And your thoughts... This is a tool I'm creating for the upcoming workshop. I told ya'll there was a lot going on behind the scenes! Great Characters - Session 2 - The Diner Test

Sprints are incredibly helpful in a similar way that table reads are, as they bring into play the needed social aspect of screenwriting. We spend so much time alone that bringing our pages to a group of people is essential for improving them. We're too close to our work to be objective. Drop-ins are encouraged Come in, leave your camera off, be with a group of fellow writers, and do whatever it is you need to do. Maybe it’s paying bills, planning out your week. Proximity, I think, is important. Embrace the Chaos! Screenwriting is messy. Be okay with showing up with rough pages. It took Michael Arndt 100 drafts to get his Oscar-winning screenplay, Little Miss Sunshine, to a great place. Now, some may say that's a daunting thought. My feeling when I heard him say that was relief. Yes, relief because it means I don't have to get it right the first, tenth, or 20th draft. Controlled Times and Tangible Outcomes When I’m off my game and I’m overwhelmed, setting strict time limits to just get something done is very effective. 20 or 30 minutes, or, as we do on our sprints, 50 minutes and they fly by. Get something specific done in short time frames with us. Round Table Struggles and Successes: We allocate about 10 minutes between sprints to chat about what progress we’re making or what we’re struggling with. There’s a synergy that happens when a group of people trying to achieve the same thing are together, and we express things that we all can relate to as writers. Those who come are aware of the value, but I’m actually writing this for those who have never come. Yes, I realize sometimes work, family, etc., take up our time. No judgement here. We have sprints on Mondays and Saturdays. Remember, there's no pressure to reveal anything; just come and be with other like-minded people.

Very rough. Just mapping this out. The Writer's Forge, Great Character Challenge

When I need stimulus to get me in the frame of mind I wish to be in (like creative writing)~ I put on music often. How about you? Do you listen to music? Watch your favorite movie scene? Go for a walk in nature? Meditate to the sound of silence?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5poSw7tFLB4

I was talking to a writer with whom I have a weekly chat about how we’re doing and what we're working on. It inevitably shifts to the vulnerability and tension of, “Should I be doing this job? Am I just going to be laughed at?” Writer Maya Angelou stated, "Even after publishing 11 books and winning numerous awards, Angelou famously said, 'Each time I think, "Uh oh, they're going to find out now. I've run a game on everybody, and they're going to find me out." Writer John Steinbeck (The Grapes of Wrath): While writing that novel that would win him the Pulitzer Prize, Steinbeck wrote in his journal: "I am not a writer. I've been fooling myself and other people". Screenwriter, Playwright Arron Sorkin: “Any day now, everyone’s going to see through me.” The one thing these people didn’t do was stop; they kept pushing no matter their life experiences. That to me is comforting. I can go to places where I just feel the pressure of time, and also know there are no shortcuts; I have to do the work. Poet and screenwriter Charles Bukowski viewed the feeling of being a fraud as a sign of authenticity and intelligence. I’m curious about people's strategies, however outlandish you may think they are, for coping and keeping in the game. (Arron Sorkin swears by six showers a day.)