Introduce Yourself : What makes you feel like a WRITER? by Steffany Lohn Sommers

Happy weekend, Steffany Lohn Sommers! Congratulations on making the PAGE semifinals, getting a call from a producer about an option, and all your wins! Sharing pages of my scripts on social media is one of the things I do to keep my confidence up and keep going. I get interest in my scripts and script requests by posting pages on social media.

What a great idea, Maurice Vaughan - thanks for sharing!

You're welcome, Steffany Lohn Sommers. I hope your script keeps advancing in the contest and you get the option!

Happy weekend, Steffany! Congrats on the semifinals! I share some poems, lyrics and short plays on social media to keep my confidence up. Sometimes I'll get comments on some lyrics saying the rhymes are weak, but that's often how it can be with first drafts and it takes a few drafts before I feel satisfied with the quality of my writing.

I really never thought of doing that before, Haley Mary - it's good to hear both you and Maurice Vaughan find it helpful and get positive results :)

Well done on your success! I've had a lot of battles with believing I am a writer - I really think Stage 32 helps - connecting with people on this platform makes me feel less isolated and silences the little voice in my head that says negative things ...at least for a while!!

This is amazing! And YES you are a screenwriter :) It's new for me and I totally get the imposter syndrome thing!

thanks for sharing this Steffany Lohn Sommers , and congrats on all that amazing energy of service and work! that’s so inspiring. For me honestly, just writing at least one sentence a day, which usually gets me to the paragraph, and the page, and so on, and knowing it’s all to share and inspire others.

Steffany Lohn Sommers first of all, congratulations! PAGE semifinals, an option call, and a paid assignment? That’s a phenomenal week by any standard, and you absolutely should be saying “Hi, I’m Steffany and I’m a screenwriter” with confidence!

Thank you for sharing the highs and the honest reality that the momentum isn’t always constant. That transparency is what makes this community so powerful. When it comes to keeping confidence up, I always come back to something I love to ask other creatives: “Would you still write this story if no one ever saw it?” And when the answer is yes, I know I’m doing it for the right reasons.

So glad you shared your win with us, you are a writer, and we’re lucky to have you here!

Congratulations Steffany Lohn Sommers !!!

Yes, Selma Karayalcin - we've got to keep those negative voices quiet! :)

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Libby Wright!

Great point, Juliana Philippi - I feel so much better when I write every day, no matter how much or how little :)

That's a good question, Ashley Renee Smith - I have scripts I can absolutely say that about because I felt compelled to tell that story, and others I've written more towards challenging myself in a different genre or the goal of rounding out my portfolio...either way, it fills my buckets!

Congrats, Steffany Lohn Sommers!!! I'm cheering you on! :)

Congrats! And, here’s something I like to keep in mind when my imposter syndrome creeps in:

Right back at 'ya, Avril David! :)

That is perfect, Doug Kayne - I'm going to keep that one handy!

Thank you, Tania Ocasio <3

hi Steffany Lohn Sommers - excited for all the momentum you’re experiencing… as a screenwriter! :) thx for asking this question, and providing the space to read so many inspiring answers about something I’ve always got in the back of my mind also. cheers

First of all, congratulations! Steffany Lohn Sommers I wish you even more success ahead. As a filmmaker, whenever ideas come to my mind, I start writing them down to eventually turn them into films. Sometimes it gets difficult, so I take a break—go outside, talk with others, or just have some fun. I don’t force myself to write right away. Often, the best ideas come back to me naturally during everyday life, and then I start noting them down. This approach has helped me a lot

Hi Steffany!

I don’t think the real question is who is or isn’t a writer. To me, it’s more about who is a good writer and who isn’t. You’ll never be able to please everyone – people are simply different. That’s why it’s important to find the audience your story truly speaks to.

For example, my book is a modern romance. I know it probably wouldn’t appeal to, say, a 55-year-old man… and yet, one man actually read it (because of a translation) and he really enjoyed it! So you can never fully predict who will connect with your story.

The main thing is that readers can imagine themselves inside the story, see the characters, and cry or laugh along with them. You don’t have to make it perfect for everyone – it just needs to have potential, be engaging, and lovable.

If you give your work to ten people and seven say it’s good, then there’s no reason to feel insecure.

That’s just my opinion, of course.

Congrats, Steffany that's great news.

To answer your question, I’ve never worried much about who is or isn’t a “real” writer. To me that’s anecdotal.

Also, writing’s always been therapeutic for me, a way to put thoughts and experiences down in a form others might connect with (Probably a habit from binging Star Trek as a kid).

And instead of mirroring myself in my characters as many amatuer writers do, I tend to draw on people I served with — human, flawed, trying to find purpose beyond themselves. You know everyone WANTS to be the hero, but... heroes are boring..

As far as your confidence issue goes, I'll say this: World experience for a writer will teach you far more than any classroom or teacher ever can. Nobody 'feels' like a writer, everyone has the capacity to BE a writer and the more experiences you have (the good and especially the bad) the more comfortable you'll be with your writing.

Again, Congrats.

Cheers to you, Sebastian Tudores! :)

So true, Muhammad Abed Baryal - I read an article not too long ago about why some of one's best ideas and moments of clarity come in the shower, lol.

It is often so subjective, isn't it, Sanna Peth?? Congrats on your book!

All fantastic points, Nathan Grimm - thank you!

Hi Steffany Lohn Sommers - I'm not a screenwriter, but I am a creative that has felt imposter syndrome in the past. Just wanted to pop and say congrats on making the semifinals and your first paid assignment! You are absolutely a writer and crushing it! Wishing you the best in your journey.

Bravo!

Thank you so much for that, Cyrus Sales - let's all enjoy the journey :)

Thanks, Guillermo LM! I aspire to your double recommend!!

Whether I sell a script or not, I remind myself that writing is the means through which I communicate and connect with others. It's in my nature. I'm being true to myself. That keeps me motivated.

Steffany Lohn Sommers Yes, unfortunately it’s not an easy ‘profession’. :) But believe me, you can do it – and thank you so much!

If you have written material that you actively work to redraft, work on new outlines, and yes - most exicitng of all - submitted work that had created buzz, you're a writer. You may not yet be getting paid, but you're active in the craft of writing.

HP Lovecraft was a recluse who just eeked by on writing and the work he's known for today was his hobby (and obsession, to be more exact, but that's another story) that was only highly publicized in the late 1960s, some 30 years after his death.

Stephen King and Isaac Asimov wrote more words a day than I do during some weeks and King has made millions. But all are, IMHO exampes of writers and thought of themselves as such. King is still alive so still does.

Oh Wow! Semifinals is HUGE! And getting calls - even better! I'm glad you feel like a writer and I'm sorry it took you this far to realise you are one. You have incredible talent. Keep writing, keep shining and keep looking for those green lights!

expressing my emotions Steffany Lohn Sommers

Love that, Erik Gagnon! Where/with whom do you like to share your work?

I think it's the desire to touch others, create that "buzz" that you mention that keeps me going, Michael Dzurak - thanks for sharing :)

I so appreciate the kind words, Lauren Hackney!! <3

Well yes, lol, there is that, Rebecca James :) :)

Steffany, thank you for asking! I trade scripts with a fellow writer friend whom I work with at my "day job." We've collaborated on a few projects, and advise each other on our solo projects, from premise through final draft. I also belong to a website called SimplyScripts, where a group of writers share our work, mostly shorts, and participate in monthly writing challenges to broadens our skills. As for features, I've written over a dozen and have posted two of my stronger ones on my profile here, with more to follow as I revisit my portfolio. Check them out if you have the time, and I'd love to read some of your work too!

Thanks for the recommendation, Erik Gagnon - and yes, that would be great :)

What makes me feel like a writer is when I write a scene, or piece of dialogue that I feel captures a truth... and that nothing could capture that truth any better.

That is a great feeling, Michael David :) Do you have a piece of dialogue you'd be willing to share that represents that?

Steffany Lohn Sommers - This from a character who has an anti-tech podcast talking about the tech addicted generation:

" We were promised the world.

Literally. Everyone connected in a

global village of constant

communication. Instead, we created

a generation of incels, ten-year

olds with body dysmorphia and brain

rotted-teens pioneering new mental

and social disorders ."

Spot on Michael David!

You're kind Steffany Lohn Sommers