Recommended Screenwriters
Going For The Dream
- October 7, 2010
- Posted by: HalCroasmun
- Category: Articles
One of the reasons I love working with screenwriters is because you are pursuing your dream. You are taking steps every day to make an amazing goal happen. That means you have far more life than most people. It also means you must keep your vision alive and make decisions based upon that vision.
There are a variety of ways a person can pursue a goal. Some work, some don't. Today, I'd like to present some actions you may want to add to your personal plan.
Most likely, you are already taking some of these actions and this is a chance to see if there's something new you can do that will increase your chance of success in the future.
One CAUTION: As you are reading these, make a distinction between what you *know* versus what you are *doing.* If you know it, but aren't consistently doing it, you may want to re-evaluate your plan and start taking action.
A. Make sure you have a vision.
Your vision should consist of two things:
- mental movie of the success you'd like to achieve.
- The belief, feeling, or commitment that your vision has ALREADY happened in the future.
That's right. It already happened in the future and all you have to do is take the steps to get to that event that has already happened.
When your vision is that strong, you will succeed. And if it isn't that strong, then start affirming it, start taking action toward it, and start noticing your successes along the way.
Below is a list of actions you can start taking immediately to build your vision and your skill level.
B. Give yourself the time to make it.
Don't do the "I'll give it one year" thing because I don't know anyone who made it in one year. Instead, allow yourself whatever time it takes. As long as you're progressing, you are succeeding.
When Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio (Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean), decided to write screenplays, they came to a quick agreement.
"I realized that anyone who stayed in one thing for ten years became an expert at it. So we decided to give it ten years. Five years later, everyone passed on our scripts. I thought, hell, we're not doing bad for half way."
Those two guys have written some of the best movies in Hollywood and a big part of it was because they gave themselves the time to develop their skill.
C. Constantly monitor your progress.
This is important and it can give you so much motivation. As long as you are learning and growing as a screenwriter, you have success in your future.
If you compare your work to A-list writers, it will tell you where you are in your journey. Have someone read a scene from a great movie out loud. Then listen as they read one of your scenes. Are they in the same league? Whether the answer is yes or no, the next question is just as important. Have you improved?
You want to constantly pay attention to two things — how much you've improved and how much more you need to improve. If you focus on both, you will succeed.
How do you know you can succeed? Because you keep finding the next thing to learn. This is important and often misunderstood.
I've seen writers who are convinced their script is the best it can possibly be. They get feedback from someone in the business and discover that there's an entire set of skills that are missing. What's their response? Depression. Why? Because they thought they were already there and are upset they need to learn something more.
Instead of depression, I always took that as a sign that I am truly progressing. Why? Because the moment I find something I really need to learn, I have a roadmap. Ten minutes before, I wasn't even aware of this need. Now, I know it is there and I usually understand what I need to do to make the change.
Keep in mind, I didn't come into this business thinking it was going to be easy. I've created Expert Models in other industries and I know how much really goes into being an expert. So I came in knowing that the A-list writers were doing something so profound that I couldn't see it, yet.
Then, I set out to discover what they were doing. That's why I don't find much value in tearing apart scripts. I don't care what is wrong with them. I want to know what is amazing…so I can learn it. And learning the next thing motivates me because it means I just filled another component of being a successful screenwriter.
And that is the next thing I suggest you do…
D. Learn from what the best screenwriters do.
This is a HUGE KEY to success. Focus on understanding what the great screenwriters in this business do. Why? Because it is easy to find what doesn't work, but it takes real skill to see what the A-list writers are doing.
BTW, if you think you already know what they are doing, then you are either already a produced screenwriter or you're under an illusion. Get that. If you don't have producers saying they love your work, then you haven't yet discovered what it is that A-list writers are doing. You've only discovered what they are doing on a surface level.
Every time I analyze a professional's script, I see things that are so amazing that I'm almost always blown away. And every time, I learn something new.
My advice: Look as deep as you can into what A-list screenwriters are doing. Look for the multiple meaning, the subtext, the setups that you don't know are setups, the introductions, the relationships, and all the other things that aren't apparent on the surface.
Do that and you'll be surprised…and educated.
E. Learn, write, learn, write, etc.
Learning is my speciality. After 18 years of designing training programs for major corporations, I know more about adult learning than you ever need to hear about. One of the most important learning concepts is also one of the most simple. Here it is:
With new info, you must experience some reality.
Imagine a new writer reads a Syd Field book all the way through. Then, before they write anything, they read a Michael Hauge book. And just to make sure they are really ready, they read the Robert McKee book…All before they write a single page.
What happens? Confusion.
Think about it. They've gained all this information, but haven't had a single moment of experience. They have 19,000 facts without one moment of having to struggle with a line of dialogue. So none of it is based in reality. It's all just trivia.
The solution: Every time you learn something new, you write a scene using the skill.
For anyone who has been in my classes, you know that I designed them this way. Every day, you learn one skill and you immediately write a scene using that skill. So everything you learn is based in reality — your experience.
If you read a book, do what it says. If the chapter is about outlining, then outline your script as soon as you finish reading the chapter. If the chapter is about character introductions, then rewrite your character introductions. Don't let a chapter go by without getting some experience of what you're learning.
F. Take ScreenwritingU.com classes.
I know I'm plugging my classes, but there's a reason. Each class is designed to help you move toward your dream. Both from a "learning essential skills" perspective and from a "learning this business" perspective.
Every class goes far beyond the basics. These are advanced screenwriting classes that assume you want to be successful in this business. So everything is geared toward building your understanding of the business, skill level as an exceptional writer, and helping you find your unique and powerful voice.
They far exceed what you get in these free articles and our newsletter. Even more important, the classes often will save you years of trial and error trying to figure out what producers and agents will want from your scripts. And they'll motivate you because you are learning some of the most important components for success.
G. Begin making connections now.
Think of it like High School or College. You are in the Class of 2010. Some of the people you know right now will be graduating in 2009, 2010, and 2011. I'm not talking about getting a diploma. I'm talking about graduating into the business — being produced.
Those people are your peers and when they graduate, they'll be very helpful connections. If you've established a strong enough relationships with them, they'll take you with them. Many producers and top writers tell about knowing someone in the biz who gave them their first break. That could be you.
It could just be a matter of critiquing each other's scripts and really focusing on helping the other person. Or they could be someone you meet at conferences every year. Maybe you met online and exchanged information for months or years. Building those relationships in advance can make a huge difference once you're ready for your break.
Sometimes, just understanding where you are in the process will make it easier to stay on this roller-coaster. If you have a powerful vision that you believe already exists in the future, it will be easy for you to take the actions that will create your success.
The most important thing is that you keep improving and growing every day. Imagine if you just improve 1% per day. In a year, you've improved more than 300%. The next year: more than 300%. The next year: more than 300%. Sooner or later, you'll be so good that Hollywood can't resist you. Isn't that what you want?
Ready to take the next step in becoming a Pro? Join the ProSeries!