Totally agree. Screenwriting can be unglamorous, not one bit fun. That's when you need to call on your passion for film to see you through.

I adore this line: It is passion for movies that provides the energy to even believe you have what it takes to succeed as a screenwriter. It struck me recently how my aspirations and goals must look to an "outsider" -- a 36-year-old who thinks she has what it takes to be a professional screenwriter. How silly. I often wonder if outsiders think I just never grew up, that I have my head in the clouds. Maybe. But no. Just a lifelong passion for all things film & TV. That's why I love Netflix & Hulu -- they make it easy to sneak in late-night movies and old TV shows on my phone when I should be trying to sleep. ...

Dana, you're absolutely right. Sometimes, even oftentimes, writing is a slog. We need that passion for movies and for the act of writing itself to pull us through those difficult times. Moreover I believe that it is the passion we feel for our stories and characters that almost magically lift them off the page and into the imagination of script readers, the emotion we feel gets translated to others. So passion works on MANY levels in terms of the craft.

Erica, I was a 33 year-old total Hollywood outsider when I broke into the business. If you haven't read my interview with 2012 Nicholl winner Allan Durand, you can do so here. After winning the Nicholl, he landed a writing gig and he must be in his late 50s or early 60s. I'm going to speak to this tomorrow when we discuss Courage, another screenwriting trait. And boy, are you right about Netflix and Hulu as resources to help us get our viewing time in!

YES. I LOVED that interview. Your story and his definitely contribute to keeping my hope alive ;)

Passion as a whole for films is a must. And as a writer, even more passion for the perfect words to make a reader "see" the scene/movie you see in your head. Recently, someone said to me, "How did you come up with that scene, do you like... see it?" For a second, I was thrown by the question (wait, doesn't everyone see scenes in their head?!) but replied, "I do and I work very hard to choose the right words so you can see it too."

Traci, I love this line about 'seeing' a scene in your mind: “I do and I work very hard to choose the right words so you can see it too.” So true. Trying to find that delicate balance point between conveying ENOUGH of what's in the scene so a reader gets it, but not TOO MUCH to overwhelm them, slow down the action, deflect attention for the point of the scene, etc. Another way in which our passion - for movies and writing - comes into play, to rewrite, rewrite, rewrite to get each of our scenes JUST right.

I believe that raising children has really helped increase my passion for movies. Sure, it takes time away from going to the theater, but there's nothing better than introducing a child to a movie you loved a kid or sharing new experiences by having an excuse to go see "Toy Story 3" instead of being the old man theater creeper. As children get older, I am already planning a list of films to share with them and rediscover on my own. It's already starting with films like "Jurassic Park," "Nightmare Before Christmas" and all of the Disney classics.

For as long as I can remember I have loved films....from being weaned on cold war 50s sci-fi by my dad, through to getting our first VCR in the 80s, Saturday Matinees as a kid and going to see films with school friends...all the way through to selling my beloved Ducati to indulge myself in the joy of building my own home cinema (although nearly dying in an accident probably helped that situation). And, like Alan above, I am now passing on that passion to the kids, loving the fact that they can share my delight and watching new films as well as introducing them to some old classics. Loving films is also probably one of the reasons we can watch our favourites over and over again when our friends can't see the point. It is the reason that I grin like an idiot EVERY SINGLE TIME I sit down and fire up the projector Its the reason I post about the films I have seen to my Facebook friends, every time I watch something, even though people rarely comment. The reason I can cry like a baby in the cinema watching the 20th Anniversary showing of E.T., or tell errant teenagers to shut up during a screening of ALIEN. It's why I get annoyed at people using cell-phones in the cinema. And perhaps why I get as excited by the trailers as I do the film. The reason I can engage in conversation about my favourites and get funny looks from people when the think I am "going off on one again" - and why I don't care. And the reason that, even at the (almost) age of 40, I am finally doing something about that passion and trying to come up with my own stories that I hope will delight and amuse others.....we can but hope.....but then I guess dreaming is what the cinema is all about?

A huge, loud, resounding YES to everything you just said, Mark!

I'm also late bloomer 36 yr old who's just getting her groove on to do this little thing called 'screenwriting', too. I've wanted to create a movie idea/concept for the longest time and have always started a story, but never finished. Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom and I can feel my brain ooze out of my ears (and I have some time to spare), I'm desperately reading as much as I can and watching as much as I can... and getting the same looks as you must be getting re: head in the clouds peter pan complex wannabe hollywood writer. ppssshhh. I get looks and people doubt the crap out of me, but I don't care. I love movies and it's something I have a passion for. And it's free... for now :) My Eastern European hubs doesn't get my obsession with movies and TV; he thinks I'm lazy. I've just always loved movies and TV. Not everyone 'gets' that. I love to be entertained whether on a cerebral "thinking" movie, or standard popcorn flick, or even brain candy comedies, etc. I love how actors portray roles and relay lines, I love innuendo, I love body language and ticks, I'm a nerd for editing/continuity errors... I even appreciate good commercials. I have a million ideas ready to go and have vomited out 2 and now I just need to focus and be disciplined in my editing and re-writes. So so so very glad to have found this blog! Thank you, Scott!

Despina, yes! The "lazy" label! Another outsider assumption! That I must be a couch potato of sorts (or that I waste my money) because I am parked in front of a movie or show for countless hours. Again, this is where the passion comes in. I wouldn't invest the time if I didn't knock-down, drag-out LOVE it. I know I have my quiet doubters, too. And that's OK. Good, really. Gives me all the more reason to keep doing what I'm doing ...

Alan, sharing movies with both of my sons (ages 22 and 12) has been one of the great joys of my life. In fact, because of their age spread, it allowed me to immerse myself in Pixar movies in a way I'm certain I wouldn't have had I not been a parent. With the oldest one, we STILL talk movies [his favorite course in college was one on Hiyao Miyazaki]. And my youngest, we are blessed to live 2 blocks from our neighborhood movie theater, so one of our fondest memories is the - literally - hundreds of times we have trudged up the hill to the theater, then tramped back home discussing the movie we just saw. It's great you have that list of movies you want to share with your children as they grow up. How wonderful to sit and watch a classic film you've seen before and share it with your children.

Mark, so you LITERALLY sold a beloved car in order to finance a home cinema? THAT is what I'm talking about, THAT degree of passion for movies. Obviously passion alone isn't enough, but it is critical, I believe, to the success of any screenwriter. Keep on dreaming!

Despina, thanks for your comments. People who aren't into movies will likely never understand the active engagement movie-lovers experience when watching a film. We're not just SITTING there, we are PARTICIPATING in the movie by ENTERING into that story universe in the magical way only stories can conjure. By identifying with the characters - and especially the Protagonist - we feel what they're feeling, see what they're seeing, and in a sense experience what they experience. Stories can take us ANYWHERE, and perhaps there is no better medium for that 'transportation' experience than movies which hit all of our senses. You keep at it, Despina. And welcome to this blog. Look forward to hearing from you whenever you feel moved to contribute. And that goes for EVERYBODY reading this thread.

Great Scott! The Quest! The Quest is my biggest motivation right now. It came at the right time and has pushed me to work every angle of one of my stories and, of course, attack the totally intimidating logline. I've gone back through your archives and found some very good, and much needed, breakdowns of plots and character developments and logline creation, etc, and it's affirmed, confirmed, and re-affirmed this passion of which you speak ;) I has it. Reading through comments has been a big help, too. It's good to see others' struggles and successes in their screenwriting journies... the camaraderie in knowing we're not alone in our excitement for the craft and the potential is a big help, too!

I've been not just watching films since I was young, I devoured them. I would watch many films growing up on VHS repeatedly, eventually learning every aspect of the film word for word. Star Wars, The Princess Bride, Groundhog Day, Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom and others all live inside my brain. When any of them come on television, my brain kicks into gear and it starts playing out again in my head. Even films I haven't seen in years will come back to me and I start reciting them word for word. I see the movie theater as a sacred experience. I despise people talking or cell phones during the movie. When the credits roll I stay in my seat until the movie ends (why I'm a big fan of post credit sequences). I have been wanting to write movies for a long time. I've drafted out a few stories over the years. I even completed one feature length screenplay a few years back. This is where my passion for movies becomes a bit of a curse. Because I analyze and devour movies, I have a tendency to do the same with my writing, causing me to doubt my abilities at times. I just started writing a new screenplay today and stopped after two pages because I started questioning my writing and becoming anxious. I have the passion, but now need to make that passion overcome the anxiety that comes when writing.

David, I completely share your sensibility: "I see the movie theater as a sacred experience." Sitting in the dark with the 'congregation' while experiencing the 'sermon'? Yeah, that metaphor works for me. Re this: "Because I analyze and devour movies, I have a tendency to do the same with my writing, causing me to doubt my abilities at times. I just started writing a new screenplay today and stopped after two pages because I started questioning my writing and becoming anxious." I hear you on that, too. I am a perfectionist. But as you will see in this series, those of us who tend to question our choices need to develop other traits and skills. Perfectionism can be a good thing. But only in the context of other equally developed abilities. Let's keep up the conversation over the next 2 weeks.