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What did you learn from the opening teleconference?
Please give us a quick recap of what you learned from the opening teleconference.
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38 Replies
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I learned the intricacies in application of the concept of empowerment. More specifically, I learned being stuck is wanting to take action, but no action happens v. fantasy of having a desire but not trying to take action.
Thx Hal!
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“Connecting positive, healthy emotions to every activity you do as a writer.”
Gosh, if this is all I get out of the class…it’s already life changing.
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The thing I took away from it was the Activity/Inactivity model and how to turn that around by working on empowerment. I agree that if that is the only thing I learned from this entire course, it will create a huge difference in my approach to writing.😍
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Lisa Long
I learned to say yes, take baby steps to get stronger, and learn new things. Taking this class will change my life. Say every day, “I love writing!” Don’t try to be perfect until the end. I’ll need to get my assignments done as soon as possible. And looking forward to learning so much more!
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I loved the empowerment technique. As a Certified Stress Management Coach, I can validate everything Hal said about empowerment!
“What we think, we feel, and what we feel, we make real.” Keep positive, be kind to yourself (and be kind to each other)!
I learned not to worry about what I’m creating, and just create, and just get it out on the page, worry about making it great later!
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1) The importance of empowerment vs. disempowerment was pretty powerful.
2) Positive emotional states was eye-opening.
3) Titles: The “Friday the 13th” title story was very inspiring – I was empowered by that very much.
4) Hal’s look at the problems with feedback was extremely interesting.
5) Giving more feedback using mastery sheets than getting it is more valuable. Not the other way around.
5) Perfection is a creativity killer.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Mark Veau.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by
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Having taken another class, some of the material in the teleconference was review. The part that I found most interesting was on feedback. While I don’t depend on it, I’ve always wanted it because I find myself too close to my material to be as objective as I want to be. I need someone else to let me know what is confusing or what doesn’t work and so forth. The thing is, I’ve found that most people don’t know how to give good feedback. Most of the feedback I get is either not useful or marginally useful, and doesn’t agree with or overlap other people’s feedback.
If I understand correctly, we’re going to learn a way to give feedback properly. Looking forward to that! I can’t say that I’m great at it myself, so it’s another skill to learn as an improving writer.
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Three things plus one: the importance of empowerment, the feedback process, doing assignments fast even if they are not “perfect”, and how to avoid killing creativity.
As an educator and martial arts coach, I have taught kids about the mental skills that can enhance their performance in academic endeavors and daily life, so I like very much how this class now integrates those elements, too.
Having taken ScreenwritingU courses for several years now, I can see the links to previous courses, but I also envision how WIM will take us towards the new dynamics in the industry. This is a great environment to continue growing as a writer.
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I learned some simple, effective tools for using NLP techniques to enhance motivation and attach positive emotions to writing. The insights into the structure of the program and the thinking behind it was very useful.
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Keep pushing ourselves to step out of comfort zone, which will then expand our comfort zone. Rinse, repeat.
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I learned the incredible value of being in the right state of mind as a writer, i.e. empowerment. Also, the importance of titles and how to create them: by brainstorming and allowing the creative process to flow. In addition, having a clear vision of the roadmap going forward is crucial to future success.
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It is good to have reinforcement of empowerment techniques, because we all have lapses. Those negative voices from the past and remarks in the present and future can erase the strongest beliefs that protect our self-worth.
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Give more feedback than you get was huge. I loved the empowerment technique and plan to apply that technique to other areas of my life outside of writing. This may seem odd, but I also learned how much I miss being on a ScreenwritingU call! It’s been a while since my last class and I love being involved with a group of creatives all pushing toward a common goal. Great to be back with a group!
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I learned that “a person’s life doesn’t change by staying the same.” It’s so simple yet profound. I also had it confirmed to me that it is necessary to get outside of my comfort zone to move forward in my screenwriting. I learned too about empowering myself to accomplish what I want to accomplish. In the Pro Series, I started to learn not to worry about getting the assignments just right the first time, and now with Writing Incredible Movies, I will still be working on how to let go of perfection while I’m in the learning process.
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Empowering yourself as a writer through self motivation is essential. I’ve had those days where I sit and stare at the computer or write one line and change it multiple times. The ProSeries I’m currently completing taught me write throw away old habits, and I believe WIM will continue to empower new habits.
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To do the assignments, fast; learn all I can; empower myself with respect to the multitude of tasks big and small in this class; to trust the creative process; to elevate, elevate, elevate.
Also, I do NOT have to be perfect!
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The information about empowerment vs disempowerment was incredibly helpful. I know that I tend to sit in front of my screen for way too long not doing anything and finding out that means I’ve become disempowered and ways to fix it was great.
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The opening teleconference reinforced what I already know to be true about most successes. It’s all about putting in the effort, along with the right mindset. I loved hearing Hal’s anecdotal stories about other writers/producers– the one about Friday the 13th particularly stuck out. I always thought of brainstorming as 5ish ideas. Nope. Write 100, then pick the top 5. Then pick the best one. I also really liked the mindset exercise we did, I definitely woke up with an excited, positive attitude.
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The majority of what I gleaned from the teleconference, was that our comfort zone needed re-alignment; and I associated that with car tires, that must be calibrated to ensure equal wear. What we’re good at, we tend to wear thin, neglecting our outer areas. But when we take risks, we tend to be more well rounded and have more miles in us. We become better writers by practicing empowerment—putting more gas in the tank, so to speak; telling ourselves we are better than we think we are. We are also encouraged to give feedback and be nice. I am a practicing nice person, so this was the least of my problems. The new concepts, he asked for, are not always as nice; ’cause that’s when you find out, you don’t know, what you don’t know. But with new skills, new strategies, and new ideas applied, they re-inflate the learning curve. Then, we hopefully can take risks that result in more well-rounded behaviors, resulting in being more calibrated writers from stepping out of our comfort zone. Thanks.
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I learned a sue fire way to think about inspiration and empowerment to be able to write at any time of the day or not with complete confidence.
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KEEP MOVING FORWARD NO MATTER WHAT! And three steps to becoming a STAR!
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The portions on empowerment were fascinating. I can already feel excitement about this process by making simple mental shifts.
I also learned a lot about feedback. I love the “4 notes” method.
Let’s do this!
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<div>Off the top of my head, without reviewing the notes, here’s two things that stood out to me</div><div>
1 – I learned about Hal’s “quadrant” framework, which I appreciate because I teach and think in quadrant form as well. I also loved Steven Covey’s “Urgent/Not urgent/Important/Not important” quadrant formula, so next time I feel stuck and/or unproductive, I’m going to review the quadrant and see if that will help to free me up and empower me.
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2 – After all the time with the visualization exercises and verbal repetitions that went along with it, I realize how important it is to Hal to address the problem of people not following through and gradually petering out throughout the class. After completing several classes, I have seen how at least 1/2 of the students gradually stop posting and by the final batch of lessons, only a select few students have made it. I did that in one class too, but I love the fact that it is all still there online, ready for me to revisit it, which I plan to do. I think its great that Hal sees that as a problem and is committed to being part of the solution. With so many students continuing to enroll in his classes, I suppose he doesn’t have to do a darn thing about students not finishing from the perspective of a businessman, but from the perspective of a teacher, it is a noble thing to do and is one of the things that attracts me to this community.
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Thank you for this first class. I really appreciated the emphasis on not aiming for perfection from the start, but encouraging creativity to flow without judgment. <div>
Getting out assignments as quickly as possible is a new idea to me – even as a former university lecturer.
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</div><div>I love the focus on turning negatives to positive. I believe in falling forward – learning one new thing we can do, to do things better the next time.</div><div>
</div><div>And I value the emphasis on offering positive feedback that values and cares for the living, breathing human being we are talking to. </div>Looking forward to getting to know my colleagues.
Thanks again, Andrew Boyd
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I was most struck by the commitment to be empowered to do the exercises quickly. In the past, I have procrastinated… now I will look at it as fun and a challenge to strike while the iron is hot. For me, don’t over think = progress. Leveraging empowerment to keep going was very eye opening. Looking forward.
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Just do the next thing… Keep moving and writing and working… By envisioning your success, you create it!!
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There was a lot a value. But if there is one tool I can apply to both writing and life it’s the empowerment visualization meditation that was taught.
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I liked the empowerment exercises before, but now I see and understand that they should be used EVERY time I write or create anything. I tended to be a procrastinator before but now I see how I can shed that image of myself, for myself.
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I learned that I need to step outside my comfort zone so often that it eventually feels natural to do so. Also that it is done by taking small risks daily that add up to life changing events.
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I wrote down seven things that caught my attention as I listened to the opening audios.
1. The Vision. I immediately began making a vision board for what I want to accomplish as I listened to part two and did the exercises. It’s an old trick I learned years ago. Old or not, it clarifies what I want to do and what I want to get done, with pictures. I am a visual person/learner.
2. Thinking back to one really great moment in my life to share. Last year, I had a friend who brought his telescope with him to our college reunion. He had set it up so we could all see Jupiter and its moons and Saturn. He’d forgotten a piece of equipment. Otherwise, we could have seen the Andromeda galaxy, too. What a mind-blowing experience it was, too. I highly recommend going to see the planets as some point in your life.
3. I remembered from an old writing class I took from UCLA and getting some feedback from the students taking it with me. I had a good instructor in Andrew Osborne. I had started my steamboat script in that class and from the feedback I got for my female character, they told me how much they loved, loved, LOVED her! It made me feel so good.
4. In my notes I called them the Trash Masters, and they were, too. I’ve had my fill of them. They almost destroyed me. It’s taken a very long time to get back to my writing. But I’m finally back and taking classes that are helping. I’m glad something deep inside me urged me to get back at it. This is what you want to do. Not what everyone else wants you to do. I’m finally achieving that goal!
5. I’ve had to deal with people early in my life who demanded perfection. I mean perfection! One college professor in particular demanded from all of us in his classes the ultimate. Papers needed to be PERFECT. And written at his professional level. I was years later he finally apologized to us about his obsession with perfection. He had gone to teach at another college and had many students there who did not come up to our levels and had miserably failed his demand for perfection he had perpetrated on us. What a relief to know it wasn’t us after all.
6. As a teacher and substitute I often tell the kids when they have a hard task or struggle ahead of them (AP exams, the World History one comes to mind. Many of them were Sophomores.) I tell them before they begin say out loud, “I can do this!” They do. It calms them down, along with the chocolate I provide for them for each test. And it usually works.
7. Story Hook. I am presently in contact with an Indie producer who’s been giving me feedback on my steamboat script. The one thing she said was he needed a great hook to get her into the story. When I heard that I immediately knew the scene I had to include and went right off to get it done!
8. I very much liked the feedback section in general. It gives me hope I won’t ever have to deal with the TRASH MASTERS ever again as I continue to write.
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I learned that daily forward motion is critical to success.
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What gained from this presentation, is not to worry about perfection at first. Get those ideas out there, and then refine them as you go along, with the mindset that you are capable of writing well.
Good stuff!
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I learned the empowerment of positive thinking :). Seems I knew that in 3rd grade; when I was really bad at spelling, I started telling others that spelling was my favorite subject… and my spelling improved. Why did I forget that all these years?
Staying in the creative process without letting the quest for perfection derail me.
Giving feedback to others is more beneficial than getting feedback… like when I was teaching I often felt I learned more than the students did.
I’ve already dealt with feedback & script analyses issues, going from “What the #&$#,” to “maybe he/she has a small point in a small area,” to “yes, I really do need to rewrite my script, not just proof it.” But it was good to hear about feedback issues. I learned to consider what areas that a particular analyst is good in and focus on those areas.
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So many things to be learned from the opening teleconference. My main goal is to stay empowered and keep momentum going to write this new calling card script. Really loved the empowerment exercise and continually incorporating it before each assignment.
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I learned how perfectionism kills creativity by shutting off the ability to think of new ideas that could augment or improve the script. I also learned why giving feedback is more important and instructive than receiving feedback.
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Hal’s opening provided a LOT of valuable information. I especially appreciated his real life examples, like the author who starts writing at 9 every day, takes a lunch break, hits it again in the afternoon, then quits for the day. I learned my writing could be way more successful if approached as a regular job instead of a hobby as time allows. And luckily this is the first time in my life I’m able to do that.
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I think what I heard was that we are our own worst enemies sometimes and that the course will teach us to recognize self-sabotage and nip it so that we can move forward and concentrate on writing our best!! Also, to be open to brainstorming and growth. The tendency to fall on past processes and be rigid is an adult trait that we need to lose. The idea of fun is childlike, in the present, and fosters the creative process. I also appreciated the parameters for feedback, focused, specific, and presented in a way that can help the writer.
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I learned the importance of being empowered. Empowerment is the state you want to be in with your creativity. It’s where you want to live your life. If you’re empowered, you’re operating at your best. You’re excited and feel great about doing the work.
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