Screenwriting 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…
“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”
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