To make people laugh, cry, and think. And then have them pass it on. And what currently gets me in the chair... New career, new challenges, and yearning to let what's inside out.

Lately it's been a combination of work, hobbies, and my enormous love of the outdoors that keeps me from writing. Seriously, have you been outside? It's pretty radical. Another thing is the response, or lack thereof, from agencies/companies about a script I've sent out. No one seems to be accepting material unsolicited. It gets very frustrating and keeps me from focusing on the writing. Surprisingly, research for a new project has gotten me back in the chair. It's enjoyable and interesting and constantly provides story points and character ideas, pieces of dialogue, etc. -G

Fear of failure. Which, in a shocking moment of coincidence, is the topic for my new series of columns! Weird.

The internet.

The odds. Is it more likely I'll win the lottery and be struck by lightning before I sell a script? To fight screenwriter's despair, I willfully ignore the odds, sit down and write. :)

The internet is evil. Beer helps me stay in the chair.

For those of you who battle fear in terms of your writing, here is a post with some great quotes to - hopefully - inspire you.

What's that old line: "Keep your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground." That about sums up where we have to be to handle the reality of the odds against us... and yet there is ALWAYS a chance. And if you ever doubt it, all you have to do is think of me: complete outsider, first-timer, sells a spec script for $750K and begins screenwriting career.

Ha ha! Everything! Initial resistance to sit down at write away. I know that once I sit down the inspiration will come, but until then writing feels like major boring - I have no inspiration! Pretty crazy!

The difficult scene. Every screenplay seems to have half a dozen scenes that you 'know' are going to be a sruggle to write. They're always important, usually at pivotal points of the story. What gets me back in the chair? The realisation that no-one else can solve it but me. That and the deadline.

My day job. It sucks having bills to pay and no rich parents/spouse to pay them.

Oooh... what keeps me FROM... haha what a goose.. Mundane uncreative work, tv, video games, ladies, and #1... massive amounts of laziness.

Wow. I relate to so many of the responders. My key reason for not writing at this time is ironic. I recently dropped clients to laser-focus on the study and practice of screenwriting. I was taking action to pursue a lifelong dream and I felt excited and energized. The problem is I told people. What happened? Family who planned to visit us for a weekend changed plans and stayed a week. A neighbor came up with, "You're not doing anything now so can you watch my girls this afternoon? And next Friday? And ... " (ans = No, not during business hours, with thanks to Scott his advice to set and keep business hours.) I also stay with an ailing relative twice a week, and he hates it when I stick my nose in my laptop and go to work. None of these things is horrible, but the time grabs and continuing lack of control demoralize me. I mean, I could be earning money and not writing... What drags me back? Characters. I like them, I really, really like them (apologies to Miss S. FIeld). It kills me to think they will only exist in a first-draft script or an outline, with only a couple of classmates and instructors ever having the chance to know them and experience what they're going through. I feel a responsibility to them. So I keep meeting with them, sharpening what I know about them and what they want and need and do. I keep reading and trying to figure out how to tell their stories better -- how to make their stories better. And then, sooner or later, I am writing again.

I could give a lot of reasons but the largest roadblock I've hit is when I'm trying to draft up the log line and although the characters, dilemma, and conflict are real and palpable, the goal feels small and unimportant by comparison. And deep down I know it is key. And this inability to discover a worthy goal of my courageous, tenacious and funny ten year old heroine who is grieving the loss of her USAF Mom pilot has me cowering in fear that perhaps I am not worthy of her story. I don't want to do it injustice and am blown away that I can't figure this out - it seems so easy - but it's not and I'm stuck and think that maybe I can't write at all. Who can't not figure out a goal? I thought that was the easy part. The first part. Now I'm three drafts in and the goal is miserly and small and contrived. And it has cut the legs out from under me. Dying, actually, to dive back in to that world and try again to figure it out but I get the 'bends' thinking I may not measure up. Sad. Pathetic. And just maybe writing this all out has given me part of the measure of courage I need to do just that. There is no finish line. There is no failure.