As a screenwriter, I’m naturally predisposed to self-doubt and the inability to know whether or not my stuff is any good.  I thrive on feedback (as should we all).  So whenever I get a word of encouragement, it’s an electrifying jolt of confidence-boosting.

I’m not expecting standing ovations and ticker-tape parades, but if somebody says “Hey, I like this thing you wrote,” then I’m going to feel pretty good about it, not to mention be motivated to keep going and try harder so next time they say, “Hey, I really like this thing you wrote.”

I submitted WOK & ROLL to an online script showcase on Friday, then woke up Saturday morning to find an email from somebody who liked it. It doesn’t look like this is anybody who can actually make anything happen with it, but positive comments are positive comments. I appreciated it.

I also got some encouraging feedback on DREAMSHIP. He broke it down page by page, offering suggestions on how to improve this and that. Can’t say I disagree with any of them.  Anything to make the script better.

That’s one of the benefits of joining a writing group or being part of an online group.  You get the feedback you need (and you will need it), and you get to help somebody with theirs. Sure, you won’t use all of their comments, but hearing somebody liked something you wrote may be the unexpected shot in the arm you didn’t realize you needed.

-Movie of the Moment – TROLLHUNTER (2010), a clever take on the found-footage genre from Norway. I liked this a lot. The premise: A college film crew looks for a poacher, only to discover he’s a one-man government taskforce assigned to keep the country’s troll population under control. And it ain’t easy.

This managed to avoid the ‘constant filming’ issue; handily so.  Great use of sound to enhance the suspense, especially in scenes where you can’t see anything.  Despite only a handful of scenes involving CG, each looks seamless and really packs a punch. Even more fun if you watch at night with the lights out.