Screenwriting : Today's Wish and Creative Tip by Laurie Ashbourne

Well timed. I am sitting here looking around Stage32 instead of writing. Okay, okay, I am going to write right now!

It's 9:00 a.m. here. I wrote a couple nice scenes this morning. I'm going to take an oatmeal break, and then begin another scene. It's so great when I'm able to write full time, versus having to write before or after work. The deck is just so stacked against me - and everyone else, I'm sure - to write at my most effective and optimum levels when I'm working. Another great reason to have a well-formed outline on my wall is this: I get to pick and choose which scenes I want to write, and feel best-suited to write, at any given particular time. That makes things so much easier for me, and utilizes my time to its maximum levels.

I know, Bill. Time is a challenge. Outlines absolutely help in being able to write with precious blocks of time. For me, more and more everyday, I refuse to waste a second of my time doing something that does not bring me satisfaction in some way. There is a saying that says, *imagine every morning you are given a bank account with $86,400 in it. The balance will not carry over, at the end of the day it will be gone and what you fail to invest for a good purpose will be written off as lost, there is no transferring or borrowing on tomorrow's balance, but the next day there will be another $86,400 and so on. Each and everyone of us are are given such a bank; 86.400 seconds in each day... I've never been considered as patient or able to suffer fools, but my goal (especially from this point forward) is to spend 99.9% of those 86,400 seconds doing/creating something that fullfills me. (That .1% is for the paperwork). Enjoy your oatmeal.

I know the feeling Bill about being able to write full time. I am thankful my wife has a great career that allows me to write. I've made some headway today on my treatment rewrite for a sitcom. Taking the time, which I rarely ever do, to flush out the story and not rush into writing the script. I always rush into writing the script, not this time. Even though I have the time to write I always feel like I am behind the 8 ball! And in honor of David Bowie, Laurie, I believe we all owe it to ourselves to be creative today. The Earth and time has existed for millions and millions of years. I'm glad I existed on this rock to have lived during the period of his creativity and music.

Take your time, David and get it great. And my sentiments exactly in regards to David Bowie, I couldn't be more grateful to have not only seen him many times, but to have been so greatly influenced by his artistry during my formative years. I've had to say goodbye to some amazing creatives this past year and week. I've got some tough shoes to fill. http://www.analogartistdigitalworld.com/2016/01/the-goal-isnt-to-live-fo...

I'm sorry for your intimate losses and the world's losses of those great talents, Laurie. After reading your original post here, it was pretty easy to understand that something traumatic had happened. I had posted this a couple weeks ago, and just wanted to repeat it here, if I may. The world lost a lot of great writers last year. Nothing is guaranteed in life, except death. We're just a small part of the continuum of life, writing, and death, and may the heavens have plenty of scriptwriting jobs for the great writers who died in 2015. (Melissa Mathison, Brian Freil, Ottavio Jemma, Mogens Rukov, A. Sheriff, Juia Jones, Thom Thomas, Jerome Kass, Jack Larson, John Guillermin, Pascal Chaumeil, Serio Sollima, E.L. Doctorow, James L. White, Antony Holland, Alberto De Martino, Jill Hyem, Jean Grualt, Jean Vautrin, Nicola Badalucco, Stephen Anderson, Krsysztof Kajkolweski, Claudio Caligar, Ira Lewis, Ib Melchoir, Luciana Ercoli, Brian Clemens, Robert Stone - and I've probably missed more than a few.) Sorry again, Laurie.

Aw, thanks, Bill! We shall go on, it's what we do.

sending condolences, Laurie. but i can't think of a better way to honor them all then forging ahead and making each of those 86,400 seconds count!

Yes, Laurie, thanks. Just getting ready to start writing my second female lead (my first-The Baby's Room) SPEC, a drama- romance. Wish everyone here and you, Laurie, best of luck. Write, write, write!!

Love this!