Time to Write

Time to edit your goals? Here's how.

If you made some writing (or other) resolutions at the start of the year, the odds are that you haven't been able to carry them out as planned. One study says that 80% of resolutions fail.

If January 1st is a good time to make resolutions, February 1st is a great time to edit them.

By editing, I mean taking a look at the obstacles that have come up that you didn't anticipate, and figuring out ways around them. For instance:

• Did you set too many goals at once? Consider focusing on your top one or two.
  
  
• Were you unrealistic about how much time and/or effort your goal would take? Chunk it down into smaller pieces and set more realistic deadlines.
  
  
• Did you start something new but find that you don't enjoy it? Think about what you're trying to achieve and consider a different means to that end. For instance, maybe you joined a gym but don't like the atmosphere there. Presumably, your goal is to get fit so think about how else you might do that. Of course, sometimes reaching a goal requires us to do the hard things that aren't enjoyable. In that case, keep your eye on the endpoint.
  
  
• Are you finding your family or friends are not being supportive? First, try explaining to them why this goal is important to you and ask them to be supportive or at least stop being critical. Look for people, locally or online, who understand and share your goals and support each other.
  
  
• If you feel like abandoning a goal you considered important, be honest with yourself about why. Sometimes it does make sense to quit and move on rather than sticking with something that isn't giving you what you'd hoped. However, if it's because it's more difficult than you thought, consider getting help in the form of workshops, mentors, coaches, or online groups.

Don't assume that you'll need to go through this process only once; repeating it at least every three months will help you get on and stay on the right track to reaching your goals. 

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If you want to be more productive, check out my book, "Focus: how to use targeted thinking to get more done." It's published by Pearson and available from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller.

Watch our for scams that target aspiring screenwriters

Writers tend to be hopeful souls eager to get our work seen, which also makes us vulnerable to scammers or people selling services unlikely to help you sell your script. Here are a few things to consider.

SCREENWRITING CONTESTS

• If a writing contest has high entry fees and low-value prizes, think twice about entering. 
  
  
• Just as with the lottery, most people who enter writing contests don't win. Yes, somebody will win but before you pay the entry fee, consider whether it's the best use of your money. Have past winners gotten verifiable attention for their scripts? 
  
  
• If a contest claims their winners have projects in pre-production, be aware that "in pre-production" can mean "some producer says they'll read it," or "somebody is sort of interested," or "somebody who wants to be a producer is trying to find the money"...or it can mean nothing at all.
  
  
• If a contest doesn't tell you who is judging it, beware. If they do name them, look them up at imdb.com (International Movie Database) to see whether they have any credits. 

MARKETING SERVICES

• Just because somebody says that they'll send your logline to hundreds of producers doesn't mean the producers will read them. Two have told me they routinely throw these kinds of mailings away.
  
  
• Producers are not interested in looking at storyboards of your screenplay. It's a waste of money to have a service create one for you.
  
  
• Your screenplay doesn't need a website. Sure, you can set up a website that includes information about yourself, but if there's information that's relevant (e.g., your protagonist is a cop and you are a cop), put it in your query letter.
  
  
• Nobody wants to watch a trailer for your unproduced screenplay. Having somebody make one for you is a waste of money. 

AGENTS 

• Reputable agents don't charge a reading fee or any other kind of fee. They get a commission when they sell your work. 

If you've run across any other dubious services for writers, feel free to add them in a comment.

Don't give up on your dumb idea

Dana Terrace had an idea for an animated magical comedy-horror TV series. She told the LA Times, "I was working with someone at that time who kept discouraging me from working on it."

Her colleague called it a dumb idea.

Named "The Owl House," it has already been renewed by Disney for a second series before the first one has even aired.

Terrace says one of the things that motivated her was proving that former colleague wrong. It wasn't the first time she was out of step. She says, "When I was a kid, and I think a lot of kids feel like this--especially if you're artsy or creative or have any kind of offbeat hobby--you feel a little left out."

I'd add that this still is true for a lot of adults.

However, often it's the oddballs who come up with breakthrough ideas. You know, the kind that are called dumb before they catch on.

Naturally, sometimes a "dumb idea" actually is dumb, but if you believe in yours, stick with it--as Dana Terrace has proved, it can pay off.

          "The Owl House" (Disney Channel)

Your weakness can become your strength

What if your weakness could also be your strength?

In the previous post, I wrote about Dana Terrace, who persisted with an idea for a TV series that her colleague called dumb. The Owl House was renewed for a second season by Disney before the first one even aired. 

In an interview in the L. A. Times, Terrace mentioned feeling left out when she was a kid because she was kind of an oddball. She patterned one of the series' main characters on herself. She says, "He's just a little guy that wants to be big, so I always related to him. He's tiny and no one takes him seriously. He just wants to be taken seriously."

The reason I wanted to revisit this topic is that I think it demonstrates not only the power of persistence in the face of discouragement but also how we can turn what other people see as a weakness into a strength.

This is especially so for writers and artists because supposed weaknesses make great material. People will relate because everybody feels defective in some way, even the most apparently confident ones.

I did something similar in an animated series I created, called Norman Normal. The premise was that Noman is the only normal one in a family of superheroes. Even his baby sister and his dog have powers.

I think this mirrors the feeling of a lot of kids that they're surrounded by parents how have all the power and other kids who are smarter, better looking, or more talented. Of course, it was always Norman who came up with the solutions or was able to help his superhero family win the day. I hope some kids watching the show were comforted or inspired by that.

TURN IT AROUND FOR FUN AND PROFIT

Sometimes we avoid writing about our weaknesses and fears, even in the form of fiction, because they make us uncomfortable.

I'm suggesting that if you face your weakness or your fear and turn it into art--a script, a novel, a short story, a painting--you may end up creating your most powerful and appealing work. It could even be your most profitable work--56 episodes of Norman Normal were produced and because I had a good "created by" deal, it was quite lucrative.

This process can also be therapeutic, as I discovered when I wrote a play called "Killing Mother." (No, my mom never saw it.)

You don't have to make the work directly autobiographical--in fact, usually it's better if you give yourself a lot of leeway to fictionalize so that you can serve the story instead of being bound by the limitations of reality.

At the moment, I'm doing this with a screenplay called Leaving It Behind, about a criminal facing the end of his life. It was triggered when I had to have open-heart surgery and considered the (admittedly slim) chance that I might not make it. I'm not a criminal nor do I have a terminal illness (the operation went well) but the story incorporates a lot of my fears and thoughts at the time.

Maybe you're already doing this, but it may be worth checking whether there's anything in the darker corners of your psyche that you might turn around by putting it at the heart of your next project.