As a creative writing teacher at CSUN , I once had a reasonably talented young student come up to me and confide that he would be giving up his ambition to be an engineer in favor of pursuing a career as a poet. While his enthusiasm was gratifying, I had to wonder how his working class family would respond to the shift: I doubt they were putting him through college to enter such a decidedly less than reliable field. It was a tricky balance, not wanting to discourage him, but knowing with certainty that engineering was the way to go. UCLA screenwriting students asking whether they should be writers is an entirely different situation, but the responsibility on us teachers is a serious one. We can only hope that these earnest students eventually come to the right decision for themselves.
Thanks, Richard. As someone just embarking on the journey to become a screenwriting I always find your words of wisdom heartening and uplifting. I promise not to ever ask a tutor whether I should continue with a script or not again! I like what you said about letting it rest and returning to it. In my previous work I always found it frustrating when people said to stick at one thing and keep going. I would get very disheartened. I have been reading people who give the opposite advice in regard to screenwriting -- have several projects going at once so that you can work best on those you need to when you are ready to. And you can take advantage of opportunities when they arise. Thanks, Richard, see you next time.
I suppose all art has to come from within in that you HAVE to do it. George Lucas said you have to do what is inside you. You have to make it so great that others want to share. That's where the hard work comes in. Thank you for showing us the way, Professor.
As a creative writing teacher at CSUN , I once had a reasonably talented young student come up to me and confide that he would be giving up his ambition to be an engineer in favor of pursuing a career as a poet. While his enthusiasm was gratifying, I had to wonder how his working class family would respond to the shift: I doubt they were putting him through college to enter such a decidedly less than reliable field. It was a tricky balance, not wanting to discourage him, but knowing with certainty that engineering was the way to go. UCLA screenwriting students asking whether they should be writers is an entirely different situation, but the responsibility on us teachers is a serious one. We can only hope that these earnest students eventually come to the right decision for themselves.
Thanks, Richard. As someone just embarking on the journey to become a screenwriting I always find your words of wisdom heartening and uplifting. I promise not to ever ask a tutor whether I should continue with a script or not again! I like what you said about letting it rest and returning to it. In my previous work I always found it frustrating when people said to stick at one thing and keep going. I would get very disheartened. I have been reading people who give the opposite advice in regard to screenwriting -- have several projects going at once so that you can work best on those you need to when you are ready to. And you can take advantage of opportunities when they arise. Thanks, Richard, see you next time.
I suppose all art has to come from within in that you HAVE to do it. George Lucas said you have to do what is inside you. You have to make it so great that others want to share. That's where the hard work comes in. Thank you for showing us the way, Professor.
Excellent advice & a needed reminder, of all the sh...stuff to think about when writing, putting feeling in it is number one.
Always great stuff, Richard. Thanks for keeping us grounded.