How Anxiety Can Ruin A Writing Career - Glenn Gers
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- čas přidán 26. 04. 2021
- Glenn Gers has been a full-time professional writer of movies and television for 25 years. His credits include theatrical features, no-budget indies, TV staff and episodes, original movies for cable and streaming, such as BROTHER'S KEEPER (2002), FRACTURE (2007), MAD MONEY (2008) and many more. He has won multiple festival prizes and an Emmy. He provides tips for writing on his CZcams channel Writing For Screens and offers script-consulting via his website Writingforscreens.com.
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The idea of focusing deeply on a ‘bite size’ chunk makes sense, as a musician myself. Trying to hash out the bigger picture is tempting but becomes overwhelming
Yes this is true. I focus on my task one paragraph at a time when I'm writing but sometimes anxiety get in the way and I forget about this one tip.
'a whole year like this - terribly stressed and never get anything done - terrified!' I love this man. Honestly I thought I was the only one.
I heard a quote once (Don't know by whom) who said that "The thing that you struggle the most with, is the thing that you're the best in", because of your anxiety you put so much extra work in there, that other people might not. Just remember to try to have some fun on the way there.
Anxiety has definitely gotten in the way of my writing career. I often don’t like to admit this, but I have a crippling fear of internet trolls. Every time I receive a vicious attack on my myself or my writing, I just want to close up shop and never advertise my books on social media again. Thankfully, I do receive a lot of positive feedback and encouragement in online writing groups, but whenever I try to engage with people on general social media, it’s a different story. Just recently, I made a video where I gave my opinion on a certain writing subject, thinking that I was being reasonable and articulate, but someone left a comment saying that I was a pompous moron. Comments like that literally make me nauseous. I wish I didn’t have to engage on social media to make a living as a writer, but it seems like a necessary evil.
You always have insightful thought, Joseph. We appreciate you watching our videos and the comments you leave.
@@filmcourage Thank you!
Do you have anything online?
Me as well over thinking ideas
I really relate with everything you said here.
Brilliant. "All my insistence on what i thought was 'the writer's process' was making it harder." Haha the life of a writer, what a beautiful chaos. I'm glad he found what works for him.
This is GOLD!!! I am at the anxiety stage....I am creative...I have the ideas...I get stuff out but I cannot consistently write or finish anything! Thank you Glenn!!!
We're glad this one found you Louise! Our best to you and your work!
I like the way he breaks down the process. I'm new to fiction writing and I've written a couple stories. The first was more of an exercise to see if I could create a story and develop characters that seemed believable. Once I discovered I could do that, I got serious and and worked with an editor while I wrote my next story. After numerous revisions I ended up with what I consider to be a wonderful moving story. I was so proud that I sent it out to friends to see what they thought and I discovered pretty quickly they didn't think much of it. Two people really liked it and the rest...radio silence. This hurt me because they solicited me. "I'd love to read your book," they said, please pass along a copy. The silence was deafening and I figured it could only mean one of three things. One, they read it and didn't like it, two, they started it and didn't get too far because they didn't like it, or three, they just put it in the corner. In the first two cases they were staying silent because they didn't want to hurt my feelings. If it was a case of ignoring it, well, what could they say?
I was genuinely hurt. They approached me. I didn't ask them to read anything. If I tell someone I will read their work or listen to their music I do just that. It's about keeping my word. And I'm not afraid to tell you if I like something or if there are things I think would make it better. So, I figured shit, I better learn how to write better stuff so I came out here to You Tube and BAM! There are like 1,000 people at any given moment who will tell you how to create a plot, how to develop compelling characters, how to write a query letter, how to...how to...how to... My brain went into overload.
And then a funny thing occurred to me. I'm not a writer, I'm someone who enjoys writing stories. I had fallen into the same trap that had squashed my song writing decades before. I was trying to be someone I'm not. He talks about method acting but there is another key component to good acting, motivation. WHY am I doing this? I had looked to others for affirmation and when it didn't come I got anxious. It had to be me. I must really suck at this otherwise people would see the same wonderful qualities in my characters that I do. That is all BS. Just like so much of the advice out here is BS. Not all of it, but a lot. I got over my anxiety once I determined that I'm not the next Steven King. I write for myself and if other people like it, great. If not, okay. It's okay to not like my stuff. Just like I don't like most of the songs my musical friends have written.
This has turned into a monstrous post but I think the point I'm trying to make is the same one this guy is getting at. You have to be true to yourself, not project your own values on others, don't look to others to solve your problems or give you all the answers, and find a process that works for you. Like I say, a lot of what I've heard out here is BS to me, but it works for them so good on em. I did hear one sage observation from a young lady, "Your characters will never hate you." That's gold. I write for them and I write for me. If someone likes it, cool, let's talk. If not, cool, let's not talk. After all, I'm not a writer, just someone who likes to write.
This was very relatable. Thank you.
This dude expressed all the thoughts that run through my head
Hope this one helps
"One thing at a time."
So simple but brilliant.
These interviews are great. Not just because you're really good at it (which you are) but its really insightful to hear how different personalities handle the stresses of making a living with their art. It's interesting that two people can have similar success but also completely different approaches to the creative process and getting the final result.
Great to see you finding value here SchmokinJoe!
A guy is on the bus and he's got a duck in his bag...write the scene...go!
lol 😂
I guess I did it.
Int.bus.day
Jared (21) shifts uncomfortably in his seat. The biege bag between his feet writhes, he gives it a nudge with his booted foot.
JARED
Shhh. Not now.
Wait...you didn't mean write it here did you...
A "No animals" sign in angry red hangs above a surly looking driver.
Duck
"Quack"
The man and the driver's eyes lock in the rearview mirror.
The man thumps his chest as though it were a cough or a burp.
Duck
"Quack, quack"
The bag on the floor wobbles and a duck's head pops out.
Driver
"Hey Mack, no animals on my bus!"
MAN
"Animal? Nah man, he's my doctor."
Cut to: County road, two lane highway, the bus speeds away. The man and duck are left on the side of the road.
MAN
Why do they always think you're a quack?
DUCK
Just wait 'til they see my bill.
If you need any more terrible scenes written by a random internet stranger- I'm your rabbit. 🤠
This is really helpful to hear. It's overwhelming if you're a perfectionist also. It's like it'll never be good enough.
Can you please interview the interviewer? I really want to know about her experiences through all the interviews!
Great idea! I love to know what she's learned.
who is she?
I agree, I commented about This a while ago but don't think anything happened. I'm sure more comments will make it a thing. She is incredibly engaged with the people she talks to.
Yes we want to learn from u through your experience👍
All these people distract her from writing
I love this... "If I don't write, I get nervous". I can definitely relate to this.
Yup. If I don't write I get nervous, if I do write I get frustrated.
I can relate. Didn’t know it was anxiety 😟 thanks for sharing
This is the best video I have watched today! I had a picture of that writer running to a phone box as he found a body inside his apartment. What an inspirational story which really breaks down a common problem we all can suffer from.
Exactly what I am struggling with! I've been going through therapy for my anxiety. This is helpful. I just need to get that ritual nailed down.
This describes the troubles I have with my own work to a T. I can trust the process with someone else's work, paid assignments, with no problem, but I get so anxious with my own that I actually have a False Starts folder on my computer.
This is SUPER INFORMATIVE! I gave up on creative pursuit in my early twenties, years later suffered other struggles in my life overall. The covid quarantine brought this all to a head to engage my anxiety, and face the haunting of my abandonment of creative endeavor. Getting started was difficult, having several mental hurdles including “block”. The ideas were there but not the impetus, seeking help with anxiety led to induction of some semblance of structure. Instead of being overwhelmed by the entirety of the thing, learning to break it up into segments, part by part, to get through. Breath by breath, then the form starting coming to fruition.
Glad you found this one Eric! Great to see you finding a process that can help you deal with anxiety and be productive. Our best to you as you move forward.
SO happy to read this!! Come back and tell us how it's going, the good times, the bad ones, everyday ones . . .
I've been writing for 20 years. I've pitched to animation studios including the Cartoon Network. I've written scripts for screen and graphic novels. I've even written research papers. But now at age 40, and at the second draft of my own fantasy novel, I find myself completely paralyzed by anxiety. I've never wrestled with the fear of writing, editing, and failing as I have over the past year. I'm doing what I've always done in writing other projects; pray to settle my mind, set goals, immerse myself in the procedure, and focus my willpower that has served me well in so many other fields.
With this project, it feels as though my process and will have all failed me. I experience intense depression, anger, and despair such as I have never encountered before and for years at a time. Can anyone tell me how one can walk through such volatile quagmire for an extended time? At best, my novel will take another 6 months to a year. That span is nothing compared to the rest of my life, but it seems an overwhelming mountain when I consider the prolonged intensity of the emotions involved.
The best advice I know is: one small step at a time. Find the part of what you do that you DO like, and remember THAT is really the point of all this. Also: do "the crappy version" as your first step - think of it like the rough sketch, the messy ill-proportioned version that will eventually, step-by-step turn into a finished painting. Think of those versions as seeds you are planting, which don't look like anything now - but will grow into slow, changing things of beauty. Or maybe not beauty, maybe just use. That's okay too! Sometimes it's good to start a second, easier, different project and divide your work time between them - or "checkerboard" them, alternating sessions; the great screenwriter William Goldman actually wrote a short thriller novel (that got him his first screenwriting job) just as a way to break the creative block her had gotten while writing a very large ambitious epic novel. And also: maybe find someone - a therapist, a pastor - to talk to about the emotional changes you're going through. That really can help, even if it feels like you're "supposed to solve it all yourself." And finally: re - fear...honestly, what's the worst that can happen if you write a bad novel? Is that worse that not-finishing it? Doing something and being done with it is always better than NOT doing something and being upset. Hang in there, be kind to yourself, and just do a small step at a time.
@@writingforscreens Awesome advice. I am also struggling with writing the 2nd book of my graphic novel, after the first book failed to sell at all. The failure of the first book hit my confidence and although I created the first four pages of the book 2, I have been stuck on the next part of the story. I have been questioning whether it is worth continuing book 2 when book 1 has failed to sell. I understand that as a self-publisher selling a book comes down to marketing, which I am learning now and I am finding very frustrating because it's a skill that does not come natural to me. Your advice as helped me to continue with book 2 because the story I am trying to tell is important and will help others when they read it.
@@ParmyBaddhan One thing that might help is looking at your EXPECTATIONS for the first book as the failure - not the book itself! If you unrealistically/naively expect things to sell widely without a major distribution system to push them and a major marketing push...then the failure is with your understanding of the system, NOT the product.
And the other thing is: why define success as sales?! The fact that you have created a whole book is a remarkable accomplishment! Defining the value of art purely in terms of business is a sad and ridiculous take-over of our minds by business. That's like defining the quality of a meal by how much money it makes, instead of how it tastes and how it nourishes.
One thing at a time. Art is one thing, business is another. Anyone who says otherwise...doesn't actually understand or respect anything except business.
As a trained actor and a screenwriter, this makes great sense... thank you for such a candid interview, generosity of spirit...best wishes
Awesome. I relate so much. thank you.
Thank you! This connected with me. Routine and structure is exactly what I need.
Glad it was helpful!
This video has only been playing for 1:17 and it’s already changing my life! I’ve never heard a writer describe exactly what my struggle has been for my whole writing experience. I’m feeling a shift in progress coming with this advice 🙌
Thank you, Glenn!
We love to see this video find the right people! Our best to you and your work Vanessa!
Oh my God, i needed this so much ❤️❤️
I'm a programmer and sometimes anxiety makes it difficult to finish projects. I will definitely apply this to my anxiety.
Wherever you go there you are. You have to just get the reps in and it gets easier.
I needed his words so much. I've been suffering from anxiety as well, I do well in the beginning, I feel confident and even love my words but then when I come back to it it all just seems useless to the story. No matter how many versions I create. I also get filled with anxiety the further I go, I think about what other people think and how they won't be able stay interested on my boring words. I've also struggled with this for about 10 years. So, a few months ago I started my own method and process, a way of writing that is mechanical and focuses more on the bare bones of the story where I basically am writing an outline, except it is also the actual story, moment by moment, scene by scene. I number each scene or paragraph or even each sentence. By numbering and separating each sentence or paragraph, I can simply add what will happen or what i think might happen or even just an idea that can be elaborated on expanded or contracted or even eliminated later. This way all I'm focused on is getting the story down, what's happening, the main scenes and at any point I can go back to the numbered passage and add, subtract, rewrite or reorder as I choose. I use google docs so the numbers shift automatically. The numbering also keeps away the permanency. It makes it look like a work in progress at all times(which it is) so I never take it too seriously and so don't feel filled with worry and anxiety because no one is going to see this. When I'm done with it I go back to one and edit each numbered passage, sewing them together more. It makes editing so much simpler because it's easier to adjust. I keep going over it to smooth it out and finally when I'm done all I have to do is eliminate the numbers and boom, finished story without the anxiety. And he's right. It's only after I apply my methods and rituals that I'm able to be creative and adventurous with the story. Creativity comes after strict method and preparation.
I also think my false idea of what the writing process should look like is what has caused so much anxiety and I felt guilty for doing things so weirdly but Mr. Gers has given me the validation I needed in continuing to pursue my personal method. So, thank you!
One of the best episodes I’ve had the pleasure of watching on this channel, on multiple levels.
Glad this one found you, thanks for commenting!
This channel and all the guests are so helpful! Thank you 💖
This man is very wise. Thank you for this interview.
Absolutely, thanks for watching!
Such great advice. Fear and anxiety have stopped me for years, so much so... I put all my writing away and tried painting and other creative outlets, yet I am unfilled and still dream of writing and accomphing this. Your series has inspired me again. I'm going to take your advice and try this. Thank you...for sharing. I'm not alone!
This may be the best Film Courage snippet ever. Thank you.
That is high praise Magnus! We had a great interview with Glenn Gers and we are excited to share more. Our next video with Glenn goes up tomorrow at 5pm PST. It is not for the faint of heart. We'd say it is much more of a gut check for those who are pursuing a screenwriting career.
I'll be there with tissues at the ready..
Thank you! I'm truly grateful for the comment.
@@writingforscreens You're welcome! What you said about "taking it a scene at a time" and just being with the character in that moment really anchored me for some reason. With all the complex story theory out there (which, don't get me wrong, I love), it's still the simplest advice that helps the most!
@@magnusruben9646 😀
Glenn interviews so well. I have never heard of him before this but I'm thankful that he agreed to make these videos. His preferred writing style, pitfalls and worries fits me to a T it's almost scary
Man this is so relatable
Thank you! A little uneasy about your Soylent Green flavor, though.
@@writingforscreens Its food from the people for the people
@@soylentcompany5235 😳
Thank you for this! I love writing but did the majority of it during bad times in my life so I guess I was afraid to go back there illogically I know - but making it mechanical and not emotional in the beginning is a great way to get back into it and reclaim writing when I am at my best and not just bc I’m at my worst
I relate so much to this writer; truly adore his story 🙏🌊
Thank you so god damn much! Please forgive the blasphemy but I really needed to hear this. Again, many thanks 😊
Thank you for this.
12:00 LOL....love his honesty. Really connecting with his story.
Glenn Gers is RIVETING! Is there a full interview with him coming up? Let him talk for hours, please!
Hi Sasha, we had a great interview with Glenn. This is the first segment we have published but there is definitely more to come! We highly recommend you visit Glenn's CZcams channel and dive more into his work there - czcams.com/channels/E-jmjAfrk-Ls95wGLluPNA.html
Like those really long interviews.
He’s really wonderful to listen to,
Superb interview technique. Well done!
Thank you, Glenn.
This helps so much 🙏🏾☺️
When this man explains how his anxiety goes away only when he writes, he describes me!
4AM having an anxiety attack over here (not my first, definitely not) but this time I though, "hey I bet Film Courage would have something about this that helps." And you did.
Thank you, still having a bit of a hard time but this man's advice is really helping right now
You are all so great. Please keep doing what you are doing. No matter how hard it seems.
I had already drifted off and imagined the entire 'duck on the bus' scene in my head, when I saw the writing-prompt at the end of the video.
Something about the way this man present his views and methods, that immediately triggers my creative flow.
Great interviews. I like this Glenn Gers, his approaches, and his ability to convey both his methods and his thoughts.
Glenn is great! You may enjoy his channel as well - czcams.com/channels/E-jmjAfrk-Ls95wGLluPNA.html
This is where I'm at right now. I've got several ideas i believe in. Have at least enough of an outline to get started, but the act of writing is still alien. So, there take away here is just to spend more butt-in-chair time writing whatever come to mind, and not expect a perfect thing to just plop out. In the same way I might re-draw the same line, or even finish a drawing and toss it out and move on to the next one having learned something for next time.
Excellent gracias
I like the idea of “think of writing scenes!”
I just typed in "anxiety when writing" and this popped up. I love writing on the internet, but I get so much anxiety when I try to do it. Now I understand why. This was extremely helpful! I now know I need to come up with a process and practice that process until it feels comforting. Thank you, thank you!!
Love that you found this one Christina and glad to hear that it is helpful!
Lol her questions! Learned so much about temping 😂
Great Advice
This spoke to me. Amazing. Thank you for sharing your process.
Love to hear It!
The bus driver Ottis had seen many folks on his daily route to the Royal palace. Ottis prided himself on being a good judge of character just by how the rider greeted him and what they wore. Never once before was he unsure of who someone truly was until today. Ottis could barely watch the road in between his perplexed stares at this man through the rear view mirror. Earlier when the mysterious man entered the bus he greeted Ottis with a smile wearing the suit of a business man with an unzipped leather bag and umbrella. Those traits were not at all perplexing and were quite common on the palace route. The thing that had Ottis so confused and fixated was a Duck riding contently within the man's unzipped leather bag. Ottis had never seen such a thing in two decades of service nor would he ever again. For this man and his duck were none other than...
this resonates so much 😭
This is a very helpful video in so many ways. Thank you for it! The Right Question, the Perfect Answer. This helps alot thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you very much for this video. My writing anxiety is very much connected to my self-editor. If I give 'him' enough time, space and presence, I'll be lucky if anything substantial of my story will be left intact. My self-editor, over time, seems to be able to render my plot, characters and words as ridiculous and meaningless to anyone who may read my story. Very frustrating to be sure. This video helped to inspire me to pick up an idea for a novel again - to poke at it and take it scene by scene. A new approach could mean new results! Thank you again.
Love to hear this David! We are grateful to Glenn for being open about this topic and sharing his battle with anxiety. We really thought this would be helpful to others. Our best to you as you test out this approach!
I feel this
Yeah man the struggle is real...writing at work, always lost in the thought...and finishing means you might actually have to do something with it...
SO true! Start with low stakes, easy steps. You DO build up your strength and thicken your skin and learn with each step - even (maybe more) if it doesn't work out as you dream. Keep doing it. Take care of yourself as you do it, and remember its a long journey - ideally lifelong - to think of stuff and do it and show it and start all over again.
Thanks!
Thank you Kalin! This is a powerful one. Love our interview with Glenn Gers. Cheers to you and your work.
I am not a professional writer, I write as ideas emerge. About WHERE CREATIVITY (OR INSPIRATION) COMES FROM, I have learned that it comes from a state of not being trapped in the mind, in other words, a state of not thinking compulsively, of inner silence, stillness and attentiveness, of letting inspiration come in.
Deadlines help a lot
Totally true. As a substitute teacher I can write perfectly in schools with cracy kids around me because I focus on the scene. Of course I write on my mother tongue which is not English. The important is to recognize the creative process and believe on it.
Hail to all professional day dreams. I solute you! I love it when your just looking at the blank page and I sit there for an hour or 2 and it stays blank. Then suddenly another hour goes by and you snap out of it and the page is full. Lol true story!
I plan and plan and plan and plan and plan until I hate what I've done and have convinced myself it sucks.
I've spent entire weekends of my minimal free time coming up with an idea, developing it, and then hating it when I return.
I think it's just my anxiety and negative self talk preventing me from doing what I want to.
'Duck on a Bus' (Snakes on a Plane prequel with Howard the Duck, in a bag)
For me, writing is an escape from my anxiety. I write things in my mind first and then put them on paper and then see if the story in my head is similar to the one on the pages. I keep it aside for a few days and get back to it as a reader. Then I see if I can negotiate between my thoughts and what's out there on the paper. You will know when you finish your story. If that doesn't give you the satisfaction you might expect from your readers, change it. One thing that keeps the "author" away from their work is to not write the title and the name. Think about the name but don't pen it down. And DONT EVEN PEN DOWN YOUR NAME until you finish your drafts. A story is a conflict and writers get affected by it most easily when it gets personal because any personal problem creates anxiety. Exclude your name from the text, not your thoughts.
With music there's no written record hanging around it's gone as soon as you play the note. But writing hangs around In fresh air on paper for all to see. 😅 Right now I'm thinking do a drama course then I'll be able to write... 🤪 Thankyou 🙏😎❤
its helping sow much
Being a Writer has been my dream since i was a child, but i don't if i'll ever become an actually good one, i have so much to learn and not a lot of self-confidence, but i keep it alive in small ways like writing Fanfiction of my favorite shows and such. One day, i'll publish a book, regardless if i like it or not just so i can say that i did it. But that's far, far away from now.
Writing Courage 💖
Would be very helpful to get a more specific explanation on how to develope that personal method/ ritual/ routine, i understand the concept but dont know how to do it myself
Hi Sivan, this is the first clip we have posted with Glenn. We definitely go deeper into his process in upcoming videos. Until then we would like to mention that Glenn has a great CZcams channel worth checking out - czcams.com/channels/E-jmjAfrk-Ls95wGLluPNA.html
@@filmcourage
Thanks :)
I searched his name but nothing came up, maybe he should add it to tags or something...
Anyway appreciate the reply and looking forward for the rest
@@sivanmisgav9468 Sorry for taking so long to find this comment: the CZcams channel Film Courage linked to above is a good introduction (I did a video on the idea of creating a writing ritual) - and I am reachable for questions and professional consultations through "Contact Me" at writingforscreens.com.
I can speak for no one but myself but I do want to provide the things that really help me in the writing process, both with my fan writing for established series and my own work that I intend to publish within the next 3 or so years.
1. The most important thing in my process is that I think that you should write within the 1st hour or so of waking up. If I don't do this, my genuine interest in putting something on the page wanes. It's not just that it gets harder to do so, it's that for whatever reason (Perhaps exhaustion, perhaps mental energy is just put elsewhere) I don't *Want* to write if I don't get started in the morning. It's very strange. Even if I write something in the morning that is inconsequential as 100 words or something, I can pretty much jump back in at any other time during the day because I got the juices flowing.
2. I listen to music *Constantly*. I can see this being a bad use of time in some instances because if a scene only works with music it might not resonate with the audience as strongly as it resonates with you, the writer but at the end of the day, you have to find what inspires you to take your writing seriously and for me that is low key atmospheric inspirational music, often from video games, not shows or movies. There's something about the way video game music is composed in particular because it is literally *Designed* to get the player motivated to play the game, so I use that influence to get me as the writer motivated to put words on the page.
3. I have my dialogue do the lion's share of getting me into the writing process. I do have main plot points that I make sure to plot out because if I don't know where I'm going I have a hard time trying to find it but if I at least have a milestone, I can go all day due to the fact that I can jam out dialogue like nobody's business. It's not going to be everybody's strong suit but I suggest that you find what you think your strengths are and use those to get you on track for the day and put your hands on the keyboard.
This is my own theory, which I proved correct which is so sick.
I finally started taking writing seriously exactly 1 year ago in march of 2021. I was egged on by a famous Stephen King comment where he said writers should aim for around 8 pages a day.
My theory is as follows: Single spaced 11 font results in about 2,000 words per 8 pages as long as you're not jamming it with dialogue. I think the reason Stephen King says this, whether he is consciously aware of this or not because I've never seen him say what I'm about to say is that if you write 8 pages a day for 100 days you will come out to about 150 to 250,000 words written. And if you do that 3 times a year you can come out to about 600 to 750,000 words written and 65 days to not write and completely relax, having written 3 novels worth of words every year. This year I wrote 750,000+ words and I have never been more proud of myself and I have a 2nd degree black belt. It's not that having a black belt isn't an achievement but just how honestly I set the goal and then met my own expectations. The feeling when I went back through all my google docs and then looked at the word count through hundreds of chapters made me feel at the top of the world when I finally found just how much I'd written this last year.
Now a lot of the plots I wrote are simple and that's the reason I wrote so much but it doesn't really matter, I even made the high end of my speculations *Not* the low ball estimate. Go out there and have some faith in yourself. If you don't believe in your writing how can you expect someone else to?
I have an issue I only discovered with writing. The fact that it isn't as obvious to see your improvement in writing compared to lets say learning an instrument. It's hard for me to continue scripts not knowing for sure if I'm doing things the correct way. With an instrument the correct way is playing the song with no mistakes. But with a script I don't know what the correct way is supposed to be generally even after all the classes and books I've taken and read. I know writing is trial and error. But it's hard not knowing instantly what your error is while in the process.
Otto found himself trapped within a void of nothingness. He quaked and quacked hysterically, but not even he could hear the sound of his voice. He grew more frantic, and flapped in a frenzy. Pushing and pulling against the space between dimensions, a light blinded him. It illuminated his surroundings, revealing that he had been transported from that inescapable realm into a tiny room. Otto's beady black eyes sparkled at the light, beckoning him forward.
Otto poked his head out of his would-be tomb made of cow. He scanned his surroundings. 30 degrees. 90. 180. There. The most foulest animal he had ever seen lay slumped over. Perhaps dead? Otto hopped up onto its chest. Scraggly hair sprung from almost every orfice. The creature exhaled a foul fume that made Otto's bill spin. Now he remembered. (This HUMAN enslaved me.) Otto's eyes narrowed, receding into a white mask. He desired its destruction, but he held his wing. Now was a chance to escape.
Otto became a blur. He ran at the speed of sound, but the metal was unceasing. He pressed on, determined to be free from subjugation. At last, he saw the night sky. It moved faster than he remembered. Nevertheless, this was his only chance. Now or nev--- a twisted paw scooped him into the sky. A withered old hag cackled as she rubbed her desintegrating scent all over him. She began to take him back to his prison. (No! I won't go back! I'll take you all to that void if I have to!)
Otto flew into a frenzy. The hag screeched and dropped dead. There were other screams. More humans? No matter. His bellowing throat was louder. Unfortunately, this seemed to wake up the scraggly beast into belligerence. It flew at Otto, his wings outstretched as well. Otto's fear made him explode into a fury of feathers. He bolted for that night sky. But, just as the night began to embrace him, he slammed into a barrier between worlds. He lost his bearings and landed in a wide-eyed man's face, who waved his arms about trying to swat Otto from the air. The metal cage shook and began to defy gravity. (Yes, that's it!) Just like before, he used his almighty wings, feet, and bill at their maximum powers. The sky shook and all went dark as the dimension inverted on itself.
Otto found himself trapped within a void of nothingness. No more prison. No more screams. No more scraggle. Otto prodded out from under a piece of bent debris to see the night sky greeting him. Just below the stars, the metal cage was strewn across the unnatural path. Fire consumed the wreckage. Nothing else stirred. Otto quacked his last quack, then turned his tail feathers on society.
I used to have a ton of writers anxiety. But then I Incorporated getting a little stoned into my writing routine. Anxiety is no longer a problem.
Terribly *interesting* story.
Fixed it for you
Would you recommend a writing coach, or counselor/therapist who specialises in writers/artists?
I am not a therapist - but I do work as a writing coach. You can contact me through my site writingforscreens.com - there's a "Contact Me" tab and button on most pages.
Beginning of the video is exactly like me
Now I wanna write a meet cute scene with a guy on the bus with a duck in his bag lol
I have self-doubt still. Also doesn’t help that nothing I’ve written has even been qualified. I still haven’t given up. With all that said, my mind, especially, The Critic, has not only brought up my self-doubt (I’ve been confident in anything in life), but now has been bring up, “Are you sure about that? That scene might offend someone?” Or “Are you sure about the plot? It might offend someone?” “You ready to be cancelled before you even start?” Mind you the goal is telling a story, the characters’ stories, the goal isn’t, “I’m writing this to hammer in a message/agenda.” 😔
I was about to write a comment but became too anxious...
I suffer from anxiety
And am easily triggered too
I have to accept everything ie what is evil
2:20 Actors
The take away... think in scenes and start from here
i feel like theres no opportunities to be a writer if you have no money or connections
Better to have no money or connections than no talent. Hang in there :)
i dont thimk anxiety was the problem ,actually it helped him write better 🤔😆
I don't get it
15:43 through EVERY orifice? 🤔🤔🤔
errenx
Respectfully, this dude's work, or at least the plot, was dogwater, but this is some really good advice. You miss 100% of the shots you dont take.
I am interested in writing but I don't want to become a public figure. So basically I would prefer not to become famous.
I fit similarly to how he was, not writing much but thinking a little too much.
Anyways I took up the challenge and here's what I came up with about the duck on the bus:
docs.google.com/document/d/1pyUvOKyzBMo026deuW9iYaIgs4-sNKSDo5eJiFInpcc/edit?usp=sharing
Which typewriter?
:) Started with an Olivetti portable manual, in the mid-1970s. Hard on the fingers! After a while, they came out with the Smith-Corona "correcting" electric - very exciting, a white ribbon as well as the black. And then finally, with my first check for writing an indie film in the early '80s: I only asked that the fee be enough for me to buy an IBM Selectric. (It was almost a thousand dollars!!) That was truly a great typewriter. Kinda miss it, but I can't imagine now giving up cut-and-past and drag-and-drop and save-as :)
@@writingforscreens I really like writing with a typewriter and then I will cut and paste manually. Thanks for the tips