A Fear of Screenwriting

[incrediculous]

I'm the head writer and managing editor of my university's satirical newspaper. Most everyone enjoys my work, as its constantly receiving positive feedback, and genuine laughs. Entertaining my peers through written word is one of the most enjoyable and gratifying experiences I've ever known.

I'm addicted to it.

However, lately I've found myself discontented with writing spoofed news reports. I crave to write something more meaningful, and stylistically less restrictive. You can only take so many creative liberties with a 750 word limit in AP style.

I'd like to write screenplays. I unhealthily obsess over it. Over the last month, I've done nothing but inundate myself with books, columns, and articles about screenwriting. I've taken to studying movies, rather than watching them. I've studied dozens of scripts. I commandeered the screenwriting shelf at the university library. I even purchased some used screenwriting software.

I feel now, that I know enough about the industry and the craft itself to begin outlining and writing. But, I've yet to start doing so.

Why? An insecure fear of failure.

My psyche is defective. I'd like to exchange it for a new, more confident one. Slap an RMA sticker on my forehead and send me back to the OEM, whoever that may be (god?).

I'm a pansie! I'm afraid that I'll only display to myself that my peers were right all along. Despite all the praises I receive for my satirical reports, I'm constantly bombarded with discouraging commentary regarding this new ambition.

"You're no artist. I don't think writing is the best contribution you could make to Hollywood," said my best friend, in a drunken admittance of doubt. Alcohol is an elixir of truth; he would have never intended to reveal this when sober.

"You want to go into film? That doesn't seem to suit you, but you'd make a great reporter," said a family friend. She doesn't seem to understand that the reports I write are pulled from the depths of my ass. There's no journalism involved. I make it all up. Should I try my hand at reporting, I would become the next Jason Blair in a matter of days.

A complete stranger and film student mocked my ignorance of the film industry at a keg party. "You want to write a screenplay and you don't know who Robert Rodriguez is?!?" he said, laughing hysterically.

Since being called out on that last one, I read Rodriguez's autobiography. His dedication is inspiring, to say the least.

He didn't aimlessly wonder into film making. He devised a plan, and a brilliant one at that, which would catapult him into Hollywood as the next independent hot-shot. He stuck to that plan, and sacrificed his own blood to achieve it (he sold his body to medicine to finance his first films).

He wasn't afraid. He didn't worry about failure. In fact, he never considered it. He enveloped himself completely in his craft, striving to improve each and every day, learning by experience. He knew that his dedication would pull him through. This dauntless psyche made him the successful film-maker he has become. It's as though he willed it to happen, so it did. Without the ruthless dedication, he would have wallowed in insecurity and doubt just as I am doing now.

So, I'm left wondering why I've yet to display a similar devotion to my writing. I can't stop fantasizing about screenwriting, or studying it for that matter. Every day I devote a hours to studying scripts, film and books. But, I've yet to actually draft something.

I want so badly to succeed in this craft, that I know the minute that I begin I will devote my entire being to its cause. The prospect of failure in the face of such devotion is potentially devastating. It's that devastation which is now preventing me from taking the plunge.

Did many of you experience a similar roadblock in writing your first script? How did you overcome it?

[OkeyDokey]

Don't be so hard on yourself! You're already taking the first steps - especially reading real screenplays. Some beginners don't even do this. You sound like you're giving it lots of serious thought (maybe too much....) and not just treating it as a lark.

if you're at a university, why not take a writing class? Do you have a film department? It's always hard to start out on your own. Find others who share your interest, and an instructor who can help you learn the craft.

Good luck!

[Writer1]

Write a script! More than likely, your 4th or 5th script will be waaay better than your first. But...you will be immensely proud of your first one because it's the most difficult one to write. Yeah, on reflection, it'll probably blow...but it's that "reflection" that will make you a better writer.

[Salazkin]

See any of numerous threads on PROCRASTINATION. I can relate to what you're saying. I tend to be a perfectionist, entirely capable of devoting ungodly amounts of time to setting up and preparing for this or that endeavor, only to realize I don't know where or how to start. It's perfectly common. I often remind myself of the character in Steinbeck's Cannery Row who was forever at work on his sailboat (on dry land) in anticipation of the one day it would be ready for water. The day never came, of course, because it "couldn't" come. Once it hit water, his project, his journey would be over. Of course we know that a new journey would then begin. But that's part of human nature and the conflict between the intellect and emotion (fear, in this case). We may KNOW that it won't be over, but deep down there's this irrational fear that it will be.

My advice, which may sound astoundingly trite in the wake of the Nike ad campaign, is "just do it." And though it may mean the world to you and you take it very seriously, try to just have fun with it. Write some scripts the best you can, toss them into the ring when ready, and see what comes of it. [Note: This advice would not apply if you're seeking to pursue screenwriting as your livelihood and your family's welfare depends on it. In that case, listen to someone other than me. There are plenty of full-time professional writers around here.]

Just my two cents.

[Bess McNeil]

Check this out:

members.aol.com/dlbristow/sandoz.htm (http://members.aol.com/dlbristow/sandoz.htm)

Then THANK THE GODS ABOVE that you've got it so easy. Infinite vistas of creative potential are open to you, but YOU have to take the initiative to march across them. Nobody can make you take that journey except yourself.

Also, read THE WAR of ART by Steven Pressfield.

Writers write. I wish you infinite vistas. Go. Explore. Now.

[MalcolmMKM]

I started writing in college, taking creative writing classes. I didn't get serious about it -- meaning, actually trying to sell something -- for several years afterwards. I was afraid to submit anything. What if I got rejected? Finally, I started reading a mystery magazine, and decided to try. I gritted my teeth and wrote a really terrible, awful, horrible (in retrospect) story, and mailed it off... and got rejected. That's what you have to do. You have to grit your teeth and get rejected. And keep trying and trying. (Eventually, I sold a story, and then a book, and now I'm desperately desperately desperately trying to sell a screenplay...) Just do it!

[pantalone]

I'm curious to know what it is that constitutes failure in your mind. How many years, how many screenplays without getting an option, a sale or a production credit? There was an article in GQ not too far back, about screenwriters in LA making tons of money, but not having a credit for a produced film. Would that be a success or a failure? What if you are writing scripts, living in Austin, making indie films, living on meagre profits and your girlfriends job as a waitress? Would that be a success or a failure? What if you're work on several films of the years, get paid very well, get screen credit, but the films suck and perhaps drive a studio into bankruptcy? Success or failure?

You're no artist. I don't think writing is the best contribution you could make to Hollywood

HW is filled with creative people, some more so than others. Maybe you'll find a day job in catering. Maybe that is where your true craft lies.

You want to write a screenplay and you don't know who Robert Rodriguez is?!?

I think the only people required to know who Robert Rodriguez is, are pretentious film students. I've always the best way to defeat these annoying idiots is to have a reservoir of obscure knowledge. Learn something about German filmakers in the 1910's and 1920's.

'Course, my pop-poker-table-psychology leads me to ask if it is really screenwriting that you are afraid of? Once you're done with school, life starts for real.

[LackingInDepth]

I'm afraid that I'll only display to myself that my peers were right all along.

Ok...so...here's the thing...fvck your peers. You are who you are and you do what you do. It's a calling, you need to pick up the phone and answer. Haha, okay, I'm done with that sorta crap, but I think that you should do what you want to do. It's a no-brainer. Make yourself happy above all. I'm guessing you are considerably young (university still) so you have plenty of time to screw up your life and get it back on track again. ( I know I have a knack for motivating.) It seems to me you spoke with conviction, which I believe is rare these days. If you follow your heart you can't go wrong, really. The best thing about screenwriting is it can be done like a hobby. It will not completely interrupt your plans.

And as far as knowing who Robert Rodriguez is, you're learning. Never listen to a film student anyways, they're annoying. I used to be one, trust me, I annoyed myself. My theory is that nobody really knows everything, just bits and pieces but you hear them talk about random things and then you feel like ''why don't I know that.'' It will seem overwhelming, but you learn as you go. You pick up different things that you will end up spouting out and someone else will think you're brilliant. You don't always know what others perceive you as.

Anyways, I can definitely relate to your 'problem' though. I have more scripts started than finished. It is almost pysically impossible for me to get to the point to write ''fade out." What will that make me when I'm done? I'm not a writer anymore, cause I'm not writing then, then I'm selling. Ha. I don't know if this will make any sense to you. I don't think it makes sense to me. My point is that you will be a failure automatically if you never give it an equal chance. I love that you posted, made me feel better.

I became a screenwriter on the suggestion of my mum. I had no direction and she sorta just made it clear for me. I knew I was good at writing but had no clue it was possible for me to have a career with it. So I moved to LA the month after I graduated high school, and I haven't made much progress in the business end, but it's the best thing I could have ever done. (It hasn't been a whole year yet, so that's acceptable) I'm not gonna die a never-has-been, it's just not gonna happen. Luckily, I am surrounded by supportive people so I know that whatever I choose to persue I will be backed. I don't think you care, but I think it's important that you don't let other people hold you back. It's just not worth it.

Well, regardless if you or anyone gained anything from this, it made me feel a little better sorta a thinking out loud type thing.




"You see us as you wanna see us, in the simplest terms and most convenient definitions."

[incrediculous]

God, I love the internet.

I know of no other venue where one divulge his insecurities to complete strangers and receive meaningful feedback, all while maintaining a degree of anonymity.

Your words are encouraging, and your differing perspectives of the writing endeavor intriguing. Tonight I begin the formal outlining process of my first feature script.

This morning I dusted off an old cork board, upon which I will post storyboarding index cards to aid in the outlining process. I didn't expect it to be an emotional occasion. It's only a cork board.

The cork board had hibernated beneath my couch for god knows how long. It was adorned with a scrapy collage of high school photographs: friends and girlfriends, some of whom I miss, and many of whom I do not. Long dormant memories surfaced in quick succession. They lingered only as long as it took me to remove their essence from the board.

With the board clear, I took my first index card, and wrote upon it with sharpe, in thick block letters "Carry On." I tacked it to cork, and hung the board next to my desk.

It's a lame, cliche title, I know. I'm sure a better one will hit me as I flesh out the details of the story I am about to tell.

Tonight, I begin populating this board with dozens of cards - each representing scenes, plot points, and character arcs. I'm excited. We'll see what I've got to offer. ;)

[Salazkin]

Congrats on your new journey, incred. Good luck, have fun, and hope to hear how it's going. :D

[CT in ATL]

Thank you for posting this subject and opening up! When you do so, it gives others permission to do likewise and this is a really good topic. I can totally relate and while I don't have any Hollywood success (yet), here's my 2 cents:

I had started many, many scripts...just re-wrote the first 35-45 pages and then couldn't go anywhere. I had never outlined (formally) so while I thought I could just keep it all in my head, once I got to a place where my first 40 pages were perfect enough for me (I'm a hard-core perfectionist), I didn't know where to go with the story, got bored, and quit.

Like you, I dreamt and fantasized about screenwriting and the life I wanted from it for (in my case) years, while never moving toward it.

So was it fear of success, or fear of failure? Both, really. Might be for you too.

Anyway, after celebrating a "big" birthday, I decided that life's too short...and so are my screenplays! So I finished one...and another one...and another one. I just got really economical about it, and after re-writing the first 37 pages of my first completed script, I decided to just plow through to the end, with very little re-writing. Not even reading from beginning to point of leaving off for the most part! And I put a scene list right in the script to keep me on task.

Once you finish your first - I mean, type "FADE TO BLACK" and "THE END" right there - you will feel so empowered! It was such a source of pride for me when I finally finished one, I can't tell you. Oh, and you know how long it took me to write that first one? Two weeks. (Keep in mind, that's just the first draft, but once you see the story laid out completely, the re-writes become a labor of love.)

So my long-winded point is: if I (the non-finisher) can do it, anyone can. It really doesn't take as long as you might think. Hope this helps you and good luck.

[Evil Elf the One and Only]

Two Weeks!?!?!?!?! That's incredibly encouraging. I know it will take me longer, but it has lowered one of the barriers that was in my brain. And in my case it's a fear of success, which I do not understand but okay. It's like, if you once hit a certain level you can never again fail to be that good, or you've lost everything. Maybe this has roots in the school system, with its inexorable "progress". All I know is when a counsellor friend told me my problem was Fear of Success I skidded backwards away from her in my chair for about fifteen feet and made the sign of the cross, and I'm not even Catholic! So I guess she hit the nail on the head there.

Fear of Blogging (http://terminalcity.diary-x.com)

[DUCPHO]

Stop dreaming... stop worrying and start writing ... and the critics be damned!

Self actualization only comes through self mobilization!

Never depend on, or pin your own dreams, onto the actions (or) reactions of others!

[NoozYooz]

Thanks, Incrediculous, for starting this thread. The bad news: I recognise your problem. The good news: I overcame a similar block - and it only happened last week!

And I can confirm the enormous 'high' that you get from actually starting to write. My friends have even been commenting on my 'elated state of being' :eek

So here's my (lengthy) story.

Two years ago, I quit my consulting job after 6 years. After a brief stint at a PR agency, I became an independent journalist and consultant. People have always been positive about my writing (in Dutch - English is a 2nd language for me) and I had neglected that talent, so I went back to it. Like you, I was writing in student magazines while at university.

Writing as a journalist and copywriter changed my life in a very positive way. So I went ahead and started taking up other old interests as well. I'm now in a drama class, I'm doing impro and want to try my hand at directing actors on stage. I'm having a blast!!

I had been looking into writing screenplays for years. I'm probably a bit like you in the sense that I inundate myself with DVD's, books and articles when something really interests me. And screenwriting interests me tremendously. My favorites list now has 30 good websites on the subject. I like the 'Script Pages' section on this site, and I really enjoy reading columns by Charles Deemer, Terry Rossio & Ted Elliott and of course Bill Martell.

At first, I was a bit put off by all the attention to brads, paper and format. Isn't a good story what it's all about? So I started thinking, but didn't get anywhere. All these storylines from existing scripts kept popping into my head. I couldn't find an original premise, let alone a plot or a turning point. So I started to write down fragments, ideas... bits and pieces really. The application of choice being Notepad of course. :p

Then I started looking at the newsgroup (misc.writing.screenplays). Big mistake. The fighting, bickering and whining in there put me off screenwriting completely. And the acting took off, so I got absorbed by that.

But every time I went to the movies and saw an intelligent thriller or a moving drama, I could feel it in my gut: I want to do this! And every time I went to England and walked into a bookstore, I went straight to the scriptwriting section. I kept on buying books. And eventually, all of that paid off.

Three books did it for me: ; 'Making Movies' by Sidney Lumet, 'Buy + Sell The Hot Screenplay' by Elliot Grove and especially 'On Directing Film' by David Mamet.

All of these books contain practical information, but they are especially good for motivation. Lumet simply takes you through the whole process of making a movie. Grove is very British and down to earth. Mamet is just wonderful. These books got my creative juices flowing again. It sounds strange, but I could feel a sort of build-up happening. I wanted to do a screenplay!

But I had never ever written a single line in all these years. Even though I had a shareware application installed that worked fine. Somehow, I couldn't get myself to sit down and start using it.

And then it happened.

Last Sunday, I saw on the web that the British Short Screenplay Competition 2004 hadn't closed yet. Short stories. Maximum of 15 pages. Any genre. And A4 paper was no problem... ;) It would close on Friday, June 11th.

Showtime! I opened up my Notepad archives. Read all my old ideas. Had some new ones. Saw images in my mind. And it happened! I could feel it taking hold -- a story was forming!

I started scribbling, still in Notepad, and kept at it for 4 hours. The result was sort of a synopsis.

On Monday, I fired up the screenwriting software. Let's go and do this!

So I hardly slept last week. I cancelled appointments. The experience was unbelievable. I'd get these images in my head, and all I had to do was describe them in proper screenplay format!

And because of all the books and columns, I know I should try and put 'verticality' in my writing, do readable action sequences and use exclamation marks a la Martell. I know about short character descriptions. About little asides to the reader. It took me a whole week to do 15 pages.

Unfortunately, that was too long. The first rewrite was ready on Friday. It should've been in the mail on Thursday. But I had created something -- and that would have to be its own reward, right? So I opened my browser, to have a last look at the competition's website.

Lo and behold: THE DEADLINE HAD BEEN EXTENDED until today! Because of Reagan's funeral... Thank you, Mister President!!

So I dashed to the post office and away it went. I've been in a happy state of shock ever since. Registered the piece with the WGA today. Hey, you never know! 8)

So that's it. I am now officially 'hooked'. And I've just created my first 15-page screenplay. Maybe it was arrogant to send it out, but I don't care. I will always remember the BSSC 2004 for getting me started.

We'll see. What's life like in LA? :rollin

Best of luck, Incrediculous. Keep in touch.

-- Nooz

[32piecesflair]

Good luck with your writing! People will always criticize you in all aspects of work and creativity. If you don't write to your own standards and just rely on the encouragement or lack thereof friends and family, you'll be nowhere. And who knows what creative gifts you hold?

They say I can't do it. I say watch me.

[ThunderChikin]

Carry a tissue in your pocket to all social gatherings. The next time someone mocks you, pullout the tissue and say, "You've got some snot in your nose."

And then walk away.



Life's too short for snot-nosed pretension.

[Jack0902]

I agree with the above comment-- just take the plunge and do it.

I'm a lawyer at a very big law firm-- on the "right track"-- partnership. I had always wanted to get into screenwriting, but put it off because of the uncertainty and because I make a very good living as a lawyer.

But, you can't deny a passion, and neither can I. I wrote my first screenplay last year, finished it in August, got an agent in October, and optioned the script this past April. Script #2 hopefully is on the same track.

So, what do you know-- less than a year and I'm a paid screenwriter!

Here are the words I live by when I worry about making the plunge-- (you may recognize them)

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

Good luck!

[GREATwarEAGLE]

My advice, incrediculous: put that colorful and cynical vocab of yours to proper use. In dialogue. Try to keep action and scene description simple. But go to town on what your characters have to say.

Another thing about your transition to screenwriting is time and space. These elements and how they are manipulated play a big part.

But I think you'll do damn fine.

[Vigorish9]

"A complete stranger and film student mocked my ignorance of the film industry at a keg party. "You want to write a screenplay and you don't know who Robert Rodriguez is?!?" he said, laughing hysterically." keg party heckler

is that an oxymoron

yeah, i once had a buddy of mine doubt my work. . . he was a writer, a cum laude, a ivy grad, just your neighborhood braniac. he read my writing and gave me his girlfriend on the spot.

you probably have no shot. you proabably won't be able to spin a story. hell you probably won't be able to type with all that doubt festering but writing is a solitary thing and do it alone. just do it man.

vig

[Olga]

"A complete stranger and film student mocked my ignorance of the film industry at a keg party. "You want to write a screenplay and you don't know who Robert Rodriguez is?!?" he said, laughing hysterically."

I can't help to add -- ignore that idiot.

It seems to me your problem is that you want to write scripts but doesn't have a clear story in your mind yet. That kind of story that you see in your mind before you go to sleep, see so clearly as you've seen it long time ago. But it's your own story.
If you have it - quit wasting your time on some bios and put it on paper. Maybe, that student will have to study your bio one day, who knows. :D

[Wolfy262]

Why are you so scared of failing.

To have permission to succeed, you must first have permission to fail. Failure only stings if you attach significance and meaning to it.

There is nothing wrong in failing if you are doing all that you can to succeed.

[Steve]

there are two ways to look at this. 1 is what Wolfy said. Give yourself permission to fail. Then starting a screenplay is no big deal. You don't even have to finish it because it really doesn't matter in the scheme of things if your write a screenplay or not.

#2 is the tough love question. Ask yourself if you're avoiding writing because you're getting so much satisfaction out playing the tortured writer stuggling to break out of his shell.

Finally, look at it this way.

Was the first time you had sex the best sex you've ever had in your life?

Even so, did you still want to do it again? And did you get better at it.

Sit down, type "fade in" and pop your damn cherry already.

[Geevie]

I had a huge fear of screenwriting.

I was told in 1991 that my book manuscript was better suited for the screen. In 1998 my agent was shopping around another book of mine, and I got the same feedback. Around this time I came up with an idea for a movie and a screenwriting friend of mine told me just to jump in and get my feet wet. I bought a book to learn how and then shelved it.

Bottom line I just didn't have enough confidence what I wrote could be a successful movie. "You mean to tell me I have to write something so great someone is going to want to invest millions of dollars into it? And then I have to pray people want to pay $8-10 to see it? And *I* have to do it??" I just didn't think I had it in me. No one else had to talk me down - I did that just fine on my own.

In 2000 I got another idea I thought would make a fun movie - and in 2002 I finally wrote it. The thing that motivated me was Dr. Phil - reading about Living Your Best Life. I got about 17 pages into his book, put it down and started writing. In thirteen days I had my first script. It was very badly written, but it was done.

One of my drawbacks is if I can't be perfect I won't do it. I want to excell at everything I do right out of the gate and I hate to fall on my face. I used to define my identity by my accomplishments, so naturally if I fail that suggests that I am a failure.

Something Unca Leo said stuck with me forever, and helps me get over that initial procrastination. Don't get it right, get it written. I've written five screenplays since 2002. It would have been more but again, I let failure (not placing in a contest) sidetrack me. Yesterday I got my first rejection from a management company and for the first time ever, I'm not internalizing that failure - I'm planning another strategy. That is thanks to another favorite quote of mine: "I'm not a failure because I didn't make it, I'm a success because I tried."

My best advice to you is to feel the fear and do it anyway. There's nothing that can happen with you during the writing process you cannot handle. You cut your teeth on your first script, so have fun. The most fun I ever had was that first script because I wasn't so anal about things like structure (and it showed). But I sure had a good time writing it. Just tell yourself that you cannot mess up and dive right in.

And understand too that your friends do not define who you are. Even whether you sell something or not doesn't define who you are. If you want to write a screenplay, then write it. I can tell you that the last two years have not been wasted - I love crafting a screenplay more than anything I've ever written. It is my passion. I have not yet been validated by that "perfect" script, but the journey sure is fun.

So chin up, butt in the chair and write "Fade In".

[SebsWrtrDad]

Wow, incred, you have a long strange journey ahead of you and congrats on starting it!

Sell a script or not: count this as a victorious venture. It will lead you to many wonderful, horrible, tragic and beautiful places.... it's great.

:D

As for the doubters -- we've all got them. I still have friends (so many years after I was where you are) who still wonder when my 'novel' will be done. When I'll get a real job (a favorite when I was a stay at home dad, which made me feel GREAT). People still give me crap about what I'm trying to do.

Ignore them. Because you'll find the people who will support and understand you and they're the ones who count.

And s for Mr. 'You don't know Robert Rodriguez' -- that dudes a pretentious jackass. Maybe respond with 'No, but I know who Steven Speilberg is. Is he something like Speilberg?'

[Old Comedywriter]

Robert who? Is he related to George Rodriguez? Or was it Alex or Pudge Rodriguez?

I also write satirical news articles, miscellaneous parodies, short stories, and a screenplay or two. I have about sixty loglines that'll probably never even make it to a synopsis. I've been doing this since age 14 (see profile for current age) and will be doing it until my maker declares me obsolete. Current earnings at writing stand at minus 80 dollars. My screenplay seems to have made the bottom 250 in PGL 2. I let my past failures get to my self-esteem, and I wound up with a numb left hand due to a flare-up of multiple sclerosis as a result.

My point? Just keep going. Screw the critics. Writing for a university newspaper proves you can write competently. Wallowing in self-deprecation can not only limit your opportunities but can be hazardous to your health as well. I'm sure there are those on here who would call me an idiot for trying to set an example for anyone when I've never sold anything or had anything published. As I get older, I care about that less and less. It's on my website, it's out there, and I wrote it. Scribo ergo sum.

[Salazkin]

Marky?

[Sombida]

Don't be afraid...wait a minute...could it be that you have writer's block? Or are in the first stages of ruminating and developing a story in your mind and heart? Because, see, if you have a story, or a hint of a story, or a feeling in your gut, maybe just a wisp of an emotion, and you sit down to write it out, it will come to you. You may go reluctantly to the paper or keyboard, and it may come in starts and fits, and it may drag on, you may even fight to see the light! BUT, then you will be in the ZONE. This is where you function on a daily basis on two levels, reality, and fantasy- your story. You'll talk to yourself as the characters talk to themselves- while you're in the shower, on the freeway, you may even blurt out lines at the dinner table in front of your family, but the point is, you will be living your story. The format thing?...In very short order it becomes second nature, like tying your shoes, or driving. It is just a means to an end. Just follow a few basic rules, get to know them, but at all times let your creative self run free within those guidelines. There is plenty of room. Like most things, the more you know the larger the learning tree. I've written seven scripts, and I have a lifetime of stories. So get writin', and lets hear yours!:D

[Maxmaxmaxus]

Watch a few bad movies and ask yourself how you could do worse. Max

[NiteScribe]

only fear not writing, or something. Hmm? How about this? Identify your fears in life and confront them...so, if you fear writing, confront it by writing. Yeah, that makes sense...I guess. Read WRITING FROM THE INSIDE OUT by Dennis Palumbo or OUTWITTING WRITER'S BLOCK by Jenny Glatzer...or, just write! Really, you'll be okay. It's okay to fail, it's a great way to learn. It's also okay to succeed, it's a great way to...well, succeed. You're good enough, you're smart enough and god darn it...people like you. I really have to stop using ellipsis. Not that I fear them, okay I fear them. Not that there's anything wrong with being afraid. Fear is a great emotion to mine for your writing. Just write...and don't be afraid to use an ellipsis....

[teresa20]

Don't be scared just do it and you may find it not as hard as it seem's. don't think of failure what about the good you do writing and what you do for people. the how I think that I can make people have all the emotions from watching my show. I just say all those people can do it I can learn to. you do have to be a jeaus to write.