Happy Friday!
I’m excited to share that I will soon be running a new contest to encourage my fellow writers to up their game! Stay tuned!
The upcoming Word of the Day Webinar will demonstrate how to use this tool to easily structure an existing story better or design a new one.
Here’s a hint:
All stories come from our understanding of what our character’s expectations are. One of the many reasons I love the Word of the Day Practice is that it intersects life and storytelling.
In life, no one can receive beyond what they expect and feel that they deserve. It’s the same with our imaginary characters, except that we can orchestrate events in a screenplay or novel to push our characters beyond their limitations and give them opportunities to prove their worth to the only person who really matters: themselves.
That statement has a lot, so I will repeat it: The only person whose approval ever matters is yourself.
In a positive life experience, we gain that understanding and stop trying to please other people at our own expense. Instead, we find people who accept us as we are and can be equal partners. In stories, we have to make that happen. Top-shelf writing is like good art – it demonstrates without preaching. If you consider the classic movies and books you love, you’ll often notice that a clear message is embedded without being forced on you.
Once you accept that it’s rarely possible to please another person without compromising yourself, you will become free to create freely and with heartfelt originality. Of course, the inner critic lies in wait to criticize, but from now on, you can wave at it because using the Word of the Day cluster quiets the inner critic because it recognizes that, at last, you have found the right tool for the job-the Word of the Day Clusters.
Over the years, I have found that this negative inner voice is half-right, but not for the reasons you might think. In the most positive light, it’s been letting you know not that you’re stupid, lazy, and untalented; it’s been trying to tell you that the tools you are using won’t work! And in a way, it’s correct. Ask yourself, if you had all the right tools, why haven’t you succeeded to the degree you want?
We’re taught to blame ourselves for our failures, but what if it’s not our fault? What if you were given a toolbox and told to go build a house, but inside were knitting needles and wool? Good tools for a scarf, not for building the house of a good story!
I know you’re thinking: If Marilyn’s right, then how come other people can do it? After twenty-five years of coaching successful writers, I know this – if I didn’t teach them how to, they figured it out in their own ways but I’ve never met anyone willing to share it. Why add to the already stiff competition?
This is a lot to think about. Please join me at my next webinar on Wednesday, August 23 at 7: 00 pm EST, and tell your friends to subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly writing tips, contest news, and a free copy of Top 15 Common Mistakes Made in Writing a Screenplay.
Enjoy, and I hope to see you on Wednesday!
Here’s to your writing success,
Professor Marilyn Horowitz
