Thursday 14 January 2010

Conversation With Myself

I am an idea.


I am your inner-critic. Your idea isn't good enough.


I am a good idea. I'm funny & interesting, I'm a great story.

Hmm, NO. There's no way to make it work.

I am on the page now, look. Page 1, the beginning of me.

This isn't going anywhere. It's leading nowhere. No-one will like it.

Hold on - why do you get a bigger say than me? Why are you taking it so seriously? It's just a screenplay, it's not terminal.

Um, what-- because, it is serious!

You seem to be getting smaller. Why are you taking me so seriously? I'm just a good idea.

Because, uh-- what? No, listen to me - you are not a good idea! I am protecting you from failure! I am protecting you from making a fool of yourself!

I am more likely to be less of a failure if I actually get heard. All my brothers and sisters are laying there dead, most of them are only 9 pages. If they were 120 pages, maybe they wouldn't be such failures.

Okay, just write, but be careful. I'm worried about you.

I'm just an idea, I'm just a screenplay. I'll be fine. You need to stop treating things like they are as important and as terrifying as genocide.

Okay, sorry.

Care to share?

7 comments:

  1. I always think of ideas of books and then think they've all been done before. It's so hard to be original and creative. I know these conversations all too well. We're our own worst critic.
    Ally@
    Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing

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  2. My inner editor can get the best of me. When I try to ignore it this go haywire, but when he's to up front the whole point changes.

    I try not to give any writer any shit. Even McNovelists (John Grisham, I'm looking at you ;-).

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  3. this is nice :]

    its better to get heard and know that you tried than hiding your ideas ^_^

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  4. I like how the voice of your Idea transforms and reacts to your inner critic. It's enthusiastic and states what it true about itself- it is an idea, a great idea and it's already started. Then the critic tries to distract it and the idea seems indignant at the critics audacity to even start shouting at him. The idea knows what is best, the idea is standing up for all of the other great ideas that got knocked down by the bully critic. And it's so fantastic to see the Critic back down from the challenge. I'd almost like to see the Idea say something like "yeah, that's right. Now, where was I?" Tee hee!

    Keep up the creative flow. It's working

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  5. If I could only squash my inner critic like that, maybe I should take notes:)

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  6. I like this. Good way of portraying the inner critic we all have.

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