Hi Brooke-

I’m one of the SCS screenwriters and I’ve noticed something in my creative process this month as we’ve been working on allowing negative emotions. I’ve been writing a screenplay since January (actually I started before that if I’m being honest) and I’m still not finished because I haven’t been happy with my work. I powered through the B- (or worse) first draft quickly and have been struggling to revise it ever since.

I tried pushing through my doubts and reservations about my story and characters. I tried setting timed writing periods and working towards measurable results. But with the focus on allowing negative emotions, I’ve allowed myself to be frustrated, confused, and full of self-doubt while re-engaging with my original passion for the story and rewriting my pitch. I’ve gotten so much further doing this than I have in the past six months of trying to muscle through my revisions because I allowed myself to see and feel where the problems were in the emotional logic of the script. Holding space and asking myself what the problems are, what feels inauthentic etc has lead to some amazing answers that I’m really excited about. It feels like a real breakthrough in my creative process and something I can repeat the next time I feel stuck or disappointed in myself.

I don’t know how this matches up with your experiences refining and revising your work, but I thought I would share since I know there are other artists in SCS who might find this helpful! Thanks again for all your great work