After years of chasing the dream of actually FINISHING a screenplay, I hit a milestone a few days back. I finished the first-draft of my screenplay, "Feeding Jesus". It is 102 pages long, and is as rough a first draft as I can imagine. What sped me along through this process was the sheer will to not go back and massage the text. Massaging the text was my downfall with my first feature-length script that I began ten years ago (after I finish "Feeding Jesus", I plan on going back and re-working the script so I can finish that one as well). I'm taking a few days off before I re-read it and begin polishing. In the meantime, I'm reading up on some of the finer points of screenplay format to ensure that my script is technically correct.
I love writing screenplays because they allow you to take images and stories you have in your head, and transfer them to paper to share with others. When you really hammer into it, you get into a groove where the characters begin talking to you, coaching you on what they're going to say next, or what the next scene will be. It has been (and continues to be) an amazing and therapeutic release for me. I have many stories that want to come out. The tricky part is figuring out which stories am I really ready to tell. What is burning in your heart at this moment? What makes you feel alive? Keep chasing it, because when you follow your passion, your name will follow!
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