[…] Presented by the Black List and the WGAw Committee of Women Writers, Lindsay’s talk, which was the subject of the New York Times article “Perfectly Happy, Even Without Happy Endings” and which was excerpted in her TEDx Talk titled “Saving the World vs. Kissing the Girl,” examines what the field …read more […]

Write. And when you're not writing, watch movies, read screenplays and materials related to your story and themes. Then write more. On index cards or napkins or memo pads; in Word docs, Highland, Fountain, Final Draft, wherever it suits you. LET IT SUCK. It's going to suck at first and you have to let it. Keep going. If you keep going it'll improve. Finish a crappy draft. Enjoy re-writing. But always move forward, control what you can. You can write. So do it. Write.

I believe in the following fact: no matter how well you outline or how many bios you've written for your characters, you are going to get lost. You are going to ask yourself why you picked this story, with those damned characters at this god forsaken time of your life. You are going to think about starting a new story. Quitting on all those annoying people you just made up. But don't. Hit rock bottom with your characters. Stick with them like they were your family. Give them another draft, another shot. That's when things start getting good.

That thing that makes you so mad that you want to kill, or keeps you up nights, or becomes an albatross around your neck, or drives you to drink, or to love, or to talk back, or to walk down a dangerous street, or to risk your life, or to want to. If you can try to put even just a piece of it into words, then you must. Don't deny who you are.

Write the movie you want to see. Go. Now. Don’t stop at B&N for ‘how-to’ books. Grab a pen and paper and get as much of the story out of you and onto the page as possible. Your desert island movies - the ones that would sustain you through loneliness, boredom and despair...  The ones that make you feel connected and inspired and full of hope... Watch them. Read the scripts. They are online, I promise. Write your script.  If you write the movie you want to see, chances are we will want to see it, too.

Now is not the time to be timid, humble, or self-conscious. This story is your creation. You are a god, so act like one. Don’t be afraid to bring down wrath upon beloved characters. Don’t feel ashamed to show mercy to the undeserving. Annoy the reader. Confuse the reader. Infuriate the reader. Just don’t bore the reader. If a scene makes you uncomfortable- good! Leave it in. If there’s a line of dialogue you wouldn’t want your mother to read- great! Definitely leave it in. You have no reputation or expectations. Take chances. Have fun. Don’t play it safe.

Take writing this first script seriously. A lot of people dabble. A lot of people think of writing as just a hobby. An extension of their journal or blog. Something they do on weekends. But once you make the mental switch from “writing is fun” to “writing is serious business” your whole approach changes. You watch movies and TV shows differently. You listen and observe the world around you with intent. You look at your life and your friends and your whole existence in a new way because you’re suddenly processing everything as a writer. Someone who takes writing seriously.