The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

Why is it so easy for us to love, trust, and nurture our characters, but so hard for us to do that for ourselves?

Positive self-talk is an essential part of embarking on The Screenwriting Journey, and today, we get talk ALL about it!

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Hope you had and are having an AMAZING Holiday. We're going to be doing something a little different for this week's show. Meg and Lorien are taking some MUCH-deserved time off (we hope you can too), but we had a little chat about content we could possibly run, or re-run to keep you going through the Holiday's.

In 2018, Jeff brought Meg and Lorien on his show "The Unproduced Table Read" for a special interview, and that's the moment they began collaborating professionally. It's a really engaging interview, and it's a fun chance for you all to get to know them even better - their time at Pixar, their work collaborating on a pilot together, and, because it's them, a thoughtful and compelling conversation about emotion, bravery, and the work behind the work. 

Anyways, we hope you enjoy the conversation and we'll see you all in 2021!

LISTEN TO THE UNPRODUCED TABLE READ: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unproduced-table-read/id1197673735

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There are many reasons Pixar Animation is culturally hailed as one of the most profound and emotionally resonant studios working in filmmaking today, but the deep, richly drawn writing is one of them.

Today we answer YOUR questions with SOUL screenwriter Mike Jones about the overcoming the fear that accompanies any journey into writing, how to generate confidence, what the Pixar Brain Trust is really like, and Mike even bravely shares a life-altering "lava" moment that ended up cinching one of Soul's best and most important scenes.

SOUL drops on Disney+ on Christmas. 

Script Consultations w/ Pat!: https://patverducci.com/

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Why are so many writers perfectionists? Maybe it's that need for approval, or that desire to see exactly what's in your head show up on the page, but READ THIS: perfectionism is the death of creativity. As celebrated psychologist Dr. Anne Wilson Schaef offers: “Perfectionism is self-abuse of the highest order."

How do we move PAST perfection? Tune in to find out!

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We answer your BURNING questions from two of Hollywood's top producers in the game, whose production company Mockingbird Pictures has been nominated for Oscars, among many other accolades.

More about our guests: Julie Lynn formed Mockingbird Pictures in 1999, with Bonnie Curtis joining in 2012 after more than 15 years working with Steven Spielberg. Together they are producing film and television across a wide variety of genres, with movie budgets that range from under $1 million to over $100 million. They have produced for brand-new filmmakers, as well as experienced, award-winning directors. They are still thinking about what non-profit work they are going to cook up together after they retire from filmmaking … but they are hopeful that day is still many years away. They are most proud of all the “repeat customers” amongst their collaborators, as well as the fact that they were able to successfully take their families on a joint vacation, because they clearly don’t see enough of each other at work.

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It may feel like it's just you and the page, but as we always say during this show: "you are NOT alone on this journey!"

You need to find your people, but how do you do it? Who are your people? And more importantly, who AREN'T your people?

PLUS, we finally clear up the murky waters around all of the "story" people on film sets (supervisors, managers, producers, etc.) What does it all mean? Tune in to find out!

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Last time, we talked about how to keep your writing fun, but we also KNOW it's not always going to be fun. 

It's easy to make excuses as to why we're not writing, but don't forget, those excuses might be pointing to something deeper like fear, or shame, or those "other voices" that get in our way. The good news? That's your LAVA! Today, we talk about how to overcome those excuses and get INTO your writing!

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/689651718467504/

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Remember when you wanted to be a writer because it was FUN?

It seems like an obvious point, but so many of us have lost our ability to enjoy the FUN of writing, which is why we got into it in the first place! Enter: PLAY. Maybe it's exercises with your characters, maybe it's a no-holds barred workshop with your writer's group, or maybe it's FINALLY signing up for that improv class (or that sculpture class - cough, cough, MEG) that you've been eying for weeks.

Let go, and have some FUN today!

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Last we talked about finding YOUR voice, so naturally, we have to ask, what about all of those OTHER voices?

Unproductive voices may be in our own head, or they may be friends, or even family (read: FAMILY). But, the sociocultural voices that permeate our lives can also sabotage our work. How do we know which outside voices are helpful, and how do we know which ones will inevitably sabotage what makes us our writing special?

Other voices are the main cause of IMPOSTER SYNDROME, which is something we all deal with, which is the focus of our question of the week!

Remember to join our Facebook group, and thanks in advance for those beautiful Apple Podcast reviews! 

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Some of Hollywood's greatest writers are known for their "voice" - Nora Ephron's witty female leads. Aaron Sorkin's talky, moving monologues. Charlie Kaufman's mind-bending, sardonic humor.

But what IS voice? Is voice something that we need to be taught, or is it something that we already have? How do we HONE our voice? Meg and Lorien answer all of these questions and more!

PLUS: Producer Jeff is taking a terrifying leap into his own lava and inviting you all to join. 

On Sun, Oct 25 @ 3p PT, he will be conducting a live, virtual table read of his own script he plans to direct with producers, his DP, a group of great LA-Based actors, and many many people watching. If you'd like to join, please RSVP: [email protected]. By RSVP-ing, you'll be getting a ZOOM link to join the many viewers, and a copy of the pre-pro script in it's current form. As we discussed on the show, notes aren't nessecary, but they are very welcome!

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