Film Courage: How long did it take you to write where you felt you were writing at a
professional level? Mark Sanderson, Screenwriter/Author: Hmm... probably five feature-length
screenplays because it was my fifth spec that actually was optioned and sold so
I'm like well I must be doing something right so no but it took about in the
ones before were kind of bumbling and there was you know it wasn't obviously
quite up to par to compete and those are those are the ones that we see have to
get out of your system you know the first two or three and a lot of many
times writers write their first script and they're like where's my agent you
know this is grew their first script of their first draft you know and say this
is brilliant and you're like well the first of anything is not going to be
unless you're a genius which you very well may be but most of the time there's
so many things that so many moving parts you know that it's hard even at best to
get it like wow this is you know a hundred percent there so it takes time
and so about the fifth one you know it was about okay I think I've got this
under control you know and then you know and then from that also that was a
learning experience to work with producers because it's one thing to
write your script it's another - now it's real you know where you don't live
in your bubble and you're like everything's exactly the way I want and
you're like well now it's being taken away from me and I have to compromise
and make changes and there's budgets and all sorts of things you know and you
stick to you stick to the creative aspects of it because you wrote it but
you have to realize that filmmaking is a collaborative you know art form and
there's other people involved starts with the script but a script is just a
script you know it's words on paper it has to be brought elevated to actors and
someone to direct it and you know so I think it's v my physics back and so not
just the fact that you were being hired to do something but was it also the ease
or the the comfort in your own skin of like okay I'm working with
and they may not like this and I'm gonna get feedback and I'm gonna be okay with
that or what was there like something that also shifted not just the fact that
you got these jobs was just huge but I mean did you also feel like oh yeah okay
yeah this is I'm doing this yeah but even now to a certain extent you know
there's still that with an artist I don't think it ever goes away especially
writers where you're you know this voice is going oh my gosh this is the one that
they find out your fraud you actually were able to fool them you know 16 times
and now is the one where they catch you you know but it's a constant learning
experience and I always say I get butterflies before every job because I
respect as such and I don't take it for granted so like oh this will be a walk
in the park or I know how to do this I do but every time out is different every
scripts different every producers different so it's not gonna be the same
as last time so you can't say well this last one and some are easy and some are
just the worst thing ever you know I'm hitting them I'm not saying
the worst thing ever but some are very difficult and you just wonder like wow
how is it this one is so more so much more difficult than the last that was a
breeze and you don't know I mean it's it's just a weird combination of
elements you know and it's so but it's better yes absolutely after I'm working
on my fortieth screenplay so I yeah but I still like I say bow down to the craft
bin and respect it because I learned something every time that I didn't know
before and I should be open to that I think writers should be should be never
you get to a plateau and you're like I know everything you know master martial
artist is is not only living it but also continuing to learn you know so it's
like that kind of I keep using martial arts because I'm studying right now a
little bit yeah so it's it's helpful in the in the writing aspect philosophy of
almost the same thing because you know the first moves are like let's not it
you have to do this now the pressure has to be on that foot you keep but if
just keep at it you know and be open to learning you know and with martial arts
would you say it's 50% physical 50% mental I think well I'm not deep
intuitive but you know I've been interested for many years but a lot of
it is mental and the physicality is you can be a small person and still ward off
an attack because of what you know you know what I mean it's it's using force
against its using you know against your own you know what I mean it's like you
don't have to be Herculean person to defend yourself but it's not about
defense you know I'm just saying but in writing it's it's a discipline and I
think it should be followed as such and it's a lifelong learning process so like
I say even after so many scripts some are terrible some of the best I've ever
written and I I keep striving to have the next one be better than the last one
and there are a lot of factors when it ends up when you actually have a movie
that's filmed it's out of your control you you write the script but you're not
there directing it you're not there producing it there's a lot of there's a
lot of choices that can fall short from what your vision of it becomes so at
that point you have to step back and just go well on to the next one you know
and it doesn't mean you don't care but you can't care so much that every time
you're just destroyed you know and that's why I say about detachment is so
important over the long haul because it doesn't mean you don't care and believe
me still I'm making changes now on a script and I'm just like you know I care
but I have to get this thing through the conveyor belt you know into the into
production so you know it's a lot less stressful for you over the long haul to
care but just sort of be don't hang on too tightly you know so that's just my
personal experience do you think going back to the analogy of martial arts that
writing is similar 50% I wouldn't want to say physical but the act of writing
and and you know and then the other 50% is like this mental thing of showing up
every day not putting it off not going to the beach and not letting the little
voice say this is horrible I'm not going to finish this and and yeah yes and a
lot of us feel - you know writing is not just mechanical there's a there's feel
like you're like you're sculpting you know I think like with clay you know
you're writing a scene but your your technique is through you know a laptop
or whatever you write on and it's coming out here onto the page and so with that
it's a combination of all things mental physical but also what we know it's it's
amazing because once when you feel and you get a move right and you don't have
to think about it it's like you know and you so how is this person to ever study
for so many years and do all these different things because it just same
way of screenwriting how could you study and know all these different things
because you just keep doing it again again again you know and that's back to
your earlier comment about who's a writer and who's not
if you're a writer you write you don't talk about it you know Hemingway had a
quote about that the writers don't talk about their stuff they're too busy
working and what I mean about that is like oh I'm you know doing my pages and
this and that which is fine but you better be doing the pages you're talking
about you know what I mean otherwise it's just you're you and more talking
about your work than actually doing the work it's always about the work so we
can talk about our work but if there is no work that's real and I'm not saying
you have to sell something either you know writers - right you're absolutely a
writer you know but if you if you find that it's not for you that's okay -
because I see people come up against that wall all the time and they're
fighting desperately sick you like oh it's okay to let go if it's not right
for you why do you want to try to force it
you know I mean along its up-and-down journey to be a writer you
know so it's you that's why I would say you have to really love it
more than anything else because it's gonna be it's gonna break your heart and
it's going to be the the best thing you've ever experienced in your life at
the same time