As a fledgling screenwriter/English major in college I
often feel insecure about my work. How did you get over this as a writer
and any advice for the
rest of us?
–Jeff
Alas, the flip side of Insecurity tends to be Arrogance. I highly recommend
the former over the latter.
Ideally of course, you’d find a middle ground called Confidence. Maybe you’ll
be lucky, and that will come early in your career. Until then, here are a few
pointers in no particular order of importance:
- Remember that you’ll never please everyone with your work.
- Seek out the opinions of people you trust and respect.
- Don’t make changes based on opinions of those you neither trust nor respect.
- Remember that first drafts are never perfect.
- Strive to make every sentence as good as it can be, even if it’s just a
character walking through a door. - Just because someone is more successful than you, doesn’t mean they’re
more talented. - Role models are fine, but remember you’re only seeing their successes and
not their failures. - Patience is a virtue, but impatience might make you work harder.
- Most good writers weren’t popular growing up.
- You will fail and succeed at various times for various reasons you can’t
predict. Know this going in, and you’ll roll with it when it happens.