Screenwriting - Creation

What a gift we writers have. We have the gift of creating something from nothing. This is the ultimate in the use of the imagination. We need to be thankful for the gift of writing.

MDJ

Why do writers write? Because it isn't there.
--Thomas Berger

Screenwriting - The Script I Haven't Written...

We all have that one story that we have left untold. It may be too personal. It may be too off the wall. It may be the last thing we think will sell. We may have fear around unleashing this piece. Today, we honor ourselves by taking the first step in letting the story be told. It may be an outline. It may be a page in our journal. However we choose to let this story see the world, we begin today.

MDJ

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones that you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream, discover!
--Mark Twain

Screenwriting - Our Own Work...

It is quite a skill for a writer to look at their work and know what is working and what isn't without judgement. This is also a skill worth practice and development. Even the "A" list writers struggle. Writing is a process . We take the good with the bad and know that through the hills and valleys as long as we push on we will arrive at our destination.

MDJ

A ratio of failures is built into the process of writing. The wastebasket has evolved for a reason.
--Margaret Atwood

Screenwriting - A Day Of Gratitude

Today is a great day for acknowledging our appreciation of others. This takes us outside of ourselves and allows us to see others and their greatness. When we practice our gratitude for others it reminds us of our humanity and humility.

MDJ

The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.
--William James

Screenwriting - The Clock Is Ticking...

Today is the day to stop putting off our dreams. Life happens no matter what we choose to do. The clock is ticking and we need to respect our dreams enough to work towards them...

MDJ

If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.
--Isaac Asimov

Screenwriting - First Draft Technique

It is about rewriting. Have you ever tried to pound out that first draft of your screenplay? There is power in doing this. Pick a time frame... One week, two weeks or a month. Commit to writing your initial draft without judgement and do it quickly. Let the writing flow and see what happens. The real work is in the rewriting but there is a sense of accomplishment when completing the first draft.

MDJ

The faster I write the better my output. If I'm going slow I'm in trouble. It means I'm pushing the words instead of being pulled by them.

--Raymond Chandler

Screenwriting - Life's Obstacles

How can we most effectively deal with them? We each need to figure out our own strategy when it comes to encountering obstacles on our journey. If we give them power, they can stop our momentum. Simply knowing that obstacles are a part of life, they are temporary and we have the power to take action in overcoming them may just be the formula we need to succeed when encountering them.

MDJ


Obstacles are those frightful things you see - when you fail to focus on your goals.
--Source unknown.

Screenwriting - How Long Does It Take...

How long does it take to write a screenplay? Well, it takes as long as it takes. We are all different. We all write differently. We need to give our screenplays the time they deserve to be written. Rushing anything is not always the best game plan.

I give my screenplay the time it deserves...

MDJ

Do not be desirous of having things done quickly. Do not look at small advantages. Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly. Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished.
--Confucius

Screenwriting - The Big Picture

We all have goals and dreams. At the end of it all, wouldn't it be a shame to only appreciate what we have gotten for ourselves? Life is about the journey and it is about others too.

MDJ

Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?
--Martin Luther King, Jr.

Screenwriting - Life vs. Writing

Life gives us insight into our craft. We all encounter challenges throughout our lives and it is what we do about them that shapes our destiny. With creativity and optimism we can approach our challenges with a new way of thinking and acting. We may discover a new approach to problem solving and in turn this may strengthen our writing.


Life's problems wouldn't be called "hurdles" if there wasn't a way to get over them.
--Unknown Author

Screenwriting - Negativity

Today we can look at how we respond to negativity. The entertainment industry is one in which our talent is continuously judged. How we respond to the judgement is up to us. We need to remember that we are not our talent. Our self worth comes from inside. Accepting the fact that everything we write will not turn to gold is realistic. We strive to be the best that we can be each and every day and accept our limitations, knowing they do not define us.


Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Screenwriting - Can Anyone Write A Screenplay?

Sure. Anyone can write a screenplay. Tens of thousands of screenplays are floating around the world at any given time and all are looking for a buyer. The art of writing a screenplay that buyers want is quite a feat. Rewriting and polishing until everything is in tip top shape takes hard work. Today we can ask ourselves... Am I willing to spend the necessary time it takes to make my screenplay one worth buying?

MDJ


What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.
--Samuel Johnson

Screenwriting - Dream All Day Long

When we dream to accomplish great things in life, we need to keep them alive. Today we take the time to acknowledge the ways in which we do this. How do I keep my dreams alive each and every day? Is it through action, consciousness, both or some other way? I honor myself today by keeping my dream alive.

MDJ


All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.
--T.E. Lawrence

Screenwriting - Who Am I?

No matter what we do, what we have, what we have contributed... Nothing matters so deeply as to know who we truly are. Am I willing to continue to learn who I am?

MDJ


Success is always temporary. When all is said and done, the only thing you'll have left is your character.
--Vince Gill

Screenwriting - Creating Vs. Writing

We love to create memorable characters and stories. In doing this we have the opportunity to tap into our deepest creative source, our imagination. The act of sitting down for hours on end and pounding a keyboard isn't always on the top of our "to do" list. It's tedious yet necessary if we are to complete our screenplays. Today we can be willing to do the tasks of our profession that we find less than pleasurable.

MDJ

Do something every day that you don't want to do. That is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.
--Mark Twain

Screenwriting - Imagining Success

It is important for us to take the time to imagine the life we have always dreamed of. We can meditate about it, write about it, envision it with all of our senses. The mind is a powerful thing. It cannot tell the difference between something real and something vividly imagined. When we imagine our success a powerful force in the universe begins to draw it to us. We need to be disciplined in this practice however we choose to do it.

Today I imagine my success and tomorrow and the next day...

MDJ

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.
--Henry David Thoreau

Screenwriting - I Write Anyway...

The negative thoughts may come... I write anyway. Thoughts of never selling... I write anyway. Others tell me screenwriting is the impossible occupation... I write anyway. The ideas will not come... I write anyway. A bad review... I write anyway. No support from loved ones... I write anyway.

We are too limited in our understanding of how the universe operates to stop doing what we love.

MDJ

Screenwriting - The Power Within

We each have the power within to be whatever it is we choose... a successful screenwriter, director, actor, a better person... anything. The problem is that most of us just don't believe it. We can begin today to choose a different life. It all begins with a decision and the power is within.

MDJ

First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.
--Epictetus

Screenwriting - Our Writing Canvas

The last thing we want to do is to lose our reader. How do we avoid this?

MDJ

Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it, and above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.
--Joseph Pulitzer

Screenwriting - Keeping Our Dreams Alive

The more work we accomplish on our dreams, the more alive they become. Today I have the choice... Am I willing to put some effort towards my dream? If I am willing, what goals will I accomplish today that bring me closer to achieving my ultimate dream?

MDJ


I don't dream at night, I dream all day; I dream for a living.
--Steven Spielberg

Screenwriting - Passion for Life

Do I have a passion for life? Am I excited to get out of bed every day? What makes me happy? We create our lives. It is possible to have a life filled with happiness, joy, passion and our dreams. It is definitely an inside job and we need to be willing to do the work to arrive at our personal happiness.

Am I willing to work for the life I want?

MDJ

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
--Albert Schweitzer

Screenwriting - Patience & Perseverance

Our writing success will flourish when the time is right. And when is that? We do not have that answer. Our job is only to keep creating.

MDJ


Patience and perseverance surmount every difficulty.
--Anonymous

Screenwriting - Success At What Cost?

We all have the ability to succeed at anything in life. Some individuals make success in one area the end all and be all of their lives. Wouldn't it be a shame to look back knowing that we had achieved success at the cost of our very lives? There is more to life than achieving one goal.

MDJ

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
-- Dalai Lama XIV