Usually, I write a grand preamble to these articles, but today, I felt like I should jump right in. Recently, I've been struggling with how to continue to get better as a writer. And it's starting to freak me out.

I've shared personal stories before, and now I'm back again.


I broke into Hollywood in 2013, with a script on the Black List called Shovel Buddies. That script took me everywhere, and eventually became a movie you can rent on iTunes. Although, it seems like it's not there anymore.

So that sucks a lot!

But this post is not about disappearing media...

It's about what I did after I broke in. That initial hot spec introduced me to Hollywood and to friends and mentors I would work with over the years.

In the last decade plus, I learned a ton from my mentors and the assignments that came to me. They each provided the opportunity to network, price my worth, and learn how to be a writer in Hollywood. It wasn't just about the words on the page. It was about how to handle certain situations, personalities, and sometimes how to fail gracefully.

Through it all, I felt optimistic about what came next.

Yet lately, it feels like I've hit a plateau. I'm not learning, and that is terrifying to me.

The_humanity_of_blade_runner_2049_hero'Blade Runner 2049'Credit: 20th Century Fox

I've Been Struggling with How to Continue to Get Better as a Writer

This is not a result of my learning it all! I wish it were.

I wish I woke up as one of the greats like the Coens or Nora Ephron or Billy Wilder. I'm just a guy trying to get to the next level, who hit some bad luck.

The projects I had going, the ones that would have boosted me to the next level, got derailed by a worldwide pandemic.

And just when I thought I got everything back on track, the AMPTP kept writers and actors from a fair deal, and we went half a year without working again.

Now, I feel like I am on a plateau, trying to break into the next phase of my career, after climbing the ladder.

As Hollywood merges and contracts, opportunities for writers to advance have gotten few and far between.

Since then, I feel like I'm the mouse in the bucket of milk, swimming to survive. It's increasingly hard to take a step forward since much of my time is spent treading water.

What is Juxtaposition in Literature and Movies (Definition and Examples)'Jaws'Credit: Universal Pictures

If you, like me, find yourself on that plateau, wandering? Do not freak out. And try to keep your fear in check.

It's time to go back to what got you to this place—your love of writing.

For me, the only thing I can do is keep writing original, voice-y ideas I deeply care about, because at least that feels like I'm churning butter, and not like I'm drowning.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

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