Zachary Rowell, the winner of SoCreate’s “So, Write Your Bills Away” Sweepstakes, has been given the chance of a lifetime. We are paying his bills for three months, so all he must do is focus on writing a feature-length script! No big deal (wink, wink). While the final script belongs entirely to him at the end of the 90 days, the setup is a bit like a job: Zachary has to prove he’s written at least 30 pages a month to get his monthly paycheck. Luckily, he’s ahead of schedule, because he admittedly didn’t get much done this week. He explains why below.
The important takeaway from Zachary’s check-in this week, at least for me, is that writing should be fun. It shouldn’t feel like a chore, at least not usually, and it is okay to take a break if it does. Because what’s more important? In my opinion, it’s more important that we continue to love what we do, so we can continue to tell our stories. So, take the days off, but do it with purpose. Recharge and reconnect. Sometimes the best stories come from the research, experiences, and quiet time that we only get when we step away from our laptops.
“So, I have a confession to make on this week six, I believe. I’ve probably done about a page, if that, this past week. It’s because I’ve been visiting my girlfriend’s family, and we took a long drive up to Idaho Falls from California. It’s like a 17-hour drive. A lot of long days. Olive is not – hey Olive, say hello to the camera – she not very, she’s not had a good time. She doesn’t like the car that much, even with her little dog seat. Yeah, so I completely failed with writing this week. And that’s why it’s good to get ahead. My hair, I haven’t showered in a few days. I feel like I’m in some survival movie.
So now, we are on our way home. We’re at the Virgin River Casino in Mesquite, just a quick stop to like sleep last night. They have cheap rooms. And once you get inside those rooms, you can kind of see why they’re priced at $27 a night. I did not gamble at the casino. Don’t have money for that. The money I do have, I’m not going to gamble away, unless it’s a screenwriting contest and you know I might get a little crazy with it.
So yeah, I didn’t do a lot of writing, but I’m still ahead of schedule. You know you don’t have to force it. That’s one thing you should remember. It’s okay to spend time with your family. It’s okay to spend time with some friends. Don’t make it to where you end up hating or dreading writing. Like ugh, it’s a chore. I have to do it. It shouldn’t feel like that. Unless you’re pushing a deadline, and you might have to do that sometimes. The majority of people, you’re probably not working with a deadline, so don’t make yourself hate the writing process. Try to be in love with it for as long as you can.
This is going to be a short vlog. I’m looking over like I’m about to get robbed or something, but I’m just waiting for them to get out of checking out and getting their Starbucks inside. There’s been at least five Starbucks stops along the way. Every morning, Starbucks. I don’t drink coffee. Caffeine is not my friend. It makes my heart race.
Anyway, I might add another clip just because I feel like this is pretty lame right now. So, we’ll see. I’ll come back later.”