Sceenwriting 101: Richard Lagravenese
“Like your soul, you can mistreat your gift. That energy, if it’s not channeled in the proper respectful manner, will come out in destructive ways. Do I do a particular script because it’s a high-profile project? No. I’ve worked with people because I wanted to work with them, not always because the material was something I wanted to deal with. I’ve made it something i wanted to do, but the initial reasons weren’t always purse. It wasn’t just because I was so turned on by the story. I’d think, Well, I like the story, I think I can make it work, and it would be nice to have this job because I’ll feel more secure. Or Wow, look who’s asking me. Those reasons have to go away. I have to check whether I lean toward doing something as a temptation or as a gift. I’m constantly doing that. Sometimes, when i don’t know whether to take an assignment, I’ll just arbitrarily say one day, ‘Yeah, I’m doing it.’ Then i check what happens, what happens to my body, what happens to my feelings. The next day, I’ll say, ‘No, I’m not doing it. Then I check what happens. Am I relaxed, relieved, nervous?”
— Richard Lagravenese (The Fisher King, The Little Princess, Water for Elephants) from “Screenwriters on Screenwriting”