Let's just say, I'm truly, madly deeply in love with Screenwriting. Over the past 6 years, I've drowned myself in all things Screenwriting. I started out my writing adventures as early as the 2nd grade. I kept writing, and it was just something that was natural to and for me. I always had the chance in school, and during the summer...I wrote and read for fun. As I got older and realized that there could be something here, I kept trying to write novels, but it just wasn't clicking. Then I realized that all of my ideas and stories, are written in a way that made me think I was destined for something movie-related. I Googled, How to Write a Screenplay...6 years later...well, writing Scripts have become second nature at this point. I'm always in the mood, I'm always having the urge, and it's been a fun 6 years. I keep growing, finding myself, and understanding myself more and more each and every time I write. I was always very serious about the career choice, but not until the past couple of years have I really buckled down and developed a stronger addiction, created a great writing habit/schedule, and after all this time...I still can't get enough of it. I'm very confident in my work, my ideas, and my passion. I feel like it's been inside of me for my entire life, but sometimes my family and friends pull me down to earth and remind me that I'm still sort of new to this. That also put in my head, am I too confident? Am I locked into a world in my head that nobody else understands (at least the people who aren't writing too), a world where there aren't any flaws or negativity of any kind (career-wise at least), and when and how confident is too confident? Like, what do others see in me? Do I sound crazy when I talk too positively about this? My head spins with what if's and what-nots when I have a lot of coffee...lol Sometimes, I wonder if being too confident will bite me in the toosh sooner than later? I'm NOT cocky, and I'm very respectful of everyone...and I definitely don't brag or make a scene of any kind (besides the ones I write). ;) But in general, and over-all long term...is being TOO confident a bad thing? Or am I on the right track mentally, emotionally, and spiritually? What do you think? Do you all have similar feelings or wonder this? Have you experienced being too confident and being reminded the hard way that we should chill out a little bit? Or even the opposite, have you felt a low level of confidence, but someone who read your work made you realize you're good or destined for something better than what you think? Just so you know, I do understand this career choice is very difficult and there are times where my confidence...well, sometimes I'm almost too tired to even function or worry about confidence. It took A LOT of work, energy, time, and sacrifices to get to the point of where I'm at now. I respect the hell out of the process, fellow aspiring (and pro) Screenwriters, Actors, Producers, ETC...and I definitely understand a lot more now-a-days VS even just a year ago. The journey has been a process that I wouldn't change. I love learning new things every single day, I love helping others who may need it, and just everything about Screenwriting is the love of my life.
Screenwriting : How confident is too confident? When should we chill out and come back down to earth for a breath of air...? by Jennifer Lynn
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Are you asking if its safe to have confidence when Writing or when attempting to Sell? In my opinion Confidence is never a bad start as long as it's exhibited in a positive manner. You have to believe in your talent before you can expect others to. I have however, been struck down before by outsiders whom are not especially readers. As a matter of fact, that's been the most disheartening aspects of writing is figuring out very few of my colleagues actually read outside of Facebook memes. The world has a way of making things look impossible or at least improbable regardless of your talent or faith. That's when it is necessary to believe against all belief that YOU WERE MADE FOR THIS. If I might ask what is your writing schedule and how did you develop that discipline?
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When I was thirteen, which is when I started writing, I use read all my stories to my mother and of cause she loved them all. Then in college I would get writing assignments and always got As and Bs. However I still didn't fee much confidence, but I continued writing for fun as a hobby. Right before graduating college one of my professors sid to me as we said good bye: "please keep writing, you are very good". I mean he had always given me A and B's but I never taught he had that much faith in me. Twenty-Five years later I decided I was going to pursue screenwriting and here I am. I'm on my fifth screenplay after graduating college. I did stop for a very long time after college, had more than two jobs at one time ect..ect. No one except other artist here or the one's that I've paid have read any o f my most recent work and my mother is no longer alive. But like you I feel in my heart that this is what I was born to do. I don't know when my career will take off as a writer, but I'm in it to the end. I will keep knocking at every door possible until one opens and most importantly I will keep writing for an audience that may or may not ever exist.
Wow you do like to write.
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Jennifer: Thanks for sharing a bit of your background and love of writing. To quote Mister Darcy: "Where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation." My question to you is what are you doing to get your work out there?
Thanks to everyone who commented. I appreciate your time and energy!!! I do love to write. =)
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I feel the mistake here, and it's one we all often make, is focusing on confidence itself. You cannot dictate your own feelings of confidence any more than you can dictate how hungry you feel before or after a meal. Confidence is reactionary to our environment. I can't tell you how many times I've woken up in the morning thinking I can take on the world and spend the evening stuffing my face with chocolate and questioning what the hell I'm doing. The big question is how to balance and process the input of information that affects confidence levels. For example, taking on too much subjective criticism and believing in highly pessimistic views can certainly reduce confidence levels and worse still demotivate. While shutting oneself out from objective feedback and the reality of professional screenwriting can keep confidence high at the expense of heightening ignorance. It's probably one of the hardest parts of trying to build a screenwriting career, especially in those first couple of years and certainly demonstrated to still be an issue for those we consider successful. I wish I had the answer, but I can say this from experience, self doubt is toxic to a creative. We don't have to believe in ourselves but we do need to make sure we are enjoying what we do, otherwise there is little point spending the rest of our lives doing it.
I actually hate writing but its only because no will let you do director/producer. So having to take the necessary step for me to achieve that I have too write BLUH. But writing for the fun of it?! It cool when your thoughts come together, and you'reh like hell yea! But writing myself... I'm happy my first write is a monster.
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Confidence balancing act simplified. Know you are good enough to succeed and make something worthwhile, but realize there is always room to learn and improve.