. That day, I knew I wanted to work in the movie business. It was a short time after that I decided I wanted to be a screenwriter. I wanted to create stories that touch people. When I struggle, I remember that day and it gives me energy, drive and a renewed passion for screenwriting. Why did you decide to become a screenwriter?

MDJ

The #1 Screenwriter's Rule

What on earth could it be? The first rule of screenwriting... BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! The entertainment industry generates billions and billions of dollars and attracts every personality type on the planet. Everyone has advice about how to "make it." Everyone is a critic. Friends, producers and even our waiter may have some advice about how to make our screenplays better. They may say, "You know what you need to do..." We screenwriters can become overwhelmed with input, advice and criticism. Yes, sometimes it may be extremely valuable and then... sometimes it may not. Above all else, we need to Believe In Ourselves. If something doesn't feel right to us, then we're probably right in our judgement. Do you believe in yourself?

MDJ

Screenwriting - Those Tough Days

We all have challenging writing days. We need to remember that writing is a process. Some days are extremely fulfilling and productive and others can be tough. Masterpieces are not created overnight. The key is to stick with the process, knowing that those tough days are temporary. Instead of beating ourselves up, we can love ourselves through the tough times. We can get a massage, treat ourselves to a nice meal, go to a movie, read an inspirational book, spend some time with a good friend and the like. When we treat ourselves well during those challenging days, we seem to bounce back much quicker. How do you handle the tough writing days?

MDJ

Screenwriting - Keeping My Dream Alive

As with any goal or dream, we need to feed it. Practice is one way to feed our dream and with screenwriting that means writing. We can use visual imagery to see ourselves achieving our ultimate goal or dream. We can read about others who have achieved the dream we are seeking. We can write letters to those we admire who are living the dream we seek. We can help another who is on the path, working to achieve the same dream. There are many ways to keep our dreams alive. How do you keep your screenwriting dreams alive?

MDJ

Screenwriting - Am I Responsible?

Responsibility is a very big word in the context of one's life. We encounter numerous people, situations, challenges, successes, crisis, you name it, on this journey. As screenwriters, we want to create strong characters. We put time, energy, our heart and soul into our work and then we release it out into the world. Sometimes, we receive less than a positive response. We want to blame and curse and believe that others, "just don't get it." Sometimes we may be right and sometimes we may not be. There may be more work to be done. Maybe the character I created isn't "larger than life" and people don't identify with them. Sometimes, maybe we need to listen to others feedback. Whichever the case, when we take 100% responsibility for our lives, actions and decisions we gain deeper inner power and strength because we know we are in control of our lives and hence our destiny. And this makes us strong in character. Do I take 100% responsibility for my life?

MDJ

Measuring Progress: In Life And Screenwriting

Taking the time to evaluate our lives and measure our progress can be a valuable exercise. Looking at where we started and where we are now helps us see our growth. We are able to build upon our successes and even our failures. Do I remember the very first thing I wrote? Do I have a copy of it? What have I written recently? Placing these works side by side shows me how far I have come. We take the time to review and contemplate our growth as a person and a writer today. When we spend the valuable time to better ourselves as people, our writing improves automatically. It becomes richer, more meaningful, more insightful and operates on multiple levels. Do I take the time to measure my progress?

MDJ

The Consistent Screenwriter

Consistent, "marked by regularity." That's a good definition. It's amazing how much one is able to accomplish when incorporating consistency into life. There are 365 days in a year. Most screenplays are 90 - 120 pages. If we screenwriters only wrote one page per day, we would be able to write four 90 page screenplays in one year or three 120 page screenplays in the same period of time (Yes, they are rough drafts). I know that I am consistent with eating, breathing, sleeping and exercise, among other things but what about my writing? I like to list all of the things that I am consistent with in my life. This gives me a good picture of my life priorities, it also shows me what I value. If writing isn't on my list, I need to figure out why...?

MDJ

My Screenwriting Plan

We all make plans throughout our lives... When I am writing a screenplay there is occasionally a point where I stop because I am having a conflict. The conflict arises because the story is wanting to go in one direction and I had planned that it go in another. Another case being, my character wanting to say one thing and I am wanting him/her to say something entirely different... something I planned. I have learned that I need to give up control and let my story and characters speak. Yes, I have a plan but I need to be open to the help my characters and story are wanting to give me. When I do this, I end up with more enriching dialog, characters and story. I need to abandon my plan at times for the betterment of the whole. I find this works in my life as well. Are you willing to abandon your plan for something better?

MDJ

Screenwriting And Real Life Heroes

Maybe it was a relative, teacher, parent, sibling or a friend. I have been blessed with many life heroes. These are the "larger than life" people who exist or have existed in my life. I like to look at the qualities they possess, some I only aspire to possess, and further explore them through journaling and contemplation. I am then able to draw upon these qualities when I create my movie characters. I take bits and pieces from these folks and create unique characters with strengths and weaknesses that read true. I am grateful and thankful to be blessed with real life heroes. I oftentimes write letters to these individuals and thank them for being in my life. Who are your real life heroes?

MDJ

The Unfinished Screenplay

Do you have one? It's interesting when we sit down and take a look at our lives. We all have something that seems to be unfinished; a house project, a dangling relationship, an unpaid student loan, and that screenplay. Unfinished business can hold us back from our future. I like to take a look at all areas of my life occasionally and see where I have unfinished work to be completed. I am making an attempt at finishing those things that need completion. If I have an abundance of things that are unfinished, maybe I need to dig deeper and uncover the true reason(s) that I do this. Am I afraid of success? Failure? I know it is hard to move on when I have so many things hanging. Today, I can take steps to finish things left undone... maybe it's a screenplay. Maybe it's the one waiting to be SOLD! Do you have areas of your life where there is unfinished business?

MDJ

The Larger Than Life Screenwriter

Our movie characters tend to be people that we would only aspire to be. They are challenged beyond belief, persevere despite insurmountable odds, confront their fears and ultimately overcome them in order to become better people and achieve unbelievable goals and dreams along the way. Wow! What if I lived my life like that? I would make that call to the one producer I only dreamed would want to make my movie. I would get the script to my first choice for the lead role. I would write like I have never written before. I would take every single risk that I could in order to see my movie up on the screen. We are in control of our lives and have the power and ability to make choices to better ourselves. How am I living my life as the "larger than life" screenwriter today?

MDJ

The Screenwriter's Gift - A Sense Of Wonder

What if? One of the greatest questions that we screenwriters can ask ourselves. This simple question may unlock a door, deep within our imagination when it comes to creating our next story. We have the ability to see the world differently and then create a story based on our questioning of the universe surrounding us. What a gift this is and one to be appreciated. I am grateful for a sense of wonder and my imagination. If you are struggling to find an idea for a screenplay, try asking yourself, "What if...?"

MDJ

Screenwriting - Writing About Love

How do I write about love? Love can be simple and it can be complex. We all want to dig deeper and give our characters and screenplays new depth. We also want to make our screenplays fresh. Love is an amazing thing. I am blessed to have love in my life in many forms. When I want to explore the depths of love (which I believe has a strong unconditional component to it) I practice giving unconditionally... no strings attached. I find to do this in pure form, I must give anonymously. I am then sending love out into the world without expectation. I find this helps me to explore the true depths of love. I am then able to explore these depths through my screenwriting. How do you get in touch with love?

MDJ

New Year's Resolution And The Screenwriter

Maybe I have been puting off writing that next screenplay or maybe it's my first screenplay. The new year gives us an opportunity to reflect on a year past and prepare for a year ahead. It is an exciting time. I can choose this opportunity to set some challenging and realistic goals for writing. The outcome of "not doing" is always the same. The outcome of "doing" is left into the hands of the universe. How exciting is that? I find it interesting that in the dictionary next to the word, "resolution" sits a synonym... "Courage." What if this is the year I have the courage to do something amazing with my screenwriting career?

MDJ