John and Craig discuss when writers should practice tough love vs. self-care. Inspired by Chuck Wendig’s blog post, they examine how real-world issues impact writers’ ability to get work done — but how they can also be used as an excuse for procrastination and laziness. They offer a checklist for helping decide whether it’s time to be harder or easier on yourself.
We also follow up on the Austin Film Festival, fan backlash, and show-runner tips for championing assistant pay, especially during the holiday season.
Links:
* The [Official Watchmen Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-official-watchmen-podcast/id1485052917) with Craig Mazin
* Susannah Grant on Creative Decisions behind [Unbelievable](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a29093906/unbelievable-netflix-susannah-grant-interview/) Release
* Michael Greene [Holiday Bonus](https://twitter.com/andmichaelgreen/status/1067885775134441477?s=20) Twitter Thread
* Tough Love vs. Self Care:[Sharp Rock, Soft Pillow: The Balance Of Self-Care And Tough Love](http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2019/10/22/sharp-rock-soft-pillow-the-balance-of-self-care-and-tough-love/)
* [Chuck Wendig: Terrible Minds](http://terribleminds.com/ramble/)
* [One Page Dungeon](https://watabou.itch.io/one-page-dungeon) by watabou
* [Superhero Therapy](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/10/superhero-therapy-im-batman/600475/)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Matthew Chilelli ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_425_tough_love.mp3).
**UPDATE 11-8-2019** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-425-tough-love-vs-self-care-transcript).