Screenwriting : Staying Motivated by Bertilda Lacy

I always turn to studies and activities outside of my whole dream of getting more success as a writer. I'm just getting into my first real "get famous or die trying" push (shout out to you-know-who), and when the mood isn't right, I have a garden and gym to burn off the stress. There are so many ups and downs, it really helps to get some perspective on rejection...because rejection isn't failure, it's just one opinion. But I want that career...not that sale...that career. Every rejection makes me stronger because I try to take the feedback and turn it to my advantage rather than feeling bad. Not always easy. I mope around as much as any other creative type, but that is why some distance is so important. Reset, refresh, and back at it when the fire is back in me. It always comes back eventually.

Take motivation and toss it out. Period. Motivation comes and goes. How hungry are you for this? How driven are you? If you're hungry and driven, you'll keep going. If you feel in your heart of hearts that you have something, or will create something, that someone will say yes to, then you keep going. And every time you get a "no" you must simply believe that you are getting closer to finding the "yes."

If there was a magical formula, I'd bottle and shill it on late night TV :)

Seriously, for me it is an internal drive to succeed at whatever I set my mind to. Now, the definition of success can be different for everyone. Is it an Oscar winning script? Or is any script sale acceptable? For me, success will be sitting down in a theater or in front of the TV and watching something I wrote. Then doing it again. I could give a rat's ass about awards, but that's just me.

We have to believe in ourselves and have a strong work ethic to keep sitting down at the computer every day and write. We have to go outside our comfort zones and network with people in the industry, as well as people still trying to break in. Motivation will come from the places you least expect. Maybe it's having worked at this long enough that you can you help someone else who's just starting out. Maybe it's realizing you're perfecting your skills when you start winning some contests or are receiving steadily improving feedback on your work. Motivation for this is no different than anything else in life that's hard. Can you keep going through the rough patches, the rejections and those times where self-doubt creeps in? If you want something badly enough, you'll find a way. As my dear granny used to say whenever I gave up on something "well, guess you didn't really want it that bad after all."

Sorry I can't give you some inspiring rah-rah speech like they do in sports movies, but those emotionally motivating moments only last for a short time. This is a long haul and only you know if you want it bad enough to weather the storm of "No's" before you get that first Yes. It took my five years and God only knows how many rejections and rewrites before I finally optioned my first script.

I'll leave you with another pearl of wisdom from my granny. "Don't let the bastards win". For her, the bastards weren't any specific persons, it was the negative people we encounter in life. The people with a sour, pessimistic outlook that want to drag us down into their misery. If you've got some of those in your life, get rid of them. Surround yourself with positive people. Optimistic people. People who will genuinely be happy at your success. In other words, motivated people. Motivation is contagious. You can feed off it to inspire yourself.

I hope you can find something in this that will make your day a little better and keep you going when the going gets hard.

Maybe get a job, work with ppl who make stuff for a living, volunteer on a short movie, learn a trade other than rockstar writer & director jobs. There are hundreds of artists/job occupations in front and behind camera

Love the work more... The passion will keep you going...

Love the scripts you write...

I write.

I love to write, writing is my escape from problems, so I can't wait to write.

Finish your script!

I try to keep myself motivated as much as possible, whether by brainstorming or actually sitting down to do the work.

A yes, will lead to more nos. The ratio will shift towards more yes, eventually. Have a destination in mind. But walk the path directly ahead of you. There is a big picture, which you can glance at every now and then. But look at what you need to achieve today, this week, this month.

I write because I can, not because I must...having no pressure whatsoever maybe adds on some extra motivation, dunno...

Write, promote my books and book to movie! Keep at it. Good luck!

It is tough but keep going. I try to do a little each day and if I'm going through a bad patch I turn to my creative friends because they've all been there! There is so much pressure to sell more, to reach deadlines, but keeping yourself motivated and taking time out is also essential. I like yoga and green tea in the morning... by the evening it tends to be gin and chocolate ;-)

Oh Bertilda, I feel you, it's hard to keep motivated. There are some good tips in the above comments. My personal favourite way to stay motivated in the face of copious rejection and difficulty, is to control what I can. So, I can control choosing to write music and attending networking events, I can control choosing to be gracious in rejection (which has actually turned some rejections into really positive experiences and work later down the line), I can control what I believe (you don't have to believe everything you think- gamechanger). I find that walks help a lot to re-centre myself, and after particularly heavy rejections, 15 minutes with my punchbag always makes me feel a lot better.

Keep going! From the details on your profile, and the plot synopsis up there, you have some stories to tell that no one else can. You're where you're meant to be.

Bertilda Lacy I go for a long walk and spend time with my characters, my literary creations are facets of my own psyche, they are me in every sense,

so the answers are within the creative work, not just the story plot but the kaleidoscopic minds of the characters themselves;

there's always something new there for me and I will return home from my walk and go straight to my desk with more new ideas and details to write;

for me, the answers and passion and connections are within the work.

Reading all these replies from such talented individuals is creativity in itself. Such incredible advice and so motivational!