Year Two

One year ago I decided I wasn’t doing enough as a filmmaker. Never mind the four scripts I had written, two of which I directed. After long hard reflection I decided to dedicate myself to learning everything about screenwriting. I labeled this Year One. Everything prior to this mark could be considered B.C., before consciousness.

When I was a young man I hated reading. I read very slowly and had no patience. It would take me months to read one book. In the past year I’ve read more books than ever and I'm reading faster than ever. My record for finishing one is four days. Mom would be so proud.

I also watched every DVD I could get my hands on. Not just on screenwriting and selling but also great classic movies I’ve been delinquent in viewing. Some of my favorites include On The Waterfront, Sunset Boulevard, and Lawrence of Arabia.

So what do I have to show for 365 days of effort? The first thing I learned was that it is infinitely harder to make it as a screenwriter than I previously thought. Kind of like the lottery on crack. The second thing I learned was that I was not as good as I thought. With this combo of realizations it would be easy to pack it in and call it a day. Many do. But not me.

I’ve now completed script #5 and I’m working on script #6 and #7. My writing has drastically improved. I see things much better, much clearer. Has it gotten easier? No. It’s gotten harder. But I’m not looking for easier, just better. An artist should always be a slave to his art.

With this improvement and a new level of confidence I’m ready to set goals for the future. The goal for this year is use my three newly polished scripts to find an agent and manager. I suspect the hunt will begin in the fall. What will follow is presumed to be the standard rejections, eventual small victories, pitching, and countless debatable rewrites. Will I then call it quits?

I seriously doubt it.