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What did you learn from the opening meeting?
Post your insights here.
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66 Replies
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Empowerment moves people forward. Let go of your fears. They stand in the way of success.
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I like the idea of just hacking away at a large number of options to make a decision. I think I do this already, but never as a go-to tool.
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A reminder of the power of energy and how I can use it for myself.
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What did you learn from the opening meeting?
One of the things I learned during the opening meeting was to think of different internal states I might experience as a writer – Fantasy, Stuck, Deadline, and Empowered – in relationship to each other, and have a clearer sense of when I am in each state, and why I’m in that state.
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Once again, perfection is not an option especially at this point of the class. A reminder that I want breakthroughs are very important and to allow myself that it is ok if it is horrible and to keep moving forward. Empowerment is something I am going to allow myself to be comfortable with and do it daily.🤩
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Hal cleared up some nagging questions I had about AI. It was a really good session!
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Ai is an invaluable tool. The possibilities are endless.
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Searching for breakthrough, exploring out of comfort zones…
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What I learned: This is my second time through the WIM class. The first time, I hit the brick perfection wall and never got through the class. Sigh.
After tonight’s class, I learned that I CAN CHOOSE to keep moving forward by consciously eliminating the perfection barrier. So that’s what I’m going to do!
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The most important thing I learned was the process of getting out of my comfort zone.
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Do the empowerment exercises every day to have a happier and more fulfilling life.
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What I learnt in the opening meeting is to keep empowering myself to move forward. To make decisions and not get ‘information overload’ while using AI. To pick a project that is unique and marketable that I can love to work with for the next six months.
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I learned not to seek perfection – demanding perfection early kills creativity
I learned that manifesting is something Hal believes in (So do I)
Getting outside your comfort zone comfortably is something we will learn in this class
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With Fresh Eyes. Make Discomfort my partner. We’ve all heard before make change things need to change – but refigured it as new material – How can I make changes everyday – What can be different – Where can I find something new – When is now – Who is me a personal motto/badge of courage.
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My biggest breakthrough is from learning what to write in the “What I learned in…” section. I write my breakthroughs down as the class progresses and then list them. They are:
1. How to write the “What I learned in…” section.
2. The value of writing “outside your comfort zone”.
3. How to prevent “information overload”. (As soon as you recognize it happening, quickly pick a few options and move on.)
4. Move along as fast as I can process to prevent bogging down. -
That “playing” or having a sense of play is helpful in being creative. Trying out different things and loosening up your sense of certainty of what’s right(perfection) in order to find (new) fresh good.
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Happy to be back among smart, thoughtful creators, and looking f’w’d to being inspired and inspiring stories and storytellers: humans need stories like humans need air!
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A collective look at my fears
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I learned not to get too caught up with the suggestions AI offers. Take what may be of help and move on. I will use Hal’s idea of putting at the most three of the possibilities in an email rather than all of them and let the others go. I was getting overwhelmed by the scenarios and putting the entire coversation in a word doc then never really reading it. So this was breakthrough advice. Just see what touches a chord and at the most three ideas. I also intend to practice the empowerment ideas especially the positive self-talk!!
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My breakthrough was to realize that I have connection to the major director in my state and that by changing the location of my script I can make it easier to market.
A better understanding of the empowerment process.
I’m excited to find ways to use AI when I get ‘stuck’
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Some things I learned/were reinforced last night…
– Ditch my perfectionist tendencies until the proper time
– Thinking “outside the box” more–and really going there, but in a marketable way with my projects.
– That grid that had stuff about where we’re at, like “stuck, fantasy, etc.” I want to see myself in the more productive ones.
– AI is one of the most valuable assistants a writer can have.
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What I learned: I liked the Empowerment Grid. Good way to check where I’m at and how to fix it. I also liked the idea of using the exercises throughout the day. I’m going to add that in. THX
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What I learned:
From the preclass I learned a lot about how to interact with AI and that it’s a lot easier and simpler than I had been making it.
From the opening class I learned a new empowerment technique that I plan to implement. I learned that wordsmithing too early is a sign that I have been bumped out of the creative process. I learned to just keep going even when what I have isn’t living up to my standards, and that perfection is the enemy of creativity in the early stages.
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Great reminders to spend more effort on titles and not allow myself to get into overwhelm with AI suggestions. The fantasy to empowerment grid helped me bring down what I knew I was feeling into easy, usable solutions.
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I learned that you get out what you put in. If you don’t come in wanting to learn everything, you won’t learn everything there is to learn.
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I thoroughly enjoyed the empowerment exercises, especially witnessing Hal’s dedication. It inspired me to fully immerse myself in the moment. Hal is an excellent coach. I’ve been a part of this group for nine years since joining via Pro Series, and I value the consistent message to stay relaxed, not obsess over perfection, and embrace creativity.
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The Empowerment Grid is a great visual tool, and I also learned how not to get overwhelmed with AI.
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I loved the Empowerment exercises, and I DID laugh at Hal’s perfectionist joke! 🤣 I learned why I was beginning to feel overwhelmed while playing around with AI in the couple of weeks before the March 28th class. I was saving too much data. So, I learned how to be selective. Only save what I like. Dump the rest. Thanks, Hal. 🤗
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What I learned: Not that I am ever in a comfort zone for long, but this time I need to take a huge step out: writing a screenplay mostly from a male viewpoint, which I have never done, writing scenes including children, which I have never done, and though I have been adamantly against using AI, learning to use it in a beneficial, ethical way—hoping it will give me feedback and courage to pursue this idea that won’t leave me, and Cheryl told me in 2017 was a good one.
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I realized I have not been empowering myself enough, and immediately taking action when I need to. I will start putting that into practice.
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What I learned from the opening meeting is to remember to use empowerment not only for my writing but in my regular day-to-day life to have a calmer and insightful existence!
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I learned that I need to step out of my comfort zone to the point that I am comfortable out of those boundaries.
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I missed the first meeting. Need help on where i can see the recording.
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I’m never going to be able to write all the new and awesome stories I’ve been developing. Not enough hours in a day.
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I learned about the guidelines, opportunities, and borders of the class or AI.
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I was reminded that empowerment in this process is ultimately up to me and the state I choose to be in. Also, the reminder on how AI can benefit this process but that it will never replace our creativity was encouraging.
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In the first draft, value forward progress more than perfection. Learn something new every day. Keep a positive attitude.
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That this will be a fun ride! I’m really looking forward to the process of training myself to write with a dedicated brainstorming partner taking some of the load of jogging my mind. Fresh insights!
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The empowerment exercise, “let go of perfection” were good reminders. Also to remember to look for breakthroughs and give myself credit for each new thing I learn and each new step I take.
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I learned many things. Empowerment, what to expect in this course, how to not get overwhelmed with AI and too options/choices, and that it is ok to make the wrong choice but the important thing is to empower myself and that action will lead me away from fantasy as non-action causes more problems to my inner perfectionist.
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That 4-quadrant, action/no-action grid illustrating empowerment and disempowerment. Would be great to have that slide image close by to keep the perfektion monkey at bay and the creative chameleon thriving
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The empowerment trick Hal taught – merging confidence with a new technique I haven’t learned yet.
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Not to allow myself to get bogged down in too much AI feedback and scenarios which is very easy to do … especially for a Libra. Too many options creates roadblocks for me. I will push past them and keep moving forward.
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For me: also…keep moving forward)))
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I learned that empowerment lets one make mistakes and pushes us forward uninhibited toward our goals. And that is an advantageous position to be in, especially when writing a screenplay.
Best wishes to my fellow literary cinematic engineers.
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Empowerment isn’t everything, but if you don’t have it you’re going nowhere.
Mix and match.
You can use boolean operations on AI tools.
This is fun!
Attitude is everything.
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Once again, perfection is not an option especially at this point of the class. It’s a reminder that I want breakthroughs and that they are very important and to allow myself that it is ok, even if it is horrible, and to keep moving forward. Empowerment is something I am going to allow myself to be comfortable with and do it daily. My response didn’t show up when I was checking the forums. So I am just checking in again to make sure it is received.
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I learned that I’ve been stuck, recently. Didn’t even know I was until I heard Hal discuss it. Sadly, I’ve been telling myself that I’m simply lazy… “Stuck” sounds more temporary, and like less of a value judgement on my character. Hoping I recover quickly!
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Two things struck me from the prep lesson for this class. The first is that the pitch we initially develop is for us to decide if we want to write it, not to see if a producer wants it. The second thing is just like Hal said, don’t fall in love with the first idea. My first idea I really liked. I completed the pitch, and included about 5 pages of notes that came to me as I did it. Sleeping on it, the next day I realized it was only a so-so idea. I needed to come up with a different idea that was fantastic.
And a personal note, Hal stressed over and over not to wordsmith first drafts. Sometimes I get stuck trying to find the perfect word for what I just wrote. My own process, if I can’t come up with it within 5-10 seconds, I write “thes.” and move on. It’s my shorthand for thesaurus. It’s a footnote where I’m acknowledging to myself it’s a poor word and I’ll come up with something better later. I’m giving myself written permission to just move on and not to worry about it. It will also stick out to me so I don’t have to worry “where was that one problem word again, it was in here somewhere?”
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What I learned from the opening meeting was that the concept that I had originally chosen to write was comfortable, familiar, and safe, and therefore – CRAP. So I shelved that concept and chose another one that would be more fun, challenging, and edgy to write. I’ll be learning more about screenwriting and myself in the process.
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I learned to stay empowered and keep moving forward.
Hal’s sharing his experience of when he was blocked- helped me to come out of my “hiding” place and write even if it’s the worst draft or scene ever!
I see & feel the joy when I can come out of my way and just have fun creating.
I’m looking forward to the class. I remember the story he told of teaching your daughters to drive and to take it one slow step at a time until you reach a comfort and confidence level. Great advice!😊
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This first meeting gave me a clearer insight on the Empowerment piece of the writing program.
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The empowerment exercises are a game changer.
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What I learned is that AI is a useful tool, but with all the options it provides, it can be overwhelming. I need to empower myself so I don’t get stuck so I can move ahead. If I keep pressing forward, my script will change for the better anyway.
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I will make incredible breakthroughs in my writing using this program.
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What I learned from the opening meeting:
Do NOT get hung up on perfection in the early stages of our script creation because it undermines the creative process. Perfection comes later when we tweak things like dialogue.
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I’ve learned that using these incredible empowerment techniques will not only help me in screenwriting but will help me in my work and personal life as well. This is not only a class designed to improve my writing but it can improve EVERYTHING I do!
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I could hug Hal for adding the empowerment practices to this course! They were not part of MSC when I was in it many years ago, and I could have used them then. I want to make it a habit to use them throughout this course.
Because of the empowerment techniques, I’m looking forward to this class with a new sense of possibility, curiosity, and adventure! Thank you, Hal!
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Many things! I appreciated the explanation of the 5 steps in the creative process and the keys to success in writing. Having the structures and practices will make a huge difference in getting past blocks and getting to an awesome finished script! I’m especially excited about learning to work better with AI prompts and how that can speed up the writing process. Additionally, I really liked the state-to-activity empowerment exercise. I had actually just learned that in a personal development class, but hadn’t thought to apply it to my writing. very cool!
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Something I’ve always struggled with is “perfection”. Being I have taken almost every class offered I should know this by now the negative results yielded by constantly being one who cannot break his old habits. I believe AI will take the edge off so I don’t overthink, over analyze and critique every title, every concept every character. On a positive note I took five concepts that I had submitted to Cheryl for the master class that received high praises on all five of them and put it through these prompts and totally feel I’ve elevated four of them to a level I could have never imagined.
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Empowerment is awesome, but you have to take it seriously. I’ve done it both ways, but getting f—ing serious about it makes great things happen!
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The empowerment concept, combined with discipline and the desire to succeed is a great start. I also.need structure and time management as working full time is always a never ending distraction.
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I learned that empowerment helps us move forward. Moving forward is the key, so I learned to avoid overload and writer’s block by leaving perfection as the last step.
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I learned that the key to empowerment is to allow oneself the freedom to be empowered. It’s a state of mind and when you are in that state thinking out of the box is so much easier. I don’t usually overthink when I write but I do tend to correct my typing and punctuation as I go, so I want to empower myself not to get hung up on perfection in my typing.
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Some things I learned from the Opening Conference …
– It is more important to move forward and learn the process than to try and make any one element of the process perfect.
– Use the empowerment process before every task.
– That distinction between active due to deadlines and empowerment // and not-active due to stuck and fantasy were very helpful.
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Fresh new perspectives never grow old.
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