How to deal with disappointment as a screenwriter

But first…

A couple weeks ago, I taught my first in-person screenwriting workshop at the Eye2Eye Film Showcase. It was a roaring success with the festival organizer saying many blush-inducing things about it such as:

“In the past, we’ve had speakers work largely off-the-cuff. Lauren was different. Her talk was thoughtfully structured, detailed, and filled with actionable advice alongside aspirational stories from her own experience. She never rambled, never preached, and always remained grounded and authentic […] Infused with sharp wit and wry humour, Lauren’s presentation quickly became one of the highlights of the Showcase.”

I’ve decided to host the workshop again, this time online and for anyone who wants to attend.

Since this is a bit of a pilot project for me with the online teaching, the cost is only $10 and the money raised will go towards post production of my upcoming directorial debut short SWATHE.

The workshop will take place June 19, 2026 from 3-4PM EST / 12-1PM PST.

You can register for my Becoming a Screenwriter Workshop here:

REGISTER NOW

Hope to see you there!

Now onto the disappointment…

I didn’t get the green light.

This is a sentence that happens all the time in screenwriting. For every job you get there are 100 others you didn’t.

When you’re used to being rejected all the time, it does genuinely become easier. Most of the time, finding out that I didn’t get something I was gunning for doesn’t even bother me.

There are hundreds of reasons behind the “no” that I’ll never be privy too. Maybe they already had someone else in mind. Maybe the person they originally offered it to changed their mind. Maybe the mandate shifted and they no longer need what you’ve got. Maybe the decision maker who was championing your work is no longer involved.

There are a million reasons for rejection and most of them have nothing to do with you as a writer.

But every now and again, I’m tripped up by a true disappointment.

I found out the day before I went to camera on my directorial debut short that I didn’t get the green light on a TV thriller with my usual company.

It was a blow that came when I was soaring high and running around like a headless turkey on my prep day. I honestly shouldn’t even have opened the email, but the possibility that it WASN’T a rejection was too enticing.

Ain’t that just the way it shakes out?

You’re having the best weekend in your creative life AND you get a big wet raspberry blown in your face.

Such is the life of a screenwriter. Having the best week and the worst week at the same time.

Instinctively, like a cat with an injury, I wanted to hide the truth about not getting this job. I felt embarrassed initially that I write a newsletter about writing TV movies and here I am, failing to write TV movies.

But sharing all the ups and downs is part of the truth of being a screenwriter. It’s not always good news. It doesn’t always work out. You can work really hard and still not get what you want.

On Monday after the aftermath of the short was cleaned up, everything was returned, and I had a moment to reflect is when it really hit me. I wallowed for a day (which is all I usually allow myself) and then I started reframing the loss.

Since I don’t have a thriller to write right now, I have the gift of time. Time to work on samples that would otherwise get pushed by the wayside.

I’m working on a vertical (aka micro-drama) series which has been SO FUN. And I’m planning on writing a rom com TV movie sample so I can start writing in that space as well (you cannot start writing in a new TV movie genre without a sample).

I really miss writing comedy. If you know my Seven Pronged Strategem to Becoming a Working Screenwriter, you know that two of the prongs were standup and improv. I started in comedy, so I’m looking forward to wading around in there again.

If all goes well, I’ll be able to sell both samples. A lot more TV movie production companies nowadays are looking for completed scripts, mostly because they don’t want to invest the time and money into development. But they will buy well-executed, finished scripts, so there’s hope there too.

It’s that delusional level of hope that is the only thing that can sustain you at the end of the day and over years.

My best advice for moments of disappointment: Focus on how far you’ve come.

The screenwriter I am today is the one I dreamed of being six years ago. I still have a long way to go, but it’s important not to lose sight of the progress you’ve already made.

So please take a couple minutes today to take stock of all you’ve accomplished since you set out on your filmmaking adventure. Even something as small as finishing an outline of a script counts as progress.

Feel free to share what you’re proud of in the comments (or drop a major disappointment and we’ll all weep together!)