Hitting the educational wall

I use Netflix and found that they have some interesting dvds in the "self help/special interest" section. Seems they have Syd Field's screenwriting workshop on dvd.

Wow. Cool. Ok. Let's rent it. Get on the 'extra very long don't hold your breath you could probably get pregnant and have a child before the dvd arrives' waiting list. It did take awhile too.

But.

Finally arrives. Woohoo! Slam it into the player, hit play and there he is -- Syd Field. The guy who started it all (well, sorta - started the paperback avalanche that is the screenwriting section in Barnes & Noble anyway).

And 10 minutes in I'm yawning. It's not that the material isn't interesting or that he doesn't have a great plan. It's just that I've heard it all before (not his pitch specifically).

I've read over 50 books, see a few dvds/vhs tapes, been to seminars, the writer's group thing, etc. and what it comes down to is what I was told by a guy years ago.

At some point you have to stop reading and start writing.

Screenwriting isn't that mysterious. It's not rocket science, it's not magic, it's just writing. And rewriting.

So for those of you out there that are addicted to books, seminars, tapes, dvds and the like. After you've seen/attended 20 (and that's being generous), it's time to start writing and get some feedback on what you can produce.

I've come to enjoy the interview books most of all these days - the William Froug ones are particularly fun, but there are others. As writers typically are, screenwriters are a reclusive bunch and to get a peek into their daily lives and writing habits is always interesting. Often you get the opportunity to see their true personality, as opposed to what you see on screen or read in a script.

Time to git a writin'.