CYNTHIA GREENBURG-DUNLOP, MA, AMFT
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Slow and steady wins the race

3/31/2019

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One thing I do believe (and am now experiencing myself) is in our desire to get to the finish line we might start underwriting. 

It's natural. It's exciting. You're going to have a finished screenplay/novel/pilot. Yay! But man, you're fucking tired. It's been a long haul. Can't you just work a little less hard now?

NOOOOOOOOOO!

Consistency IS the key. With consistency, you can get your work done without underwriting any one section. For me, oddly, it's the end. I see the finish line and I'm like We're done! I don't have to care as much anymore!

Every single part of your work has to be valued. You need to stand behind all of it. So don't rush.

Slow and steady wins the race. Unless you're in a marathon but let's be honest, you're not. You hate exercise.

Love you!
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-CGD

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Write like a...

3/20/2019

9 Comments

 
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​When you get feedback and it hurts try to remember: What did you like about the idea in the first place? Why did you  like your story, your characters? We often try to determine the drive of our characters or the engine of the show or our story. And yet often we forget the importance of our own drive. We forget why we fell in love with the piece in the first place. Mmm hmm. That's the heartbeat that keeps the writer moving forward.

Your ego can and will get bruised - if you're doing your job right. And because your job is to create work you can stand behind and hopefully bring to the world and get an audience, getting feedback is the part you need to incorporate into your process as leading to the next logical step: Imperfect perfection. Imperfect perfection cannot be obtained without some pain, acceptance and the belief that whatever you have heard you can use to make your work better.

So steel yourself when you get feedback. Remember it does have utility. Some who give you notes may genuinely have your best interests at heart, or better yet, the best interest of your project. Then afterward, get quiet. Soak it in. Allow your defensive stance to melt into a a major cry.

Then take a breath, a beat, and get to work.

When they say writing is rewriting they're not fucking around. It's when you graduate from being romantic about your stuff to being a tough motherfucker. And those people don't just call themselves writers, they are writers.

-CGD 




9 Comments

    Cynthia

    Writer, Writing Coach, Writer Supporter.

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Cynthia Greenburg-Dunlop
Marriage and Family Therapist, AMFT #131801
Supervised by: Nick Bognar, LMFT #99915

Contact:
​323.579.1730
cynthiagreenburgdunlop@gmail.com
Pasadena, CA

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