Hey Filmmaking Lounge,
This week, my creative growth came from a place I didn’t quite expect: a full crash course in new home buying.
I got an up-close look at the sheer minutia involved in bringing a new build across the finish line. Walking through every room to sign off on construction details. Reviewing and signing what felt like a literal binder of paperwork at closing. Spending hours on hold or navigating call bots just to get utilities set up. And yes, standing in line at the USPS during the Christmas season to pick up mail keys in person.
It has been a lot. But it has also been incredibly educational. The last six weeks have taught me more than I anticipated, and this week in particular was the most informative. It reminded me how much patience, attention to detail, and persistence are required in any complex process, whether it’s buying a home or bringing a film to life.
What about you?
What are you challenging yourself to learn right now to grow creatively or personally? A new skill, a new system, a new way of thinking?
We’re all storytellers, and our work is shaped by what we experience, what we notice, and what we learn along the way. Let’s share what’s expanding our perspective this week.
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Hey, Ashley Renee Smith. Congratulations on your creative growth! I'm challenging myself with a new short script and turning my unfinished Contained Thriller feature script into a Contained Horror feature script.
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First of all, you're the greatest tag team partner of all time and I'm so so proud of you! I hope your new home is a haven, and its walls covered in paint but soaked in love.
I'm in week 7 of 8 in my second term of my current educational journey and I was telling my therapist that this is the most solid I've felt about my education since I graduated high school over 20 years ago (yes, I am that old lol). But I am learning to see the challenge of a detailed approach as exciting. I am learning the value of breaking big processes down so that I don't feel overwhelmed. I am also learning that there are multiple ways to ask for help, one of which is asking for more time. I think an important step to being secure in being detailed oriented is having a clear vision of what you want and having the courage to not compromise. It's not our jobs to make ourselves easier for other people to chew. As far as I'm concerned, anybody who expects me deviate from my goals for their sake can choke on me. I'm not shrinking.
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I create the plan of my house using this service: remplanner . ru This is not an advertisement : )
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I am in the midst of re-structuring my pilot, and changing a lot of bits here and there
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Ashley Renee Smith Congratulations once more!!! It's so exciting to have a new home, and all of the minutia that comes with it...lots of cold pizza : ) I'm learning how to work more, more work is here, more acting, and more screenplay work...I just got a script request and an email beginning conversation start through Stage 32 with the same exec, so it's stepping up to the plate, and knowing I can do it. So, organizing my time, and believing in everything I do.
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Right now, I’m on page 31 of my script. I hit some blocks in terms of story structure, but I’m continuing anyway. I’ve shifted my mindset away from perfecting everything while writing and focused on moving forward. My goal is to complete the full script first, then rewrite, polish, and strengthen the structure.
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Ashley Renee Smith I’m excited for you. good luck in your new home!
Juliana Philippi congratulations! I’m smiling for you right now.
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Abram Christian Thank you!!!
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I hate that a film is out of my total control, so learning Abode & Da Vinci editing software. Directors of course, meet/collaborate with the editor but precious scant arranged time slots never feel enough. A final cut may rock, then in retrospect I question it & want to continue to mould my end game. Editors can be so brilliant that the director gives them free rein over multiple choices. However, I grapple with the switch.
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Congrats on the growth! I'm waiting on Wildsound to offer me a timeframe for Glass Waltz's table read, as well as writing Lunar Window which is a return to a recurring challenge for me... non-surreal/more realistic plots lol. Both of them show my range even though the initial ideas were social satires, now Glass Waltz is a straight drama short and Lunar Window will be a romantic comedy feature. Little by little I'm also going to learn more about directing since I think it might well be my best route forward.
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Congratulations, everyone! Have a creative weekend or relaxing weekend if you're taking a break!
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Thank you so much, Maurice Vaughan! And I love that challenge you’ve set for yourself. Starting a new short while also reimagining an unfinished feature is such a smart way to build momentum and breathe new life into something that’s been waiting for the right angle.
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You're welcome, Ashley Renee Smith. I tried to force finishing the Contained Thriller script, but it didn't work.
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Brandy Camille, you’re making me emotional over here. I feel so lucky to do this work alongside you.
And yes, you called it, I’m actually painting at the new house this weekend. Walls covered in paint is already happening, and I love the idea that they’ll be soaked in love too.
I’m so proud of you for how grounded and clear you sound about your education. Feeling solid in that way, especially after carrying uncertainty for so long, is a huge win. The way you’re reframing detail as empowerment, breaking big processes into manageable steps, and recognizing that asking for time is asking for support, that’s real growth. And the part about not shrinking or compromising your vision just to make others comfortable? That’s powerful and earned.
You deserve to take up space, be precise, be intentional, and move at the pace that honors your goals. I’m cheering you on every step of the way, always.
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Very cool, Vladimir Romantsev! I'll have to check it out!
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Justin Groats That’s such an important phase to be in, even if it feels a little chaotic in the middle of it. Restructuring a pilot is no small task, but it usually means you’re seeing the story more clearly now than you did before.
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Thank you so much, Juliana Philippi. And yes… so much cold pizza already, and it’s only just beginning.
I love this for you. A script request and an email intro with the same exec is not a coincidence; that’s momentum meeting preparation. Stepping up, organizing your time, and trusting your voice is exactly where growth lives, especially when multiple lanes are opening at once. You’ve earned every bit of this, and I’m so excited to see what unfolds as you lean into it with confidence.
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Abram Christian, thank you! Thats very sweet.
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That’s such a strong and healthy shift, Meriem Bouziani. Page 31 is no small thing, especially when you’re pushing through structural blocks instead of letting them stop you. Finishing the draft gives you something real to work with, and rewrites are where clarity and structure really get to shine anyway.
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Debbie Croysdale Learning Adobe and DaVinci is actually a powerful way to bridge that gap. Even if you’re not planning to be your own editor long term, understanding the language, the tools, and the possibilities gives you more confidence in the room and more precision in your notes. It also helps you articulate why something isn’t landing for you, not just that it doesn’t.
I also think it’s okay to acknowledge that final cut rarely feels truly final in our own heads. The questioning means you care.
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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh, this is such an exciting stretch of growth for you. I also really like that you’re starting to lean into directing as a potential next step. That makes a lot of sense for someone with your instincts and control over tone. Even learning it little by little, through story, blocking, or visual thinking, will only strengthen your writing.
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Ashley Renee Smith So many thanks to you, I've told you before, you, and this community, are an enormous part of this all. I'm thankful, excited, and open to the possibilities!
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Ashley Renee Smith What an exciting and I can imagine a daunting process. Meriem Bouziani I can completely relate to wanting to perfect everything as you write, god knows I've confused myself no end doing that. With the help of arc studio I'm building my major rewrite and trying not to be daunted.
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Thank you very much for your encouragement Ashley Renee Smith
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Yes, Arc Studio is incredibly helpful for shaping structure. I wish you all the best in your screenwriting. Marie Hatten
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Thanks so much Meriem Bouziani
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Thank you Ashley Renee Smith, I agree :) I think Finding Elpis in particular is better off with me directing it; God knows so much of it risks getting lost in translation otherwise lol (and in all fairness, considering it’s full of things I personally think are cool, as well as it being a life’s work/platinum line entry, there really isn’t room for anyone else to make his/her mark). It’ll of course be a good while until I do direct it since there’s so much for me to learn and even until then, write. Lunar Window is coming along pretty well, it’s closer to the formula I’ve been told time and time again to follow, but because it’s one of my works it still subverts it the way only I can do lol (count on me to write a romantic comedy with umami :D) 2026 is gonna be full of new things to learn~