Becoming the Writer I Know I Can Be

If you have a talent, use it in every which way possible. Don’t hoard it. Don’t dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke. - Brendan Francis

I thought I'd start of my entry with this quote. I read it today on the Daily Screenwriter, http://screenwriterdaily.blogspot.com/2010/04/screenwriting-just-screenwriting.html, a blog with motivational advice from Michael David Jensen, who currently serves as the executive producer and director of the groundbreaking documentary MAKING BETTER DOCTORS (http://www.makingbetterdoctors.com/). I think this quote really fits me today. It's a reminder that I have to do the work and when I do the work I need to put it out there.

It's been easy for me to rest on my previous accolades and make excuses for why I'm not writing. However, there are no good execuses, because if I'm going to master this craft, I have do what all writers do and that is set time aside to write. I finally feel like I'm in a place to get that work done.

Last week, I drove to the city to attend a panel with comedic writers who work on the following shows, SNL, Jimmy Fallon, and The John Stuart Show. The all male panel discussion took place at Fordham University. It was informative, funny, and best of all free advice from writers working in the business. I left the panel discussion knowing I wasn't going to be developing writing samples for shows like SNL and the John Stewart show. Although I enjoy watching them, that is not where my heart is as a writer. I still want to focus on stories about women with a focus on young adults.

I had one really good take away that I received from the panel. It is that no matter what my writing interests are, I need to write and write a lot. If I'm going to pitch the showrunner or executive producers of shows like True Jackson, 10 Things I Hate About You, or Nurse Jackie (hint, hint), I need to show them that I know their shows and have an arsonal of scripts to prove it.

I also attended a meeting for Connecticut Screenwriters at the West Hartford Public Library last Wednesday. The meeting provided me with an opportunity to meet a new group of writers who also have a passion for storytelling and film. I'm looking forward to meeting with this group on the last Wednesday of each month. It will be another tool for me to capitalize on.

The next two months I will be building my writing arsenal. At the end of the month, I will have another spec written and that will also be a goal for May. In order to become the writer I know I can be I must write.

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