Scott at 2014-02-05 11:56:55:

Aarthi, I always loved movies. Growing up a military brat, we moved around a lot. Movies became one source of constancy in my life. Plus when you live in a desolate place like Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota for four long years, just about the only thing to do in some weather conditions is go to the movie theater (as I remember, it cost a quarter for a ticket). I took every cinema course I could in college and joined several film groups which expanded my knowledge of film to European and Japanese movies (the serious ones, I had seen all of the Godzilla type movies as a kid). This had nothing to do with any perceived career choice, just following my passion for films. I really knew very little about the actual production of movies, even screenwriting, I just lived in those story worlds. They became an essential part of how I think, how I speak. To this day, I probably reference a line or scene from this movie or that in conversations a half-dozen times per day. Films are one of my primary experiential touchstones. I do remember reading William Goldman's, "Adventures in the Screen Trade" when it came out. Not sure what drew me to it. Think I just stumbled on it. That must have made an impression on me re screenwriting. But beyond that, when I blurted out, "I can do that," I really had no legitimate basis upon which to say that with any confidence... other than the fact I loved movies, I had always been a writer of some sort (for the last decade songwriting). Of course, looking back, I can say it was Destiny at work. For nine years, I had been putting myself and my creativity out there to the Universe, searching for something to do, somewhere to land. Leaving a clear pathway to an academic career for the uncertain realm of creative pursuits is not a logical move... rather an act of faith. My life has taken many, many twists and turns since that fateful day in 1987. It boggles my mind to reflect on how I have wound up doing what I'm doing now. And I know enough to understand there are likely more shifts to come. At the end of the day, if there's anything I've discovered about my existence, it's that Joseph Campbell is right: Follow your bliss. That is our calling. To determine what it is that excites us in an existential way and pursue that. I am excited whenever I meet people who pursue that path. I am also saddened when I hear stories about people who live with the regret that they KNEW what they loved, yet never pursued it. In a big way, that's why I teach and host this blog. I want to do whatever I can, admittedly in my own small way, to fan the flames of creative aspiration of others. The world desperately needs great stories and great writers. There are so many forces at work heaping destruction upon our Earth. Stories and storytellers counteract some of that by feeding our individual and collective souls. Which brings me back to my first point: I absolutely love movies. Some of the most transformative moments in my life have come sitting in a darkened theater sharing a story on screen with a crowd of strangers. It's like a kind of sacred experience... and I mean that quite literally. Obviously there is no guarantee for anyone in the creative arts. As I wrote in a blog post: Movies don't owe anybody a living. But there are all types of ways to judge success. Even if a writer never makes one thin dime from their creative efforts, if the experience of writing brings them joy and enlivens them, isn't that a success, at least in an existential way? Follow your bliss. It really all comes down to that. To all who are brave enough and persistent enough to follow theirs, I extend to you my virtual embrace... and offer to you as a tiny daily gift, this humble blog.

Scott at 2014-02-05 12:11:25:

It was a completely different world back then in terms of Hollywood, Shari. So much of what happened to me was what some would call dumb luck. But I have ALWAYS worked hard. And after I broke into the business, I busted my tail for years learning the craft... and still do to this day. When I think about what it would have been like to have resources like this blog available back in 1987, it blows my mind. The very idea that you could go here and download over 80 free, legal movie scripts as PDFs would have been utterly astonishing. For years after I broke into the business, one of my daily activities was hustling around L.A. -- assistants, writers, producers -- asking for, sometimes begging for copies of scripts. At one point in my garage, I had over 1,000 hard copies (I subsequently gave almost all of them away to various screenwriting groups after everything moved to PDFs). It's almost absurd how many resources are available online nowadays. That is both a blessing and a curse. As we have seen from posts like my recent So-Called Screenwriting 'Rules' series, much of the information that gets disseminated is either wrong, bad or both. But even if a writer stumbles onto GOOD theory and practices, that can be confusing because there is so DAMN much of it out there. Frankly that's one of the reasons Tom Benedek and I started Screenwriting Master Class: to provide both a comprehensive and coherent approach to the craft of screenwriting. Everything I teach comes from a specific theoretical foundation, what I call character based screenwriting. I'm not saying it's the ONLY way or RIGHT way to write -- I don't believe there is an ONLY or RIGHT way to write. But in aggregate, all the courses and workshops I offer promote professional practices that have been proven to work AND are consistent throughout in terms of the WAY one can look at the process of screenwriting. Went off on a tangent there, but your comment took me back to the lat 80s and how much time and effort I spent wading through basically EVERYTHING I could get my hands on related to the craft of screenwriting. That was probably a tenth of what is available nowadays, so I can only imagine how confounding the experience might be for a newcomer. Let me close with this. You mention "intuition and natural talent." And that's pretty much it. Follow that along with my main mantra -- Read scripts. Watch movies. Write pages -- and you'll put yourself in the position to succeed as a screenwriter.

Aarthi Ramanathan at 2014-02-06 05:46:27:

Scott, again wow - no wonder we writers can relate to you so much! I too grew up in a desert and being an introvert with no friends, only had books and the videos my dad would bring back from the store to watch (we didn't even have the luxury of endless tv channels then, just one variety broadcast that lasted two hours a day). And then my first movie theatre experience was a trip back to India - I think I saw 'The Last Crusade' and it was magical. Even in film school, I was the only one who had never seen 'ET' before (now I have). You put it so well: films give us constancy, and it certainly did for me - gave me a love of stories, so I can totally relate! What you do with this blog and classes blows me away - I honestly think this will continue to inspire writers of all generations. 'Follow your bliss' is an incredible offering! Thanks for taking the time to share your story!