Self-confidence is the No. 1 ingredient for success in any field, and screenwriting is no exception. This is not to diminish the fact that the work must be great. But in my 18-plus years of coaching and teaching, I have found self-confidence to be the most important ingredient in determining whether a project actually makes it to the big screen.
We all know the refrain: “How’d that inferior screenplay get made?” Well, what probably happened is an absolutely great screenplay was sold and, in the course of many hands touching it, it became weakened. But more than likely the initial script was terrific and the writer knew it, pitching it and delivering it with confidence.
When working on a project, keep in mind what the great rabbi and teacher Hillel said: “If I am not for myself, who will? But if I am only for myself, who am I? If not now, when?”
So, before you take a screenplay to market, make sure you have the self-confidence and conviction to stand by it.
Here’s to your successful writing!
Professor Marilyn Horowitz
