Form a writing group — not necessarily with friends, but with people whose work or critical opinion you trust. Set a schedule. Meet often, treat it like a college course. So at the next gathering, you can swap outlines, pages etc. and get feedback. Not everyone’s a Charlie Kauffman (certainly not me!). Input and rewriting are crucial. I teach in the MFA program at UCLA’s film school and one of the biggest mistakes young writers make is sending a script out (to agents, producers, etc.) before it’s genuinely polished. If you’re fortunate enough to have a professional read your material — don’t blow that opportunity. It may not come again.
And get someone to proofread. It’s amazing how many scripts are riddled with typos and grammatical errors. Let the reader concentrate on your story and characters — don’t take them out of the world you’ve created because you typed “hear” instead of “here.” Be your own best friend and harshest critic. Keep a thick hide — rejection will come at you hard and often — but that doesn’t mean you have to give up. Especially if you have something to say. And thanks, Tan, for giving me the opportunity to say something. At least I hope I have …
You have, and I’d like to thank Mike for finding time to answer a few questions with his busy schedule.
Article comments
1 - Phillip Winn
Now I might have to re-watch Face/Off, a movie I hated. The marketing was all about the actors, neither of which I care for. I'll have to follow the writing more closely.
2 - Mary K. Williams
Nice work Tan, what a great opportunity you had here.