The reason why I started writing is that as a comic book artist, I wanted to work with a writer to make comics. Still, all of them turned out to be real jerks, so I figured, why not just write my own stories, if you know the story of Stan Lee who made Spiderman you'll understand; so I was trying to get a better idea of how to write, you'll be surprised by how both script writing parallel between comics and movie/tv scripts with just some differences, one reason why I never got into writing was due to having bad English teachers in high school. I read some books, watched some how-to videos, and found websites that helped but trying to find someone to show me some pointers and what I was doing wrong was very hard but I did find a few who were willing to help. After a point, I start to lack faith in my ability, whether with my art or my writing and in some odd way, I may sabotage my efforts. it may be since I grew up with a learning disability, but I think I can make things work.
The thing with me is I try not to get too nuts with my stuff and stick to a more conservative view of my things which may affect my writing (how far is too far?), I have found some people do story review work, but you are just not sure if they are just doing it for the money, it's not easy to find someone willing to help me with my stuff being all charged for their services, so by some odd chance I found a guy here and gave him a try. he was a big help even if it did cost money, nothing is free here. I did make some of my stories into scripts that anyone here can read, but I'm surprised that no one left any real comments on them, which makes me think that maybe I'm not in the right place or imposter syndrome creeps in. If, by some odd chance, I win a contest, will I be asked to change things that make me uncomfortable? and I worry about that! I had hoped that I could find a job here that pays so I could get my stuff to an excitative of a streaming or movie studio but like most of my ideas and hopes; they never happen.
I plan to work on my short stories, fix the areas that were pointed out, and put them all in a collection book. I plan to put them on Amazon, make a printed book of them, and sell them at cons that I go to, but if it doesn't sell or if I don't get my stuff to an excitative, it may be due to my lack of really understanding the art that is script writing and may just stick to using public domain stories and make them into scripts for comic books and just sell them.
ending my rant here and will wait for comments!
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I think for most, the fear of writing is stronger than the fear of speaking. But there is really no one who can teach you to write, outside of the mechanics: flow, clarity, grammar, punctuation... The rest is up to you. The only way to excel at writing is to write.
Write through the fear.
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Hey, Gregory Barone. I don't know if fear of success is a thing, but I wanted to comment on some things you talked about.
"I did make some of my stories into scripts that anyone here can read, but I'm surprised that no one left any real comments on them, which makes me think that maybe I'm not in the right place or imposter syndrome creeps in." Don't base your writing skills on whether or not people read your work and comment on them. Keep in mind that people are busy with projects and life, so they might not be able to read your work and comment, at least not right away.
"He was a big help even if it did cost money, nothing is free here." Stage 32 has free things for members to take advance of (the Lounges, the Blogs, the Job Board, the Browse Section, some webinars, the Meetups, some of the AMAs).
"If, by some odd chance, I win a contest, will I be asked to change things that make me uncomfortable?" If a producer/etc. is interested in buying your script after winning a contest, they might want some changes, but it's up to you if you make those changes.
"But if it doesn't sell or if I don't get my stuff to an excitative, it may be due to my lack of really understanding the art that is script writing." Here are two blogs that could help you get a better understanding of screenwriting:
www.stage32.com/blog/the-questions-up-and-coming-screenwriters-need-to-a...
www.stage32.com/blog/script-analysis-101-understanding-the-key-elements-...
From your third paragraph, it sounds like you have a plan, and that's great! I hope your plan works out!
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Thanks Maurice Vaughan
You're welcome, Gregory Barone.
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The more successful you become, the more known you are. The more known you are, the more people are aware of you (including your flaws). The longer your flaws are on display, the longer you might feel vulnerable because on some level you are exposed. It's perfectly normal to be anxious about being known in this way. Many celebrities rue the lack of privacy, not just in their own lives, but in the lives of their family members who have chose to live outside of the spotlight. In a vacuum, success is always great, but in reality, there's a lot of "stuff" that comes with being successful that you may not handle perfectly every time. We're all humans at the end of the day. Before you make the leap, it's wise to block these fears out, but as you level up as they do you no service in propelling your journey. If it all works out, you will face them eventually. The key is to remain bold and true to yourself and you will never regret how people feel about you or your work
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Thanks Pat Alexander
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I used to balk at it when I first heard about it over a decade ago now, but fear of success is absolutely a thing. After all, if you succeed at making your dream come true your entire life can change. You'll be exposed to more and more things you wouldn't have been before, and that's both exciting and frightening, especially since realistically it won't all be positive.
All the same though you wanted to chase this dream for a reason and sometimes you have to remind yourself what that reason is :) you can do it!
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Sometimes success brings in a lot of bad things! No matter what you do in life. If you've been walking this earth for a little bit, you understand.
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thanks Banafsheh Esmailzadeh and Claude Gagne