Is this a feeling all screenwriters experience?

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  • #16
    Re: Is this a feeling all screenwriters experience?

    Originally posted by Ronaldinho View Post
    I saw a great quote recently, but I can't remember who its from. "Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life."
    You may be thinking of a quote by Fran Lebowitz: "Writers are people who never did their homework in school who choose a career that basically is homework."

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    • #17
      Re: Is this a feeling all screenwriters experience?

      I call it the case of the What Ifs or the Why Didn't I?

      What if I spend five years focusing solely on writing and I never sell a thing, and I have no discernible skill that will benefit me in a job?

      Why didn't I learn programming when I was a kid instead of playing a ton of video games?

      What if everyone in my life views me as a failure?

      What if when I turn 30 I have nothing to show for it?

      It is worrying about the future or beating yourself up for the "possible mistakes" you believed you made in the past, or what you now think you should have done differently.

      The best cure for it is to focus on the present. Try meditating and just focusing on the present whether it be completely trying to engage in conversation, sitting in silence, or just admiring the sunset.

      You could die tomorrow, it probably isn't likely to happen, but it could happen. So try to make the most of the moment, which is harder said than done. I have a hard time with this frequently, but just keep trying to focus your mind back on the present or try reframing your thoughts.

      When in doubt, as others have stated, go see a therapist. A Cognitive Behavioral Therapist would be ideal for what you are struggling with, or just google CBT worksheets and exercises.

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      • #18
        Re: Is this a feeling all screenwriters experience?

        Sometimes you need to push through anxiety if you're moving to another level in your work and career. But you can also get depleted through mental or creative work to the point where your life and productivity are diminished. It helps to take some time to find remedies that can replenish your energies.
        Last edited by castilleja32; 04-01-2014, 05:56 AM.

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        • #19
          Re: Is this a feeling all screenwriters experience?

          Originally posted by Liv96 View Post
          Ever since I've become more committed to my writing this past year, I've been struck with an awful sense of anxiety: it seems like there's always 'something' dire that needs to be done, but I can't put my finger on what that 'something' is. It's a general sense of unease and restlessness, like I'm chasing 'something' at all times, and can never sit back and stop.
          Originally posted by MoviePen View Post
          This is not common to writing, nor is it common in a normal life situation. Constant stress (even low-level) eventually builds up and backlashes, which it sounds like it's starting to do, since you're manifesting physical symptoms.

          If you have the means, see a therapist. This anxiety may be related to your writing somehow, but not in ways you realize. A good professional can help you suss out the cause in confidence, and then give you coping tools.
          Our brains are like mainframe computers with an endless uninterrupted power supply. Whether we are writers or not writers, the brain never stops working and will consciously and subconsciously remind us of anything and everything left unresolved.

          It could be changing that burned out light bulb we haven't got around to yet and keep forgetting, or something really serious like trying to help a loved one through a difficult time when there's only so much one can do to actually be of help.

          Take heart, for it's not uncommon for people to feel this way, even if they cannot 'put their finger on it.'

          MoviePen says it best, but there's one way it's related to writing and that is that it can give you something to write about, which could be therapeutic for you. Be well.
          “Nothing is what rocks dream about” ― Aristotle

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          • #20
            Re: Is this a feeling all screenwriters experience?

            I agree with what a lot of other people are saying.
            One thing: you have to realize that as a screenwriter your job is based on getting approval from other people. This means waiting and rejection.
            If you're constantly anxious about what's going to happen, etc. then you'll be healthier and more able to keep going if you can change your way of thinking. Consider doing something that clears your mind like meditation or yoga or even gardening or running.
            Also: don't let one project be the end-all, be-all, even if it's the best idea you've ever had, the best thing you've ever written, etc. Sometimes you might find the Black List or a contest likes the first draft of a new script you're not that attached to more than the zillionth draft of your baby. There's that whole "forest/trees" thing. So just keep cranking out new things and see what happens.
            The other option? Don't wait for permission or approval. Write whatever you want and film it yourself, or befriend a filmmaker who will. On one hand, that advice is annoying when you worry you don't have the skills or don't know any filmmakers, but when all it takes is one person to say YES, maybe you can be that person.
            It was Kasdan that said that about the homework. I love Kasdan.

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            • #21
              Re: Is this a feeling all screenwriters experience?

              Reminds me of a quote ~

              "What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when he's staring out the window." - Rudolph Erich Rascoe

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              • #22
                Re: Is this a feeling all screenwriters experience?

                Generalized Anxiety Disorder is rampant in the screenwriting corridors.

                I think talking with a good therapist is well worth considering.

                In the short term, however, deep breathing for two solid minutes works wonders. So does taking a really brisk walk.

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                • #23
                  Re: Is this a feeling all screenwriters experience?

                  I think it's par for the course and I think the more you know about the biz and the odds, the more anxiety. I was just writing to a friend today about how much joy I got out of finishing my new book. Then I went on to say:

                  "It just all takes sooooo much time though. Years to write, months to edit, hours and hours and hours to research where to send it, hours to compose letters and organize excerpts, then sending it out which can involve dropping money on photocopying and postage, then waiting months upon months for responses, and then IF positive response, months for contract, then many more months to edit and get ready for publication, months until first payday, a year to publication, then months and months and months for royalties if any…"

                  And that's IF you "make it." The odds are abysmal. Even if by some stroke of genius you have a great piece of something or other, all the stars have to align --especially in HW-- for it to become something that actually kick starts a career. I mean these boards are filled with peeps who won a contest, got some traction, had meetings, and years later they're still not working screenwriters... and that's more progress than most other peeps.

                  Personally, sometimes I think it is pure self-inflicted torture to go down this road.

                  Sorry I can't be more positive. It's just the reality of the game. And my mood at the moment.

                  I really never thought I would ever say this: if you can be happy NOT writing or not pursuing some sort of artistic career, DO IT.

                  If you can't, join the rest of us cursed souls and hope for the best.

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                  • #24
                    Re: Is this a feeling all screenwriters experience?

                    I just read a book about happiness (by a screenwriter no less) called Happiness as a Second Language.

                    A big takeaway was this:

                    Whatever you're doing, make a conscious decision to do it, and then BE OKAY WITH IT.

                    I have had a real struggle this past year fitting writing into my day job. So I finally carved out some time after work, and I'm sticking to it, and I have to be fine with it, because I made the decision that this would be enough for me.

                    And sometimes I don't make my goal, and I have to really look at the situation and say, okay, it wasn't going to happen today. If I wasn't able to reach the goal at all, then I'd re-examine, but more often than not, I can do it.

                    I can't control everything, and as long as I'm not derailed daily, this is what I CAN do.

                    But I'm not gonna lie, I have my moments. I just finished revising a pilot and I was seriously angry and frustrated by how long it took me to finish it - and also by how no one cared if we revised our pilot or not. It's just hard sometimes.
                    writertypepeople.tumblr.com
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                    • #25
                      Re: Is this a feeling all screenwriters experience?

                      I'm overcome with a general sense of anxiety if I don't write or do something screenwriting related for a certain amount of time.

                      Sometimes it's only hours. Sometimes it's days.

                      What helps me is exercise. Running. Lifting. Getting out. Letting your lungs breathe. Letting your blood pump.

                      ... and then write.

                      For me.

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