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This
week's answer:
"Successstress"
Thank you for writing, Taggart, and
for touching on this touchy subject. First off,
let me assure you that you're not crazy (unless wrote
your e-mail in a rubber room on a lap top that you stole
from some nurse). Assuming that your mental
condition is normally quite sound, it's perfectly
understandable that signs of interest in your screenplay
from producers can definitely agitate you, cause
anxiety, and generally stimulate that "fear of
success" or "fear of failure" gland in
the screenwriter's body. I think they are two
different glands, but screenwriter surgeons tend to
believe that there's just one of them. In fact,
the problem has become so prominent that the Surgeon Screenwriter General is currently
considering a bill that will obligate
producers to include a label on screenplay purchase
contracts:
| A Warning from the Screenwriting
Surgeon General: Screenwriters viewing
this contract may experience dizziness, a false
sense of elation that causes them to go out and
immediately purchase a home, or many other forms of
stress brought
about by signs of screenwriting success. |
So, as you can see, you're not
alone. And don't worry about "blowing
it." A producer will either buy or not buy
your script. He will simply make a decision that
could bring you thousands of dollars, give you a writing
credit, allow you to join WGA, get an agent and open the
door for your screenwriting career to soar. Or
not. Wait a second. That is
stressful.
Is there a nice, cozy, place with
soft walls nearby
that you can check into for a few days?
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