Lincoln Reed

writer | filmmaker | MFA @MiamiOH_CW

[Lincoln Reed @LincolnPReed]

I love the wisdom in this post. "You can catch up to many of the so-called more talented writers by outworking or outlasting them."

Great advice for any skill or challenge in life. Grit and resilience are crucial to success.

[Tom Vaughan @storyandplot]

After writing professionally for 27 years and teaching for almost as long, here is my not-so-secret way to be a more talented screenwriter.

First, understand that screenwriting is not a single skill.

It is a combination of skills working together to create a whole.

Choosing what happens in the story is a different skill than imagining how it happens on screen, which is different from how to express it on the page.

You have at least a dozen unique skills that all fall under one category: screenwriting.

And that's not even mentioning pitching and navigating development!

𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰.

Over time, as a writer and a teacher, I have grown to see talent very differently.

I think of talent now mostly as a starting point combined with how quickly we learn.

Each of us has a different starting point for understanding, processing, and executing all the skills involved in screenwriting.

Everything else is determined by practice, mentoring, and training.

This is because much of what we consider talent is simply processing certain things at a faster rate.

And like anything, that can be developed. The mind gets better at it the more it does it.

Emerging screenwriters ask themselves, am I any good at this?

But often, it's the wrong question.

The right question is: are they willing to work hard enough to get good at this?

You can catch up to many of the so-called more talented writers by outworking or outlasting them.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹.

When someone first learns to play basketball, they must consciously focus on dribbling.

They think about their pivot foot and staying in bounds. Later, they worry about proper shooting form. How to play defense.

In high school, they add more layers to their game, and then intensify it even more in college.

Now, imagine a pro player.

Do you think that player is thinking about dribbling? Is he worried about his pivot foot?

No. He is just doing what he knows how to do without even thinking about it.

They perform one skill learned on top of another skill learned on top of another skill.

It's done now as muscle memory in a flow all so seamless that it looks like one skill: Basketball.

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝗻.

The reps are everything. It's not just reps on the page. It's outlining. It's breaking down film structures and generating story ideas and interesting scenes.

It's reading screenplays, both by the masters and your friends.

In short, it's about training your mind to see the world as a screenwriter so you can process all this information faster than you did yesterday.

Stay Teachable.

I got stagnant for a while. It happens. Being a student elsewhere taught me to be a student again in my screenwriting.

Early in your writing, you will try to learn everything all at once. That's normal. However, it may also be helpful to make sure you choose one area in each project where you will assert extra focus.

Mind The Dip.

You will hit walls. It happens to everyone.

After three decades, I almost always have a wave of doubt around page 35 that this screenplay isn't working.

Screenplays have dips.
Learning curves have dips.
Careers have dips.

Getting through the dip is required.

It doesn't mean anything is wrong, so don't let it scare you.

Just push through it.

Your growth as a screenwriter is on the other side.

That's a wrap for this post!

If you're interested in screenwriting and found it helpful:
1. Follow me for more posts like this.
2. Share it so others can also enjoy it.

And don't forget to subscribe to The Story and Plot Weekly Email!

It's a free screenwriting lesson every Tuesday morning!

[Tom Vaughan @storyandplot]

After writing professionally for 27 years and teaching for almost as long, here is my not-so-secret way to be a more talented screenwriter.

First, understand that screenwriting is not a single skill.

It is a combination of skills working together to create a whole.

Choosing what happens in the story is a different skill than imagining how it happens on screen, which is different from how to express it on the page.

You have at least a dozen unique skills that all fall under one category: screenwriting.

And that's not even mentioning pitching and navigating development!

𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰.

Over time, as a writer and a teacher, I have grown to see talent very differently.

I think of talent now mostly as a starting point combined with how quickly we learn.

Each of us has a different starting point for understanding, processing, and executing all the skills involved in screenwriting.

Everything else is determined by practice, mentoring, and training.

This is because much of what we consider talent is simply processing certain things at a faster rate.

And like anything, that can be developed. The mind gets better at it the more it does it.

Emerging screenwriters ask themselves, am I any good at this?

But often, it's the wrong question.

The right question is: are they willing to work hard enough to get good at this?

You can catch up to many of the so-called more talented writers by outworking or outlasting them.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹.

When someone first learns to play basketball, they must consciously focus on dribbling.

They think about their pivot foot and staying in bounds. Later, they worry about proper shooting form. How to play defense.

In high school, they add more layers to their game, and then intensify it even more in college.

Now, imagine a pro player.

Do you think that player is thinking about dribbling? Is he worried about his pivot foot?

No. He is just doing what he knows how to do without even thinking about it.

They perform one skill learned on top of another skill learned on top of another skill.

It's done now as muscle memory in a flow all so seamless that it looks like one skill: Basketball.

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝗻.

The reps are everything. It's not just reps on the page. It's outlining. It's breaking down film structures and generating story ideas and interesting scenes.

It's reading screenplays, both by the masters and your friends.

In short, it's about training your mind to see the world as a screenwriter so you can process all this information faster than you did yesterday.

Stay Teachable.

I got stagnant for a while. It happens. Being a student elsewhere taught me to be a student again in my screenwriting.

Early in your writing, you will try to learn everything all at once. That's normal. However, it may also be helpful to make sure you choose one area in each project where you will assert extra focus.

Mind The Dip.

You will hit walls. It happens to everyone.

After three decades, I almost always have a wave of doubt around page 35 that this screenplay isn't working.

Screenplays have dips.
Learning curves have dips.
Careers have dips.

Getting through the dip is required.

It doesn't mean anything is wrong, so don't let it scare you.

Just push through it.

Your growth as a screenwriter is on the other side.

That's a wrap for this post!

If you're interested in screenwriting and found it helpful:
1. Follow me for more posts like this.
2. Share it so others can also enjoy it.

And don't forget to subscribe to The Story and Plot Weekly Email!

It's a free screenwriting lesson every Tuesday morning!

[Tom Vaughan @storyandplot]

When you first start screenwriting, you ask someone to read with the question, "Is this any good?"

A professional does not do that.

A pro shares it with a trusted reader asking, "Does this achieve what I am trying to achieve?"

That's where you want to get with your writing.

[Lincoln Reed @LincolnPReed]

Excited to have my baseball short story "Chasing Zero" featured in Frayed: Held Together by Hope, the newest story collection from Elk Lake Publishing. If you're interested in stories with redemptive themes, I think you'll enjoy this story collection: https://t.co/2G4nKzBVGh

[Tom Vaughan @storyandplot]

One of the most constructive screenwriting notes you can give a writer is, "This is where I started to lose a little interest."

It sounds harsh, but it is the exact thing they need to know.

[Outstanding Screenplays @outscreenplays]

A professional writer is an amateur who didn't give up. #screenwriting

[Outstanding Screenplays @outscreenplays]

If you want to write, you can. Fear stops most people from writing, not lack of talent. #screenwriting

[Outstanding Screenplays @outscreenplays]

A bad script written is still better than an amazing one that isn’t. #screenwriting

[Lincoln Reed @LincolnPReed]

@ActingJordan I love the "Count of Monte Cristo" with Jim Caviezel. One of my favorite films!

[Lincoln Reed @LincolnPReed]

@taylorbaseball Congrats @kchackman!

[Outstanding Screenplays @outscreenplays]

If you want to write, you can. Fear stops most people from writing, not lack of talent. #screenwriting

[Outstanding Screenplays @outscreenplays]

I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles. #screenwriting

[Lincoln Reed @LincolnPReed]

@NAIABall @IWU_Baseball @IWUWildcats @WestmontSports @taylorbaseball @taylortrojans @GotDunks21 Vote Kyle Gould!

[Lincoln Reed @LincolnPReed]

I'm happy to share that my newest short story "From the Depths" is free to read today on @gohavok's website: https://t.co/0UhPmKAnr6

[Lincoln Reed @LincolnPReed]

Congratulations to @taylorbaseball! So proud of this team, the coaches, and the Taylor Baseball program. Honored to have had the opportunity to work in the press box this past week with the great @rjjohnston6.

[Taylor Trojans @taylortrojans]

BB PHOTOS | Check out 50 of our best shots from tonight's Upland Bracket Opening Round Championship in which TU booked its first ticket to the NAIA World Series in over 50 years! @taylorbaseball #TaylorBB

https://t.co/pTwlnKkUmH

[Lincoln Reed @LincolnPReed]

Congrats to @taylorbaseball!

[NAIA Ball @NAIABall]

FINAL

#21 Taylor defeats Goshen 15-1

Taylor wins the Crossroads League Regular Season title & punches their ticket to the national tournament!

#NAIABall

[Lincoln Reed @LincolnPReed]

I'm happy to share that my newest short story "The Secret of Skeleton Lake" is free to read today on
@gohavok's website: https://t.co/0UhPmKAnr6

#shortstory #flashfiction #sciencefiction

[Lincoln Reed @LincolnPReed]

@holly_ggaskill @tayloru Congrats on your award!

[Lincoln Reed @LincolnPReed]

I've been blessed to have much of my short fiction featured in @gohavok. If you enjoy the #thriller genre, you can find my newest stories at: https://t.co/1cTyuxFLpf

[Lincoln Reed @LincolnPReed]

I'm grateful for the opportunity to have been a guest speaker this week in @taylorbaseball's "What it Means to be a Man" series.
Excited to see this team compete this spring.
Go Trojans!

[taylorbaseball @taylorbaseball]

Thanks to 2016 grad Lincoln Reed for crushing it as our 1st speaker of the year on ‘What it Means to be a Man’