Your Screenwriting Goals & Dreams & Your Biggest Screenwriting Fears & Frustrations?

[sodotoguwangus]

Hello,

I'm curious where you are on your screenwriting journey. What are your goals and dreams and your frustrations and challenges? Screenwriting can be a lonely pursuit; I'm curious if you struggle with the same issues I have. Short (but specific) answers are fine.

For example:

1. What's your biggest frustration with [CHALLENGE]?

2. What have you tried so far that hasn't worked for you?

3. What's your biggest fear when it comes to [CHALLENGE]?

4. What worries you - what are you afraid will happen if you don't do something

immediately?

5. What would you be willing to do to solve/get [CHALLENGE]?

6. If you could have one question answered about [CHALLENGE], what would it be?


Look forward to seeing where you're at on your Journey!

[TheConnorNoden]

Your Screenwriting Goals & Dreams & Your Biggest Screenwriting Fears & Frustrations?

One of my fears is not finding the motivation to get the work done so this is the perfect chance to procrastinate with a detailed post explaining that.

Goals? Right now I'd just like a steady job that pays me to write. I think I'd be much happier in life if I could use precious time working on something that actually matters to me. Beyond that just having a film to my name would make it worthwhile. If the circumstances allow it at any point I'd like to make my own no-budget feature but the right idea has never struck me. In the end money would be nice but my dream is to make somebody's favourite film.

My fear used to be failure but that isn't really on my mind as much now. Even if you're great you need the luck to find the person that your material connects with. When I initially burnt out the bit of rejection I had made me doubt myself. I'm at a point now where I have faith in my abilities and need to persevere for however many years it takes. So one of my current fears is what if I randomly die before that ever happens and it makes the struggle worthless?

Something that hasn't worked is that I tried putting myself out there too early. I wasn't up to scratch and the praise I did get went straight to my head. Better to wait until you're truly ready before obsessing with the business side.

I've been on record before here saying that my main frustration is depression. There will be a few here the share that problem and it's hard to stress just how much of a toll it takes on your motivation. I'd rather lay in bed and watch some sitcom. But I end up spending a whole day at the computer and suffering through just to end up with a few pages. But a few pages are better than no pages. And often if I get a bit of momentum life intervenes and sends me crashing down again.

I'm dabbling in an unhealthy coping mechanism of having a few drinks while I write. It's a stupid idea but it's effective. It's so much easier to fire pages out if you've got a decent buzz going.

You're right in that this is a lonely pursuit but it can often be a selfish one. It takes a lot of time, time that most people would dedicate to their partners, family, friends or god forbid relaxation. It's very hard to balance it all and I fear that a time will come when I have to choose one or the other.

There's unfortunately nothing I can do to solve depression per se. Others might disagree but I think it sticks around in some form throughout life, maybe just to a lesser degree.

I think I know the answer to my question. I'd like to know if those that have struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts have been helped by success later in life? Well it probably helps but it doesn't solve the problems. Just check Dan Harmon's Twitter feed when he's had a few drinks and you'll see what I mean.

These are my fears and you can take from it what you will but I think it's important not to fear others stopping you. If you're good enough you will find a way eventually. If you're truly good enough the only thing you should fear is yourself.

[sodotoguwangus]

Re: Your Screenwriting Goals & Dreams...

Why aren't you motivated specifically? Lack of inspiration? lack of Ideas? Lack of confidence? Not motivated is very broad; you need to identify why you aren't motivated.

I don't have the cure for depression but let me tell you that you really resonated with me on that point. I know exactly what you are talking about. Especially when it starts interfering with your productivity and especially your creativity. A nightmare.

How do your pages look after you review them later (after the buzz wears off). Are they decent or were you writing with "beer googles"

Ill tell you that success will not alleviate your depression entirely because you bring "you" with you. Look at all the "successful" people who do drugs and who kill themselves. Happiness from success is only an illusion. Trust me.

It can make you happy for a time, but when the "newness" of the success wears off.... There YOU are again. Making your life miserable.

I used to believe you would be discovered eventually if you are "good" enough. Now I realize that is idealistic but not necessarily realistic. Just look at all the crap movies getting produced. Look at McDonalds. Worst hamburgers ever but also the most successful.

Time and chance happen to us all.

Don't get me wrong: deligence, talent, and hard work will help... but there are no guarantees.

[TheConnorNoden]

Your Screenwriting Goals & Dreams & Your Biggest Screenwriting Fears & Frustrations?

The inspiration and ideas are there more often than not. Often I just can't bring myself to move or when I do I feel reluctant to write stuff that I know I will hate and need to rewrite. I'm getting a little better at slapping words on the page again. I spent so long on one script that I lost the ability to just have fun with it and not fret about the end result. There is progress now, slowly but surely.

I've been sticking to tea today but if I had a couple of drinks there isn't really much of a difference. It loosens me up enough to hammer the keyboard. A couple helps me to focus. Beyond that I just tend to stop writing and end up restless and excitable, utterly depressed, or the ideal option of needing a brief nap.

Regardless of how good somebody is they can't sit back and hope to be noticed. The effort to be found still has to be made. Though I think most people would benefit from writing consistently for a few years before making that effort.

McDonalds may have crappy burgers but the chicken nuggets still go down real easy. This isn't important to the discussion but it's a point worth making.

There are no guarantees but that's the risk. If anybody has serious doubts that they are, or could be, in the top 1% of people trying to make it then there's a problem. There's an extreme amount of competition and challenges that unfortunately most of us may never overcome. But we do it anyway because we have to.