by Rachel Miller on August 30, 2010
Have you ever read a story about people who pushed themselves past the point of human endurance? Stories like the man who ran 26 miles at the Arctic Circle or the 16-year-old who rowed alone across the Indian ocean?
Often when I read stories like that I think: How did they do that and what in the world did they get out of it?
Now I know. Recently I worked on a project that pushed me physically, emotionally and creatively past my point of endurance. I was tired, stressed, I couldn’t eat and certainly couldn’t sleep from all the nerves and the pressure.
Not only were there were a lot of people relying on me that I didn’t want to let them down, but I was responsible for their safety as well. My response to all this pressure? I simply believed it could be done and put my head down and focused on doing the work.
And when it was over and I could look back on the project and what we pulled off, an amazing sense of accomplishment filled me. It proved that there is no such thing as “can’t be done.” Everything can be done — it just takes almost superhuman will power and belief in yourself and your team.
And for anyone in the entertainment business, I know there is often a sense of this “can’t be done.” Feelings like “I can’t break into the business” or “I can’t make a living with my writing, etc.”
Well, you can. It just takes almost superhuman belief in yourself and the unwavering desire to put your head down and do the work. When you believe in yourself, you have to do the work to get yourself there but you can accomplish anything.
Print This
Tweet This
by Rachel Miller on August 3, 2010
Being a writer is hard. Trust me, I know. Trying to be creative all the time is draining work. And sometimes you can get stuck. Really stuck.
And sometimes the best answer is to get out of Dodge. Instead of beating yourself up, go somewhere to get away from it all. Take a vacation for a couple days. Leave your laptop behind. Try to turn you phone off. Try to stop thinking about your project and enjoy the place you are in.
By putting yourself in a new environment and letting your mind relax, you can often get re-inspired!
Even in my life, I have noticed that getting out of town helps me. Recently I took a weekend off and went to Seattle. We walked around the city, enjoyed Pike’s Place, and even hiked Mt. Rainier! I didn’t do any work and I even read a book for fun. And when I got back, I was refreshed, ready to work and feeling very creative.
In fact, this is similar to what happened to Kevin Williamson. He couldn’t get a job for years and years and years. In his frustration, he packed up, ready to move out of LA. He happened to stop at an inn outside of LA and suddenly got inspired to write SCREAM and, well, the rest is history.
While I can’t promise that getting out of town will result in a SCREAM-like success, I can predict that you’ll have new perspectives on your current roadblocks.
So pack your overnight bag and get out of Dodge!
Print This
Tweet This
by Rachel Miller on July 20, 2010
Lately we have been getting a lot of submissions for possible representation. So here’s a quick reminder on what a writer should send for possible representation:
- Send something original
- Send something that is commercial
- Send your best piece of material
(You’d be surprised how many times I read something and then, after I pass, the writer will say: “Oh, that wasn’t my best piece of material. Can I send you something else?” The answer is almost always no.)
- Do NOT send something that was co-written by someone unless you ALWAYS write with this one person and you are seeking representation as a team
- Do NOT send a tv spec script of a show that is already on the air (we want to read something original)
- Do NOT send something that is based on material that you do not own or have not optioned
- Do NOT send a long list of all your available scripts and ask me to pick the best one (you should know your best and most commercial sample)
- Do NOT argue over the submission release (although I have talked about this one before, it is worth repeating)
Your goal as a writer is to make me want to sign you and to not give me any reason to pass on your writing. If you follow these tips, you will be well on your way to making that happen.
Click here for more in-depth information on how to get representation.
Print This
Tweet This
by Rachel Miller on July 6, 2010
At Tom Sawyer we primarily represent clients who do comedy. However, as I recently re-discovered — you can get me to love anything if you have great characters.
This week I read a torture-thriller that scared me half to death. While I normally don’t like that kind of genre, the characters were so in-depth and three dimensional that I just couldn’t stop myself from falling in love with the script.
Which goes to show you that writing great characters is the key to any great script — whether it is comedy, drama, thriller or horror.
If you write great characters you can change your reader’s perception of what genre they are interested in. You can even change the minds of studio execs of what they want to buy.
Take the time to perfect your characters so agents, managers, producers and executives will fall in love with your scrip
Print This
Tweet This
by Rachel Miller on June 18, 2010
RSS of Show Me The Screenplay Blog
