Suffer Less, Write More. 
It’s a new year and a new decade. At Meditative Writing©, we are starting the 20s with a healthier and more functional writing process. Below are three principles to remember throughout the year that will help you write more and suffer less during the inevitable pain of writing. 
1) Nothing is permanent
Good or bad. 
When you have a good writing day, do not assume that this is the new normal. When you have a bad writing day, do not assume that this is the new normal either.
Many writers overthink a bad writing day or week and repeat the false belief, “I have lost it. It is gone. I will never write well again.” This is your artistry playing peekaboo with you. It is not gone forever. It left temporarily. You just need to write through it. 
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Clinging to permanence when you have a good run can be just as painful. The quality of your projects will not climb up in a straight line. After you write a great screenplay, you usually write a terrible one. This is the nature of growth. It’s similar to martial arts. You become the best yellow belt, but when you move up to the orange belt, you get your ass beaten. This teaches you continued growth. 
<img class="alignleft wp-image-25743" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/iu-5.jpeg" alt="" width="402" height="237" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/iu-5.jpeg 902w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/iu-5-150x88.jpeg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/iu-5-250x147.jpeg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/iu-5-768x453.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 402px) 100vw, 402px" />
You will suffer greatly if you require everything you write to be good. That is impossible. Even Shakespeare penned some crappy plays. Beethoven composed many “meh” pieces. Your favorite screenwriter wrote many duds. You just haven’t read them. Or perhaps you have. 
Your false belief in permanent states causes most of your suffering. That’s your ego. You write a great script. Perhaps it wins an award. Then you create a false belief that you are a good writer and that means everything you write is good. No. (good writers are capable of writing good work, but it’s never a guarantee.) The ego protects itself at all costs, keeping you from any situation that challenges the idea of you being a good writer. This prevents continued growth.
The quality of your pages and your confidence is cyclical. Everyone’s is. Even though you have been through the cycle dozens or even hundreds of times, you may still forget. Keep a journal to track this. You might discover your cycle is linked to time, or projects, or something else entirely. 
Remind yourself often &#8211; this too, in time, shall pass. Whether it is good or bad. You will suffer less in the painful moments, and savor the positive moments with more gratitude.
If a fear is getting in your way, follow it. Don’t ignore the fear follow it into the future and see what will happen. If you write a terrible scene, then what? You will feel bad for a day. But you are fine. A day later you write another scene. If you get fired off a project, you will feel terrible. For a few weeks. Then you will keep writing. You will find another opportunity and you will be fine.
Even if we really push the reality &#8211; let&#8217;s say you write a book that gets panned so badly every publisher in the world agrees to never let you publish again. You will feel wrecked. Then you will either write under a pen name or move to the woods with your loved one, write for your own pleasure and pursue all the other activities that your writing career has kept you from. You will still have your process, your health, and your loved ones. You will be fine. It will hurt but you will adapt and move forward. No pain is permanent. 
Dung turns into fertilizer more quickly than you think. 
All seeds grow in darkness. 
2) Bravery is necessary for writers
It is a muscle. It can be cultivated. It should be practiced.
Bravery is not fearlessness. There are things worth being scared of. If a wild bear wanders into your campsite, fear is an appropriate response. Bravery is taking action in the face of fear. 
Bravery is not something you are born with. Bravery is cultivated and practiced. Bravery is a muscle. 
Bravery will be useful at every stage of the writing process. Facing the blank page. Reading your own work. Rewriting. Letting other people read your work. Listening to what people have to say after reading your work. Actually hearing what people have to say about your work. Accepting the useful feedback. Going back in and rewriting again. Sending a finished script out into the world. Waiting to hear back. Getting a no. Especially getting a yes. Seeing your work published or produced. Getting reviewed. Starting the next project. Doing it all over again. Every single one of these steps evokes fear inmost writers. You will face fear every single step of the way. Bravery helps you get through it. 
Fear gets bigger the more successful you get. 
<div id="attachment_25744" style="width: 449px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25744" class=" wp-image-25744" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/alexandra-gorn-smuS_jUZa9I-unsplash-1024x741.jpg" alt="" width="439" height="318" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/alexandra-gorn-smuS_jUZa9I-unsplash-1024x741.jpg 1024w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/alexandra-gorn-smuS_jUZa9I-unsplash-150x109.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/alexandra-gorn-smuS_jUZa9I-unsplash-250x181.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/alexandra-gorn-smuS_jUZa9I-unsplash-768x556.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 439px) 100vw, 439px" />Photo by Alexandra Gorn</div>
Most emerging screenwriters think, they just need to land their first paid gig (or publish their first novel, or get staffed on their first show) and then they will know they are good and will never doubt themselves or their future again. Then the fear will go away and it will be easy. This is untrue. 
Most early career writers think they just need to get that second gig (or publish that second book) or option a feature before the show gets canceled. Then people won&#8217;t find out that they really have no idea what they are doing. They’ll feel financially stable and never have to go back to folding sweaters or pouring coffee or performing open-heart surgery again. This is untrue. 
Most mid career writers think, they just need to show run so they have some control. They need their own screenplay to be produced, need to shift into directing, or need their book series to get turned into a TV show. Then they will know their family is stable and they’ll be free to write the stories they really want rather than what they’re hired to. They will be happy and won&#8217;t feel this existential angst that keeps gnawing at them, wondering if they have dedicated their entire life to something they’re not sure I really love. This is garbage. 
There will always be another mountain to climb. Just because you have climbed many mountains doesn’t mean you&#8217;ve climbed this mountain. It doesn’t make the trek any less steep. You cannot change the mountain. You cannot eliminate fear. But you can become very brave. 
You can cultivate and apply bravery in many ways. If every day you practice bravery at least once, even unrelated to writing, it will help. Make eye contact with a stranger. Ask someone out on a date. Ask for help. Write naked. Sing loud enough for your neighbors to hear. Watch a scary movie. Go into a store you feel is “not made for you”. Whatever. Whatever scares you but won&#8217;t traumatize you, do it. Then validate the crap out of yourself and feel that muscle growing. 
Practice bravery regularly so the muscle doesn&#8217;t turn into fat. 
Every time you write and get scared you have two choices: practice bravery or practice cowardice. You must choose. The one you choose the most often gets the strongest. 
<div id="attachment_25745" style="width: 384px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25745" class=" wp-image-25745" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/tyler-nix-q-motCAvPBM-unsplash.jpg" alt="" width="374" height="359" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/tyler-nix-q-motCAvPBM-unsplash.jpg 640w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/tyler-nix-q-motCAvPBM-unsplash-150x144.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/tyler-nix-q-motCAvPBM-unsplash-250x240.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 374px) 100vw, 374px" />Photo by Tyler Nix</div>
3) The definition of a writer is someone who writes
Nothing more, nothing less. 
A writer is not someone who writes great stories every time they put pen to paper. That is not possible. 
A writer is not someone for whom writing is always easy. That is someone who doesn’t identify as a writer. 
A writer is not someone who always knows what to write. That person does not exist. 
A writer is not a writer who is published. That is a published writer. 
A writer is not someone who has been produced. That is a produced writer. 
A writer is not someone who writes professionally. That is a professional writer. 
A writer is not someone who writes for money. That is a creative whore. 
A writer is someone who writes. If you write, you are a writer. If you don’t, you are not. 
The way you define what it means to be a writer matters. This will chemically affect your brain.
You might need to reroute your brain 101 times for this definition to take effect in your brain. But it is worth it. It will take away much of the unnecessary suffering most writers put themselves through. 
Make a sign that reads, “A writer is someone who writes &#8211; nothing more, nothing less.” Post it near your writing desk. 
When you think about sitting down to write, remind yourself, “A writer is someone who writes &#8211; nothing more, nothing less.”
When you sit down to write, take a breath and whisper, “A writer is someone who writes &#8211; nothing more, nothing less.”
When you are a writer and a daymare of rejection, humiliation, and/or failure pops into your head, discard it like an unwanted postcard, take a deep breath and look at your sign that reads, “A writer is someone who writes &#8211; nothing more, nothing less.”
When you have finished your writing session, take a deep breath and remind yourself, “A writer is someone who writes &#8211; nothing more, nothing less. Today I wrote. Today I am a writer.” 
When your writing gets published or produced, take a moment and remember, “A writer is someone who writes &#8211; nothing more, nothing less.” 
When your writing gets praised, remind yourself, “A writer is someone who writes &#8211; nothing more, nothing less.” 
When your writing gets criticized, remember, “A writer is someone who writes &#8211; nothing more, nothing less.” 
When you get fired for the first time, remember, “A writer is someone who writes &#8211; nothing more, nothing less.” 
When your voice changes because you have been through the roller coaster of life, remember, “A writer is someone who writes &#8211; nothing more, nothing less.”
When you write something that shakes you to the core and makes you question everything you have ever known, remember, “A writer is someone who writes &#8211; nothing more, nothing less.”
When you write something so beautiful you decide not to share it with anyone but keep it for yourself, you will know, “A writer is someone who writes &#8211; nothing more, nothing less.”
For more about Jess Hinds and her workshops, Meditative Writing, and Screenplay Alchemy, please visit <a href="http://MeditativeWriting.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MeditativeWriting.org</a>.

Three Screenwriting Principles to Remember in 2020

As screenwriters, we all know the power of storytelling and metaphor. They will change more minds than all the data in the world. So let’s play with three of my favorite metaphors to help screenwriters write more often with greater ease and, perhaps, even some joy. 
 Metaphor #1 The Unhatched Duckling
Have you ever wished screenwriting was easy? Have you ever fantasized about your film script just being written with a snap of your fingers? 
   
As much as it seems that an effortless writing process would launch you into a brilliant career as a paid writer&#8230;it won&#8217;t. 
   
Because you, my friend, are an unhatched duckling.
<img class="alignleft wp-image-19943" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/podpeperska-vystava-velka-losenice-kure-540x200.jpg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine" width="605" height="224" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/podpeperska-vystava-velka-losenice-kure-540x200.jpg 540w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/podpeperska-vystava-velka-losenice-kure-540x200-150x56.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/podpeperska-vystava-velka-losenice-kure-540x200-250x93.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/podpeperska-vystava-velka-losenice-kure-540x200-500x185.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />
FLASHBACK &#8211; NORTHERN CALIFORNIA &#8211; 1989 
   
When I was a kid, I loved nothing more than exploring the wildlife and weeds near the lake in our backyard. During one such typical expedition, I stumbled upon an abandoned egg. I brought the egg home. My mother helped me set up a shoebox nest with a heating pad. Eventually, the egg began to wobble and wiggle. There I sat, eyes glued to the shell, eager to meet my new little friend. 
   
CUT TO 
   
Hours later, I was still watching. This poor baby duck was working his ass off to get out of that egg. Hatching was taking much longer than I had anticipated. Being the impatient tween that I was, I reached out to help pull off that loose bit of shell in hopes of freeing my new friend. 
   
“Do you want to kill him?” my mom barked. 
“No. I&#8217;m trying to help. He&#8217;s working so hard,” I bleated. 
   
Then my mother explained to me the purpose of the difficulty and resilience of an eggshell. Every time a chick pummels its beak against the egg, its neck muscles grow a little bit stronger. 
   
The shell is exactly the toughness it needs to build up enough strength in the bird’s neck to survive outside of the egg. The egg is not the enemy; the shell and its difficulty are that baby bird’s education. If I were to help, that bird would be entering into an environment without the strength it needs to actually survive in the new world. 
   
 Sometimes making something easy at the moment robs you of the growth you need to succeed in the long run. 
   
In the past week, I&#8217;ve worked with several screenwriters who went pro in the past several years. Writers who caught a break. At first, they were excited and were like, “I&#8217;ve finally made it!” But then, they were faced with the new world of being a professional screenwriter.  Now they are flailing. They were not prepared for the unique difficulty of what being a professional writer actually entails. We are working to build up their psychological agility, artistry on demand, craft and business acumen in hopes of not missing out on their current opportunities. But the message is clear &#8211; build up these skills before you break in. Be grateful for the hard work, be grateful for the struggle because that mindset, work ethic, and training will determine whether they are a one-hit wonder or are able to build an actual career. 
   
So, the next time you feel that struggle, that frustration, remember, “Struggle is the sensation of growth.” This is the feeling of growing strong enough to succeed and thrive. When you have developed the correct muscles, you will break through into your new world. 
 Metaphor #2 The Dumb Baby
The other day, I decided there just wasn&#8217;t enough sand in my ass, so I went to the beach. There, sitting on the wet shore, was a chubby little baby digging her hands into the sand, her back to the ocean.  I watched as the child&#8217;s eyes lit up and excitement surged through her entire body when the water rushed up around her.  Pure joy. 
Then the wave retreated and I saw how devastated she was when the water rushed away, leaving her alone in the sand. You could tell that she was scared, that she was sad, that she thought the water was gone forever, that this thing she was enjoying had been lost and lost for good.  Pure agony.
<img class="wp-image-19944 alignright" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/child-587526_960_720.jpg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine" width="427" height="286" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/child-587526_960_720.jpg 960w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/child-587526_960_720-150x100.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/child-587526_960_720-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/child-587526_960_720-768x514.jpg 768w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/child-587526_960_720-500x334.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px" />I smiled. 
The reason I smiled at this child&#8217;s pain is not because I am a jerk or take delight in the suffering of small mammals. I smiled because this child is almost every screenwriter I know. 
One day, the writer sits down, and great, connected words flow through their pen onto the paper like waves rushing toward the shore. &#8220;I shall be a greater writer! Huzzah!!&#8221; Pure joy. 
But then, the next day, it feels dry, as if all their talent is pulling away from them. The scriptwriter panics, fears they have lost their artistry forever, chooses to suffer, chooses to doubt, and possibly chooses to never write again. &#8220;Perhaps, I am just not meant to be a writer.&#8221; Pure agony. 
Hey dummy, turn around!
If we could all just turn around and realize that our artistry, our talent, our creativity is a vast ocean and it is there whether we wade into it or not. Yeah, it can be overwhelming and uncontrollable, but you can ease into it if that feels better.  It will certainly feel better than crying on the beach. 
 Great writers are those who learn to surf &#8211; not to control, but to ride greatness of the unconscious. 
So the next time you doubt yourself, the next time you beat yourself up because your writing that day was kinda bad, the next time you even consider giving up, visualize that dumb kid crying on the beach because they are facing the wrong direction. 
Don&#8217;t be a dumb-dumb; turn around and wade in. 
 Metaphor # 3 Be a Gardener 
Perhaps, the most common refrain I hear from writers, be they veteran showrunners or total newbies, is the following. ..
“I wish I was further along than I am now.”
Most people wish they were further along in their careers. This causes much emotional turmoil and a lot of wasted energy that could go toward actually writing. There are many tools you can use to move forward as a writer. You can take classes. You can get a mentor. You can develop a strong writing habit. You can go on a retreat. You can read a screenplay every week. You can study human behavior. 
You should have some combination of the above, a unique mosaic of actions that works for you. But even if you have a weekly mentor, have a monthly class, read a screenplay a week, break down every movie you see, enter all the contests and follow up on your networking connections. Guess what? You still might not be where you wish you were. 
Some scripts take longer than others to birth. Some projects take longer than others to get made. There is no “normal” timeline. You cannot force these things. You can only nurture them and be ready if/when something does happen.
<img class="alignleft wp-image-19945" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/images-250x155.jpeg" alt="Creative Screenwriting Magazine" width="382" height="237" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/images-250x155.jpeg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/images-150x93.jpeg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/images.jpeg 285w" sizes="(max-width: 382px) 100vw, 382px" />Some screenplay are sunflowers. 
If you plant a sunflower seed and nurture it properly within a week, you will start to see it grow. After a few months, you will marvel at the full growth of this flower. Lovely. But more often than not, our scripts are not as speedy as the sunflower. 
Many movie scripts are bamboo. 
Some species of bamboo might take years of tending to before they sprout, often sprouting up very quickly. It’s not that there is nothing happening in the years of what looks like no growth. There is growth; you just can’t see it. 
The bamboo is growing an extensive root system. This is the system that will allow the grass to eventually shoot up and thrive in the above-ground world. 
Does this mean you should nurture just one project for years even if you get no movement? No. That is ridiculous. 
Keep tending to these bigger, more complicated projects. Keep them watered and exposed to the sunlight, but also plant some sunflowers. In fact, plant some tomatoes and harvest them. Work on an epic screenplay and the Tv pilot and make a few shorts. 
A great screenwriter knows that they will write dozens to thousands of scripts in their lifetime. Some scripts, you will tend to year after year, updating and trimming and adapting them to include whatever new technology changes our lives. Some scripts will take years to fully get prepared for the outside world. Most scripts will require something in between. 
A gardener plants, tends and adjusts according to what is blossoming around them. Knowing that as much as you can water, provide sunlight, and give fertilizer, you can’t force things to grow faster.  
So if you find you are standing over a single seed screaming “GROW!!”, perhaps, you should go plant a few more seeds. Tend to those seeds, then circle back, giving your script a little room to breathe. 
If you would like to discover more metaphors that will help you write, please check out my <a href="http://www.meditativewriting.org/">Meditative Writing Worksho</a>p. If you would like to get free weekly writing exercises and explorations, you can get those at <a href="http://thescienceandartofwriting.com/">TheScienceAndArtOfWriting.com </a>

Metaphors For Screenwriters: Overcoming Resistance, Doubt and Motivational Droughts

When I was a kid I thought I had Dissociative Personality Disorder. 
 I always felt like there were three of me; The Innocent Child, The Business Mogul, and the Artistic Genius. I could feel when one of these personalities inside me took over but I didn&#8217;t seem to have control over it. I was a weird kid. Still am.
<img class="alignright wp-image-19424 " src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Quxd4Rb9ExJt6ZKkzP72dGCj.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="199" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Quxd4Rb9ExJt6ZKkzP72dGCj.jpeg 350w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Quxd4Rb9ExJt6ZKkzP72dGCj-150x100.jpeg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Quxd4Rb9ExJt6ZKkzP72dGCj-250x166.jpeg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> 
 I later realized no I do not have DPD, but this did lead me to one of my most powerful and effective writing tools for dramatists. 
 Watching a character &#8220;decide&#8221; is boring as hell.
 Not much to look at. But in a good script or novel, a character is making decisions all the time. Often the conflict in a scene is not external but internal. So we must discover ways of externalizing the internal conflict of the character in a way that allows an audience to feel this decision and conflict without using a bunch of stupid words, voiceover or exposition.  
<div id="attachment_19421" style="width: 313px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-19421" class="wp-image-19421" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1_FyQ7mN_oHuvr0HHKrwsYdA.jpeg" alt="" width="303" height="170" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1_FyQ7mN_oHuvr0HHKrwsYdA.jpeg 1280w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1_FyQ7mN_oHuvr0HHKrwsYdA-150x84.jpeg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1_FyQ7mN_oHuvr0HHKrwsYdA-250x141.jpeg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1_FyQ7mN_oHuvr0HHKrwsYdA-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1_FyQ7mN_oHuvr0HHKrwsYdA-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1_FyQ7mN_oHuvr0HHKrwsYdA-500x281.jpeg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 303px) 100vw, 303px" />From The Insider</div>
This is often a struggle for writers but if you realize that there are many sides to your character that are in contradiction with each other, you can simple treat the scene just like you would a traditional scene. Two characters who have conflicting wants perusing those wants until one overtakes the other. 
 For example, let&#8217;s say Esther wants to sneak out and meet up with Anna. But she also wants to be a good, respectable daughter and obey her parents.  You simply think of Esther as two different characters in this scene and let them take turns perusing their wants.
 Let Rebel Esther throw open the window and crawls onto the roof. Then let Obedient Esther take over, crawl back into the room and shut the window. Then let Rebel Ester take over &#8211; and so on and so forth!
<div id="attachment_19422" style="width: 312px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-19422" class="wp-image-19422" src="https://creativescreenwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/d54e47f515093da3dacc37bf22dd6193.700x394x1.jpg" alt="" width="302" height="170" srcset="https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/d54e47f515093da3dacc37bf22dd6193.700x394x1.jpg 700w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/d54e47f515093da3dacc37bf22dd6193.700x394x1-150x84.jpg 150w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/d54e47f515093da3dacc37bf22dd6193.700x394x1-250x141.jpg 250w, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/d54e47f515093da3dacc37bf22dd6193.700x394x1-500x281.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 302px) 100vw, 302px" />Genius</div>
Now you have a visual, action-based scene that truthfully and clearly brings the audience through the internal conflict raging inside the character without having to write a bunch of shitty dialogue like&#8230;
 ESTHER 
 (to herself) 
 Well, I really want to see Anna, but I know my parents would be mad.
 STOP THE SHITTY DIALOGUE!
 Please, if the conflict in your scene is internal &#8211; just rip your character in two and let them take action, going after their tangible wants and the audience will feel it, the story will move forward, and you don&#8217;t have to sit through 39 takes of the same line because there are very few actors who can believably deliver such a shitty line.
 Thanks for reading!
 If you would like to learn more about externalizing internal conflict check out <a href="http://www.jesshinds.com/classes.html">THE STORY LABORATORY</a>.

Three Screenwriting Principles to Remember in 2020

Metaphors For Screenwriters: Overcoming Resistance, Doubt an...

Externalizing Internal Conflict

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