Introduce Yourself : Things that don't make my bio... by Lauren Hackney

Lauren Hackney

Things that don't make my bio...

hi there Stage 32 - Happy IYW! You can read everything about me on my bio - but let me share the other side

Things that don’t make my bio:

Not the awards or mentions.

Not the finished scripts.

Not the polished version.

But...

The draft that nearly broke me.

The stories I couldn’t fix… until I could.

The nights I sat there wondering if I was wasting my time.

The silence after hitting “send.”

The almost yeses. The quiet no’s.

And the part no one sees... the part that kept showing up anyway!

Hi, I’m Lauren.

I write the stories… and I live them too.

Mike O'Neill

Lauren Hackney I love this post.

I'm currently dealing with a broken pilot story myself--as in I'm struggling to even shape the story from the get-go. I've also spent many a night wondering if this whole writing endeavor is one big fat waste of time. But like you, I refuse to give up, and I keep showing up and trust the journey.

Geoffroy Faugerolas

Great point! There's only so much a bio can show! That's why it's important to find your community where you can bond over the same pain points and come out victorious together!

Maria Caeiro

Very well said Lauren Hackney the unseen long hours, doubts and silences that only we know are what make us screenwriters. Those who can´t handle that will never be able to write scripts, books, whatever, no matter their skills. So, congrats for that.

Meriem Bouziani

Hello, happy IYW to you.

I love the way you describe your journey. When we truly live the world we are writing, it becomes deeply honest and can resonate with everyone.

Sydney S

Hey Lauren,

Nice to meet toy! That part about the silence after hitting send and still showing up anyway… so real.

Thank you for sharing this side of the journey. It’s the part so many people need to hear.

So glad you’re here!

Leonardo Ramirez

Beautifully said Lauren Hackney. Sharing what isn't polished about ourselves in our interactions with others only builds them up. It's one of your gifts that is very much needed.

Adam Spencer

Here, here, Lauren Hackney! You’ve just named the real engine: your lived experience. Your inspirations, your struggles, your failures. Everything you’ve carried—turning into forward momentum—not collapse. Here, here!

Ashley Renée Smith

Lauren Hackney, happy Introduce Yourself Weekend.

This hit. Hard. There’s something about naming the unseen parts of the process that makes it instantly relatable. The drafts that don’t work, the silence after sending something out, the “almosts” that don’t quite land… that’s the reality most people don’t talk about enough, but it’s where the real work happens.

And what stands out most is exactly what you said, the part that kept showing up anyway. That’s the throughline.

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