Some tips, please

[Amin]

So, I get an idea, start writing, then feel like my writing sucks and delete it all, cycle starts all over again. I really wish to pursue a virtual series, I feel like that's the thing for me... but I also feel like something inside me, sometimes perhaps no matter the quality of the writing, always yells out "This sucks compared to the other shows!". So, have you guys got any tips on how to stay focused on the pilot without doubting yourself constantly? Thanks, it would help greatly.

[Vaughn]

Every writer is plagued by self-doubt. I can absolutely guarantee you that every writer spends 99% of the day worrying about how much their work sucks.

The way past it? Two key words: WRITE and LEARN. You just have to come to some sort of acceptance that you will write a lot of bad words and a lot of good words, especially when you're just starting out, but as long as you keep writing and keep learning, eventually, you'll start to strike gold.

Focus is incredibly, incredibly hard. There's no magic pill for it. Just write what you love to write.

[Amin]

Thanks for replying, it's really appreciated, especially coming from someone with your kind of background in VS. I know I'm not gonna be great anytime soon, but I'm fine with that, as long as what I write isn't utter unreadable crap. I'm open to improvement, though and adding to the vocabulary (since I'm not a native english speaker).

[Vaughn]

Your English looks pretty damn good to me!

Just make sure you get the basics right. Read plenty of scripts to see how the pros do it. Keep it simple and tight, and just enjoy yourself. That passion will translate into the script and your readers will appreciate it later.

[R.A. Picking]

I understand what you're going through. I've been there, done that. I would write 8 or 10 pages and when I read back over it, I feel like it's not good enough or like everyone else...so I don't ever show it to anybody, or I delete it. The advice I usually get is, keep practicing, keep writing and don't give up! It really is good advice.

[skittles]

I should have said something to this soon. I am that same person. The writing market is not the way it once was about twenty years ago. The desires of people run the market, and writing is a business not a passion. A thousand words will not change a group of people for the better no matter how good they are.

Look at Stephanie Meyer, she could write like a hundred books and all the horny women from age 15-30 are wetting themselves in the movie theaters.

It's a SAD, SAD industry, writing.

And although, keep writing is a great piece of advice. I think that there is another piece of advice that needs to be given. Don't write for other people. Write for yourself. Don't take your piece and compare it to someone else's because you are only going to doubt yourself. No matter WHAT, write for yourself. If someone doesn't like it, you haven't failed. Not in the slightest, because in the end, you didn't sell your soul to the devil like Stephanie Meyer did, just to be famous. You stayed true to yourself and your writing, and that, more than anything, is the most important thing.

:3 And if it helps, I believe in you.

[MJ]

^ Couldn't agree more with what Monica said.
I've been writing creatively since grade 3 (so just under 12 years now) and even with twelve years writing experience I can still find countless things in my writing that I'm not happy with. There are plenty of times where I've abandoned projects because I thought my writing sucked or I wasn't doing the idea justice but I realised after a while that isn't the way you should go about it.
No matter how sucky or bad you think the writing is you just have to keep going, because for every single word you write you're improving.

When it comes to a virtual series, for example, just get your idea and write the episode from start to finish. Don't worry about reading back over your work, don't worry about spelling, mistakes in the storyline, whatever. You just ignore all of that until you've finished the piece of writing you've set out to do. I find this is the best way to finish a project. Remember, your writing isn't going to be perfect first time around and you're free to edit, and edit and edit some more until you finally get something you;re happy with.

If you could see some of the first drafts I've done for Edge of Vision episodes you'd be appalled by how many mistakes and just plain bad writing there is. The trick is to just keep writing and editing, no matter how bad you think your work is because writing is one of those glorious things that is never perfect as you can always find more ways to improve yourself