This is an obsession.

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  • #16
    Re: This is an obsession.

    Hey Santino-

    Like Stef said, schedule it out. You're just working too hard on a project! It's good you've sold a script - in fact surely some envy you in your position where you have this obsession... many probably wish to have that drive and can't find any time at all... it's really a miracle you have it - with the kids and wife and the full time job. Be patient and do a schedule and eventually the obsession will either consume you in whole, or you will pucker out completely and find your self relaxing for a while before attacking the keyboard again with that GREAT script.

    Good luck!
    D. Alin
    http://alinproduction.blogspot.com Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Basically) [Skype me at "Buyitpc" - I will surely love to talk!]

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    • #17
      Re: This is an obsession.

      Originally posted by sc111
      It intrigues how posters claiming to be working writers sporatically pop into Done Deal to tell those who are not yet working writers that we have next to no chance of breaking in.

      Why is that? I'd think a working writer would have better things to do with his/her time.
      I frequent the members-only WGA bbs WriterAction. If you think people waste time here, you ain't seen nothing yet. WriterAction is a zillion times busier than this place (or Zoe, or anywhere). And a great deal of our yammering isn't writing-related. Professional writers have raised procrastination to an art.

      kullervo

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      • #18
        Re: This is an obsession.

        I think we should discuss this. Procrastination - for or against?
        http://wasitsomethingiwrote.blogspot.com/

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        • #19
          Re: This is an obsession.

          Best, what you have said by way of guidance and salient facts are actually well known by the vast majority of the members on this board. Sure it's tough. Sure, most will never make it as pro writers. But I know that some have a good chance given hard work and luck, because they do have the talent.

          But arrogance is never pretty. Steady the buffs old chap.
          http://wasitsomethingiwrote.blogspot.com/

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          • #20
            Re: This is an obsession.

            to me it's very evident who are pros and who are not. a lot of people say you can't tell by someone's post wheter they can write or not, and that is true, to some, but i can tell within a post if a guy has the skill or 'acts' like a pro. i got magic man mixed up with another guy who used to call him self magicman, so he doesn't count.

            but best writerever has me on the fence. no pro writer has the mindset that i do. meaning, i just rip into people, i don't care, the truth is the truth, however pro writers have specific makeup, let's call tact, or validation, that all of them exhibit, just about down to the last one that i've seen on done deal.

            But, this guy is right about the hard facts, or gal, but the entire image is wrong. a pro writer doesn't take that name, bestwriterever, and doesn't act the way you do.

            however, there is a clarity in your posts that hint of a young turk with fire and brimstone, i'm on the fence, but i'm going to say, no -- you're not a pro.

            i'm going to be the only pro, who mocks, ridicules and sound like a third grader - that's my turf - so since i'm not a pro, i'm just annoying, kind of like you.

            Vig

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            • #21
              Re: This is an obsession.

              Originally posted by English Dave
              Best, what you have said by way of guidance and salient facts are actually well known by the vast majority of the members on this board. Sure it's tough. Sure, most will never make it as pro writers. But I know that some have a good chance given hard work and luck, because they do have the talent.

              But arrogance is never pretty. Steady the buffs old chap.
              I'm on English Dave's side.
              Where would the great screenwriter's of today be if they listened to the doubters when they told them to give up, that the odds are against them?
              They'd most likely be tied down with a crappy job and living an unhappy life while someone else stepped up to take their would be position as a great screenwriter. As a "pro", did you listen? Did you give up?

              Everyone has got to start somewhere, and the best place to start is will and determination.

              So thanks for the words of wisdom, bestwriterever, but to most of us, giving up isn't an option. We're going to keep on truckin and doing what makes us happy regardless of anyone who tries to blow our tires out along the way.

              Steph
              "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." --T.S. Eliot

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              • #22
                Re: This is an obsession.

                I don't see anyone here blowing smoke up the skirts of the people who post here or encouraging them hoping to make a buck off of it or in some effort to pump themselves up.

                What I see is a group of writers who range in experience and skills from pros to those who will probably never, ever make it because they simply lack the very basic skills required. Most people are pretty honest with that latter group. Some are flat out blunt about it. Even when being kind, people are still honest in their opinions.

                The one thing we all share in common is a love of storytelling. Some are more dedicated to it than others. Some are absolute students of it. But to whatever degree our talents may reach, that common love is something we all understand.

                We also understand being locked away for hours, days, weeks at a time as we try to bring a story to life. We understand the frustrations when it won't go on the page the way we see and hear it in our heads. We understand the doubts when the story hits a road block or the words just won't come. We don't think the other guy is crazy because he hears characters talking in his heads or wakes up in the middle of the night with images of a scene flashing in his mind. And we understand how sometimes a story just begins to flow, your mind races faster than your fingers can type and you become so focused on getting it all down, you forget to eat or look up at the clock and discover you've been writing all night long.

                So when one of us is feeling a little down, it is out of that understanding, that like-mindedness, that we say hang in there. We say it because we've been there and know that just hearing (or reading) someone say "I know, but don't give up" can make all the difference. It's like a group hug and at times we all need one.

                And we know that just because someone comes along and says 99% of you will never make it, that it does not matter. We know the odds. We know it's more than an uphill battle. We're trying to climb the Alps in the dead of winter with nothing but a spoon and a flashlight. But we share a dream of standing on the mountain top and within that dream is the reality that even if we never make it, we will continue to write because we love it. It feeds something in our souls that is not based on options or sales. It needs no representation or contracts. It is part of who we are. It is what gives us joy.

                Frankly, anyone who does not understand that, IMHO, does not have the soul of a writer. They are simply someone who puts words on paper. And anyone who thinks it is their place to tell others "don't bother" "don't try" "don't dream" is either incredibly arrogant to think they know what is best for us or a fool. Or maybe both.

                Santino, write when you can. When the script isn't working, kick back a little and write something for the kids. Go to Goodwill, buy some old hats and assign a hat to every character. Then act it out for the kids and your wife some evening or Saturday morning. They won't care if you're a terrible actor. Be terrible. Be so terrible it's funny. Spark your children's imaginations. Bring your wife into your world. And even if you never sell a single word, you will have given your family a wonderful gift and great memories of Dad The Writer.
                Last edited by Charli; 01-08-2006, 08:28 AM.
                It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney

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                • #23
                  Re: This is an obsession.

                  ESR - wow. One of the reasons I come here put incredibly well.
                  http://wasitsomethingiwrote.blogspot.com/

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                  • #24
                    Re: This is an obsession.

                    Exit Stage Right -

                    Excellent post! Thank you.


                    ---

                    Santino -

                    Exit makes a great point -- bring your family into it. I talk through my story ideas with my guy. He's really a helpful sounding board and often adds ideas of his own.
                    Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

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                    • #25
                      Re: This is an obsession.

                      Exit Stage Right,

                      Thank you for you post.

                      OEP/KWV
                      "Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" - H. M. Warner

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                      • #26
                        Re: This is an obsession.

                        Exit...

                        Beautifully put.

                        As cheesy as it may seem to "some". It is nice to hear from other people struggling to balance their lives and family with this art.

                        Your thoughts are taken to heart and there is no doubt in my mind that your scripts are filled with that same passion and emotion.

                        See you when we get there.

                        Santino

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                        • #27
                          Re: This is an obsession.

                          I agree with "Exit", when I did my first logline post, he was brutual, a bit cruel - maybe, maybe not. He told me how it is. I appreicate it! Thank you. Exit has many wisdom ways we can finally accept. Dreams, that's what makes us who we are... human beings!

                          Writing is a passion, we do it because we surely love it. Regardless of what someone else who's made it and waving down on us saids... in fact that person should be ashame of him/her self for doing that... always remember who helped you reach the peak... (I always say.)

                          It's simple really, we will write until either someone important finds what we have to say - means something to share with the rest of the world. After all, writing is an art form. It's not concrete on what source, or where the idea comes from... it comes from our hearts and minds. Our emotions of being human! That's what strike us to read stories in books, novels, plays and screenplays... we want to know what is happening to these people, the characters... the creative side of us is a story in itself. You know, after watching "The Bigest Loser" and the special edition last night on NBC I saw the human quality of the show, regardless of the message. These people did the show, yes they wanted to lose weight, the mere purpose of the show, but heck if they win something grand, like FREE computers, a week at a resort or $2,500.00 in a shopping spree, not to mention the $50G's at the end of the game... they're all still winners in my book. They found a better life by losing weight and eating right. That's more drama and emotional battles to make a great story. We're human beings that loves a great story. The conflict and struggle of reaching those goals are the objectives to hearing the story. That's what screenwriting is like, the joy and passion of writing... just like "Exit" said, we do it because it's in our soul.

                          Thank you Exit! Again for that encouraging advice!
                          D. Alin
                          http://alinproduction.blogspot.com Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Basically) [Skype me at "Buyitpc" - I will surely love to talk!]

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: This is an obsession.

                            Originally posted by BestWriterEver
                            Scripts are blueprints. If they're not bought and produced, they're useless. Write a book or a poem if you need to climb a mountain.
                            It took me ten years to get a novel published, so if you are implying that it's easier to sell a manuscript than a screenplay, think again. I've got the manuscript for an epic novel sitting over here that took me 6 years to research and write and was loved by every editor who read it, some even called to tell me how wonderful it was...but they all passed because there is currently a very limited market for the genre and they're only publishing authors already established in the genre. Name recognition and all that.

                            So please do explain how this unpublished manuscript is more valuable than an unproduced screenplay? It is 10% more valuable? 25%? 50%?

                            And considering that other than the extremely limited possibilities in the magazine publishing market and that the market for publishing a collection of poetry is even worse than the current novel market, exactly how is writing a poem going to get me any closer to that mountain top than an unproduced screenplay?

                            Writing for the love of it doesn't mean you cast off all desire to have it sell someday. It just means you're not going to stop writing because the odds are against you or because the latest effort didn't sell. We market hoping for the best. We write because we enjoy it. And if someone enjoys writing screenplays, then it's really no skin off your nose, is it?


                            I've got no soul. I traded it to the devil for a career in showbiz. That's the entry fee.
                            You have a career in showbiz? Well, of course you do. You're the best writer ever, right? I simply cannot find the words to express how impressed I am, but I use Netflix, so after you send Sc111 a list of the films you've written, send me a copy. I'll get them in my queue ASAP. Or if you're a television writer, I've got a couple of TVs around here. The remote controls work and everything. Tell me which show and I'll tune in.

                            Ahm, I see your NSHO and raise.
                            It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney

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                            • #29
                              Re: This is an obsession.

                              Exit-
                              Wonderful post! Thankyou.
                              "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." --T.S. Eliot

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                              • #30
                                Re: This is an obsession.

                                A quote that sums up how I feel about all of this:

                                Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.
                                -- Mark Twain--
                                It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney

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