I've really enjoyed every post of this roundtable Scott! It's fantastically entertaining and informative.

Good to hear. Some exciting news forthcoming about another annual screenwriter roundtable -- all women writers.

This is a very interesting conversation. It's good to know that all screenwriters - be they pro or not - run into the "treatment/first draft problem" where the basic beats are in place but they definitely don't represent what the final draft is going to be like. It is so frustrating and when you start explaining this, the producer/director sort of squints at you as if he was thinking something along the lines of, "Riiiight, you hadn't even thought of it, had you, and now you're just grabbing on to every branch you see, trying to sound like you know what you're doing..." This is why I hate sending off the Draft Zero - if only people would be patient enough to wait for Draft One. These roundtables are great, I bookmark them to keep them handy. Looking very much forward to the all-women writers one :)

If there's one fundamental takeaway from these roundtables or basically any interview with pro writers, it's this: Don't be precious with your pages. Do your prep work, then pound out a first draft. It is a journey of discovery. No one has to see but you. You are not being judged by that first draft. It is a work-in-progress. Every writer has to deal with self-doubt and negativity. One of the best ways to confront that: Just pound out pages. That way at least you're being productive. Glad you're enjoying the roundtable conversation, Marija!