Hi everyone! Hope all my fellow scribers are safe and well and still writing. Many of us have had notifications from contests by now, some good news and some bad. I Wish all of you who have advanced this year all the best and want to say a HUGE congratulations to all those who had the guts to get their work out there. It's not an easy task.
I was thinking about this journey and it got me thinking about football. Or soccer (my Scottish soul dies a little each time I refer to it as soccer but here we go) as it's better known in the States. I've watched a lot of soccer over the years. The beautiful game. I've watched Messi score a peach in under two minutes, Ronaldo hit a screamer from the middle of the pitch and Iniesta seal the deal and win a world cup. But I've also watched them bomb. Totally suck. I've watched them play so bad that I've questioned their position in the team. But these guys are still Messi, Ronaldo and Iniesta. They are the creme de la creme of the game. Legends. Even if they play crap, if they have a bad game, they are still who they are. They've earned it. Earned the titles.
Where am I going with this? It got me thinking about screenwriters trying to get off the bench. Most of us are still on the bench. We are doing the work, the training and putting in the effort. We are sacrificing and pushing through. Grafting.
If the opportunity comes to play, we need to bring it. We need to give the best performance. If we get the chance to play in the big leagues and don't show up, we're back on the bench. Nobody knows our name or cares. We might never get off the bench again. But if we show what we can do and grasp that opportunity, things can change. We might not score during the first game, but we can make a damn good impression. We can have people take notice. Notice that may get us playing in a full match rather than just the last ten minutes.
Every time we get the chance to play, we get the chance to do better, improve, perfect. It may take a while to score but as long as we're playing and improving and perfecting, we're winning.
Last year, I knew little to zero about this game. Screenwriting was a myth to me. My formatting sucked, my structure was non-existent. I was clueless. All I had was imagination, passion and a creative flare. At times, I didn't want to run after the ball because it was too far away. Too tough. There were times I thought I was so bad that I considered leaving the stadium. But I kept playing. I kept perfecting. I kept improving.
This year, I placed in a contest, made second rounder in another and got a recommend on my writing. I still haven't scored and I'm still on the bench, but it's made me more determined to play so that one day, I can hopefully run alongside the Ronaldos, the Messis and the Iniestas of our craft.
Happy scribing and good luck, gang! :)
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I'm new to this site, however this was so inspirational! Kudos on placing in the contests you entered!! Keep up the good work!
Nice to meet you, Cheryl! :) Thank you! This is a great place to meet and connect with other creatives. Wish you all the best with your writing.
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Keeping the football metaphor rolling (yep, I did that joke) training and playing games gets you match ready. All the greats started in youth league (even the Welsh Wizard - some will know that reference).
But many of us ask questions like “How do I get my script in the hands of a studio executive?”. A football metaphor, “How do I get on the bench for Manchester United?”. The answer would be “where are you playing now?” So many would say “no where, I am just great. I have read all these books and paid other people to tell me I am great”.
So to be that guy. But the most important thing is writing and doing it always. Not just one script. But lots of scripts. Footballers don’t play just one game. They play every opportunity. We should be writing every opportunity. Lots and varied things. Start in the minor leagues (short films for local theatre). Then think about moving up the ranks.
BTW Western Sydney Wanders, in case anyone is interested.
I love this! Agree, lots of scripts, lots of writing, play any chance we get whether it's small or big. Every opportunity will teach us something, whether it leads to a better game or not is not always up to us, but as long as we play to the best of our ability and without ego, we can keep aiming for the net. Nice to meet you, Craig! I didn't know who the Welsh Wizard was so thanks for that! :) All the best with your writing.
I'd say you have wrong sport compared... writing is a loner job. No space for tribes here, as that'll only stray one around...pretty much as a sniper in the army, which I was...we didn't had any groups...one man, one shot does the job perfectly...
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Kiril have you seen a film set? I think that is the team. The goal keeper has a job, as does the striker, mid field. But each player must be their best. No one says, we have a great team, so we can have a crap goal keeper.
Writing can be lonely but turning a script into a great film is all about collaboration. I Respect your opinion, Kiril but I don't agree. As Craig says, we all have a part to play and you have to be a team player in this industry.
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You need a team of people doing different things to produce a movie. You don’t need a team of people to write a screenplay. I believe the football metaphor works because it is about how they both take a lot of dedication, work, and a ton of practice.
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Well done for all the persistence! And, Alba an Àigh.
(My wife is a Fraser),
As for the sports metaphor… we’re all ‘Rudy’. And only those rare, rare few, have the good fortune and skill to turn pro.
Just keep on keepin’ on. And yeah, to be cliched… it is a super marathon. So, pace yourself. Sprint when you have the legs for it. Jog when you want to take it steady. Walk when you need to slow down and take a breath. The point being… you’re always moving forward.
Good luck!
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The Metaphor is off just a bit because ppl are believing their specs will be made into movies. Maybe for a blessed/talented few a movie corporation will produce and distribute original movies but the majority of a screenwriter’s career is writing for someone else. More like mercenaries than artists.
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This is very true, Dan. The majority of us, if we are ever fortunate enough to get an opportunity to write for a living, will indeed write for someone else. But if we still get to play, even by someone else's rulebook, it's a good thing in my book. All the best! :)
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True Dan, but the greats and Oscar winners are predominantly spec (or pitched as ideas and financed) as opposed to the studio saying “we have an idea. come write it for me”. That is a huge amount of the films being made.
I haven’t heard that in the streaming world. I heard they are more “gives us a pitch and we will fund it”.
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I know sport metaphors aren't perfect, but the biggest thing they have in common is that they are both tournament type of careers. They both take a lot of work and practice to even have a slight chance of success. If someone is writing screenplays for fame and fortune, they are writing for the wrong reason because that almost never happens.
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Sharon, thanks so doggone much for posting this!
I got back into screenwriting in 2016 (after a 22-year absence caused by life issues)...and have since come to realize how much fun I'm having turning out scripts.
Hard work and all.
Even if I don't get anything produced, the experience gives me tremendous amounts of joy...joy I don't find anymore in the job that allows me to get my bills paid (factory work in a plastics plant), even if the paying job allows me the dough to get scripts at least registered.
Glad you're here on 32...and I wish you all the VERY BEST!
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If you enjoy something, do It! I'm the same, I absolutely love writing. It feeds my soul, sparks passion and reignites my inner child. My imagination saved me from going down a dark whole not that long ago. We may never get anything made, we may always write for fun without a wage, but if we love It, it's half the battle. Like Dan said, if you're chasing the Malibu millions and the glitz and glamour, you're in it for the wrong reasons and failure is almost certain. Nice to meet you, Jim! Glad you're here too. Keep writing, keep pushing forward. :)
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I disagree. There’s nothing wrong with writing for money. That’s what “professional” mean. You get paid to do a job; in this case it is screenwriting. It doesn’t mean less passion. It just means it is your occupation and you can deliver daily, year after year until this business forces you to retire.
Back to sports metaphors. One of my guys played NBA ball. He wasn’t an All-Star but he made a good living for a long time playing for several pro teams. Basketball was his job, with a lifestyle of amazing perks like high paying salaries, first-class travel stay, free meals.
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Love the message but trying to find metaphors, especially outside the world of the creative arts and pop culture is a massive waste of energy and, to be frank, a distraction from reality.
One of the most critical aspects of building the psychological strength you need to run this marathon is accepting how subjective the arts are, and I mean incredibly subjective, like, even the people spending millions on research, development, and marketing still miss the mark 80% of the time.
So many writers seemingly do not want to accept this and want to draw parallels with professions that operate under completely different mechanics. Sport is almost entirely objective, perhaps one of the most objective forms of entertainment out there. You either score/win/contribute or you don't and your career hinges on it.
Any writer trying to break in, who thinks that filmmaking can be made objective, is going to have a tough time when they think they're putting in a technically great performance but watching others, who seem a lot less refined, get on the podium.
More importantly though, do not get sucked into thinking the competition/evaluation/coverage scene is the arena. It's not. It does not represent the industry. It does not gauge your standing in any way like so many want to think. Make sure to get out there and network with real industry members.
As for loving writing. Agree 150%. It's essential. You must love it and, ironically, loving it for the act of writing alone and unapologetically writing for yourself first and foremost, will likely pull in the people you thought you'd never be able to please. That doesn't mean you can't earn money without still loving it though, in fact, in my experience, writing material aligned with your passions, in your distinct voice, while you know it's going to get made, and getting paid for it in the process (or having ownership/participation), is about as good as life gets.
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Thanks, CJ as always for your words of wisdom. Hope you're well. I've realized this past year just how subjective it can be and what one reader may understand and see another will not. Doesn't mean your writing sucks or that it is any good. It's taste. Agree, it's very easy to get sucked into the competition/evaluation/coverage scene. I sure did! I think for a few seconds it gives us a little bit of validation, getting that consider or recommend. Placing in that big three. But it means very little if anything when you really look at it. Networking is key and meeting people within the industry and forging relationships with like-minded individuals is certainly the way forward.
Writing for money would be a nice cherry on top of the shake, it would be a lovely bonus to do something you love and earn a living from it but until then, I'll write for passion and love. If the pennies follow, I'll happily accept them. I'm under no illusion, a lot of it is also about luck and being in the right place at the right time and when there, being ready for it.
Hope all is going well with your current projects, CJ. Take care and chat soon. :)
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You're on the right track with the right attitude, Sharon.
My third feature is being shot now but I'm left "on the bench" here in England due to the travel ban. Sucks but I loved writing it, got paid, own a stake, and feel it strongly represents me as an artist (was originally my concept). I'm just going to try not to cry myself to sleep when I have to watch an entire modified car club come out to play for one scene.
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True. Thanks for sharing.
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Like your thoughts on marketing research, CJ. Product marketing research is very hard in Consumer Electronics, in particular. But, you'd be surprised by the level of detail and science that goes into CPG research. Having done a Kellog business course on it, let's just say I have a whole new appreciation for those product research teams. The complexity of what they go into... be it the customer acceptance of the actual product, to how it is packaged, to how it is featured at the macro, micro and market level is insane. Don't get me started on advertising/marketing, either. That is can be very hit and miss. But not for those that are very, very, very good at creative strategy and execution. 80% of the time, they will nail it. However, this has nothing to do with this conversation. So, sorry for the tangent. That said, your message about subjectivity is essential to anyone in a creative art field. For better or worse, some breaks rely on subjectivity. There isn't a massive amount of science behind it. Which I'm sure every writer, director, producer and actor on here understands. As everyone has watched something, heard something, seen something and thought... 'who the eff thought that was a good idea to make?' Well, some dingus did. And some other dingus got paid for that piece of 'creativity'. Which can be a bit frustrating, when you think that your piece of creativity is 'objectively' better. Fact is, objectivity sadly doesn't have a lot to do with it. That's not to say everyone should pack up their bags and call it a day. 'Cos you're always gonna give yourself a chance if you stick with it.