Something strange happened to me this year. My screenwriting life took a shift in a new direction. A producer reached out to me about optioning one of my features and is now working hard to secure the financing needed to green-light the project. This is a strange new world to me and, being the the kind of person who lives in perpetual state of anxiety, one which is filled with inner conflict and paranoia. I should be happy, ecstatic even, and I was for a few weeks before resuming my normal state of melancholy.
Here’s the thing though, I’m a different writer now, one who cares deeply about artistry, and this wasn’t something that came with the recent validation of my ability, it was a journey I started about a year ago and a change of direction that I believe led to what could be the genesis of my screenwriting career.
I want to go back and go over what I’ve learned, what I want you to know something important, and I want talk about a subject screenwriting communities seem uncomfortable discussing.
When I got that initial email and found myself facing a potential sale, I became a changed man. I’m almost angry about that. If you are an amateur screenwriter trying to break in then you are probably filled with doubt, you are most likely putting on a brave face, and sadly you’ve almost certainly been told you don’t have what it takes by someone else in the same situation. Validation is a strange and powerful thing for us, it’s what keeps us swimming against the undertow and just little bit of it can empower us for…
