Screenwriting Fallacies 4: authenticity, script consultants, writing groups

Be Authentic

Oy vey! How many times have you read the cliché “be authentic” trotted out by writing experts as some great truism? First, what does it even mean for a writer to be authentic? Don’t just accept this word because everyone else seems to. If authentic is supposed to mean that a writer and his story be “true” and real, that is pretty Corporal Nebulous and Captain Obvious. How does being authentic tell a writer specifically what and how to write? Don’t be like too many writers (especially in marketing!) who trot out contrived posts and articles to entice you to hire them as Mr. Authentic. It’s understandable that such pitches are made. No one wants to hire a fake. (Though that could make a good story…) And everyone needs to make money. But trying to be authentic undercuts its very meaning, right?

Isn’t “authentic” writing really the result of being true to your best self and standards, struggling to be original in your own insights and stories, not following the herd by spewing bromides that the unthinking will nod to? “Authenticity” demands a keen sense of self and independence and a fear of the mob and its latest clichés. How deep do you dig to find something within yourself—your own first‑hand observations about yourself, life, and the world—that you then struggle to make into a clever and original story premise so that it excites you? When you are writing something, does a marketing purpose come first? Or does your own self and original story? Nothing hurts a writer more than being second‑hand and clichéd.

Script Editors/Consultants Only Want Your Money

At times, when I was a professional script consultant, I got this reaction to posts. Yes, part of my reasoning to write articles, to have a LinkedIn page, and to post on Twitter/X, was to find paying clients. To make money! That’s how the world works and should. A professional offers a service; for example, someone gives him money for that service. A free trade. In a trade both sides win, each gets what he wants or needs. Writers/creatives who deride this fundamental principle of life and work are making a huge mistake, especially if they’re early in their careers. As a writer, one of the absolute best ways I learned to write and improve my stories was to pay a professional script consultant (and not AI or some cheap service that uses AI or some newbie fresh out of college). I’ve used script pros for more than thirty years. No writer can be fully objective about his own writing, and a professional and skilled story consultant is worth gold to improve the stories and skills of a writer. Every writer needs editing, every story needs editing, and every pro writer gets editing. To end with a cliché: you get what you pay for, or not.

Writing Groups and Supporters Are Gold

This is a tricky issue. I’ve been in writing groups that had skilled story people. I’ve also been in groups with moochers who were there only to get help and not give it, or who knew little about story. (Formatting gurus!) We all need to learn how to write and get help with our stories, but too many writing groups (or friends, family, and gal pals) don’t understand story and certainly can’t explain or teach it, so they can’t give objective and truly helpful notes. Often, they don’t want to hurt or upset you with the truth. My advice is yes, some groups can be good—if they have skilled, serious writers and thinkers about story (especially if they know more than you), and who honestly do the work the group membership demands. As per the previous point, a better option than joining a writer’s group is to find a writing professional to help you lift your script and your skills.

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Stories are ideas in conflict and action!

The next newsletter will discuss the fallacies of not working for free, writing contests, and AI.