Unscripted with Lauren Marie Fleming

Dear friend,

This summer I’m making a queer romcom here in San Diego with local cast and crew — and I want you to join in the fun.

Wow. It feels scary and exciting to say that out loud!

If you want to know why this is such a HUGE deal for me, here are some past posts talking about my history with film and television:

* Returning to My First Love of Filmmaking — And Asking If It’s Too Late

* Will This Help Me Win an Oscar Surrounded by People I Love?

* I Spent Years Thinking I Wasn’t Brave Enough for Hollywood

There are four ways you can be a part of this film:

* Cast

* Crew

* Cheerleader

* Investors

More on each in the post.

If you want in, fill out this form.

I’ll also be documenting the whole process here on Substack, so if you aren’t a subscriber yet, be sure to do that now.

I cannot wait to make a movie with you!

Because the world needs our stories now more than ever.

With love and art,

Lauren

P.S. Know someone who has always wanted to be in the movies? Got a friend in San Diego who would be a great member of our creative team? Have a following on social media who might want in? Share this post!

Dear friend,

I dream of winning an Oscar surrounded by people I love, and I’m pretty sure stickers are the key to making it happen.

Why stickers?

I’m glad you asked.

Here is the story behind the stickers and how I've used a one page sticker chart I call 33 Asks® to:

* Generate over $475,000 in my business.

* Get a literary agent and a book deal.

* Start dating again.

* Restart my filmmaking career.

* Make friends in Mexico.

* Pack my Because Fat Girl book launch events and build a fan base that helped it get into airports and bookstores across the USA and read around the world.

* Find queer friends to go dancing with me.

I was even featured on Good Morning America talking about the process!

And now, I’m teaching you 33 Asks®!

You can learn the full process at 33Asks.com, but today's post has all the basics you need to get started.

The world is on fire, but creativity is the balm. Asking for what we want is how we feel empowered to make change.

Yes, I’d love you to take the full class at 33Asks.com, but more than that, I want you to go out there and ask for what you want in life and make your creative dreams come true.

Because the world needs our stories now more than ever.

With love and stickers,

Lauren

P.S. Now, I have an ask of you. If you enjoyed this post and found it helpful, can you please share it with a friend or on your social media? It’s a free and easy way to spread the love.

Dear friend,

This weekend, I struggled to practice what I preach.

I was supposed to send my Sunday letter to you yesterday, but I couldn’t get myself to finish it. I was too distracted by a pile of hate that was being dumped into the comments of an Instagram reel of mine.

I wanted to fight back.

Listen to hear what I did instead.

And check out this post if you want your own Creative Life Blueprint to help you in situations like this.

Because the world needs our stories now more than ever.

With love,

Lauren

P.S. Want to help cheer me up after all of that hate? Leave a 5-star review for Because Fat Girl on Amazon or Goodreads today. It really helps counteract the haters, boost my visibility, and help me get the next books out.

Dear friend,

I’m a dreamer and a doer, but looking back at my life, the most important and profound moments were never planned.

They were times when Fate, God, Life, the Universe, whatever you want to call it said “PSYCH” and pushed me off course.

If you are in an unplanned life pivot right now, here are three questions to ask yourself:

* Who and what am I grateful for in my life?

* Who and what do I love in my life?

* Where and when can I add more joy, decadence and whimsy to my life?

Those three questions seem simple, but they’ll open up a world of truth within you. They’ll show you what’s missing and what you already have. They’ll help you decide what comes next and how you want it to feel.

Once you have the answers to those questions, you’ll be ready to start creating your own Creative Life Blueprint – the path you’ll take forward to build a life centered around that gratitude, love, and joy you just defined.

For that, you’ll need this post where I outline the whole process:

https://unscripted.laurenmariefleming.com/p/how-i-reset-my-entire-life-every

Or, if you want more handholding and group camaraderie, you can join me April 21 - June 3 for the Creative Life Blueprint group coaching program.

I’m offering it one time only to six people.

Email me at [email protected] if you want in.

Whatever path you choose, I hope you’re able to find the magic in the unplanned moments — the ones that punch you in the gut, the ones that surprise you with joy, and every one in between.

Because the world needs your story now more than ever.

With love and resilience,

Lauren

P.S. My Creative Life Blueprint coaching program starts April 21. I’m not offering this again and I only have one spot left, so reply now if you want it. I’d love to have you in.

Dear friend,

I just got out of the shower.

I’m wearing my book nerd shirt.

I’m heading to book club soon – in fact, I am already late.

But I had to record this before I lost my nerve.

Here you have it, the first official announcement:

I am making a short film.

And I’m sharing the budget with you today.

Which is really scary! Not because it’s high (although it’s not cheap…) but because this means it’s all real.

I haven’t made an actual film since film school. As you can see in this video, I’m so nervous I’m shaking.

But I did my two-year life reset at the end of 2025.

I made my North Star question and declared it publicly:

Will this get me closer to winning an Oscar surrounded by people I love?

I am following my own Creative Life Blueprint and practicing what I preach.

But just because I’m doing the damn thing, doesn’t mean I’m not scared $#@!less!

It is so scary to no longer wonder if I can do it, and take the leap of faith to find out.

It’s so scary to enter back into an industry that has historically been unsafe for people like me – to go for a job I’d assumed I hadn’t been brave enough to pursue.

In this video I walk you through everything that goes into a micro-budget short film — from the DP and sound tech to the script supervisor I didn’t even know I needed, to festival submission fees, to feeding people because hangry crew members are nobody’s friend.

I don’t have the money to make this film right now. I don’t have the crew, or the cast, or the gear. I don’t remember most of what I learned in film school.

But I have my North Star. I have my Creative Life Blueprint.

And every time I get scared I come back to the same reminder: I never thought I’d have a book in airports across the country either.

If I can get Because Fat Girl out in the world after years of rejection, I can make a movie.

And in the end, I’d rather fail trying to do something I love than die never having tried.

If you want to define your own North Star, I’ve got two ways to help you:

* I’ve outlined the full thing for free in this Substack post.

* I’m offering a one-time only, small group coaching program to walk you through the process. It’s seven weeks long, and we start April 21. Interested? Reply to this message and I’ll send you the details.

I’m sharing both my Creative Life Blueprint process and behind-the-scenes of this movie with you to hopefully go out there, be brave, and do the boldly creative thing you dream of in your life.

Because the world needs our stories now more than ever.

With nervous excitement,

Lauren

P.S. As promised, here’s a screenshot of the general budget I’m working with. I don’t have the costs in, because … well it felt too scary to share just yet! But this gives you a general idea:

Dear friend,

Recently, I took an acting class and the teacher gave me this note:

You use joy as armor.

And damn, if that wasn’t completely spot on for how I’m dealing with the world right now.

To be openly gay in the face of fascism is a radical act.

If you think calling the Trump administration “fascism” feel hyperbolic, might I suggest reading this.

The America that the alt-right MAGA lovers long for is the one I sadly grew up in – and not one I’m keen to return to.

We’ve had joy as armor longer than we’ve had legal protections.

As things get worse and worse in my country, all I want to do is get more and more gay.

In every sense of the word.

Because when we lose the love and we lose the joy then we lose the battle.

And I refuse to let those hateful fuckers win.

With joy in the face of it all,

Lauren

P.S. While joy is wonderful, it’s also not enough. If you need legal support, or have energy to support LGBTQ causes right now, check out the National Center for LGBTQ Rights. I know their work intimately and can vouch for how important and powerful it is.

Dear friend,

I had a gut-wrenching, snot-filled, on-the-floor cry after my TV comedy writing class on Tuesday.

For decades, I beat myself up for not being brave enough to try to make it in Hollywood.

As I dive back into filmmaking, I keep wondering where my career would be if I’d just had the balls to move to Los Angeles like my male classmates did.

This post look at reframing that for myself and for you.

See the full post and join the conversation here: https://open.substack.com/pub/laurenmariefleming/p/i-spent-years-thinking-i-wasnt-brave

Sharing Is Caring

Here are some relevant resources that you might find helpful if you liked today’s letter:

* The key to making your creative dreams come true? Resilience. And I’ve got some fun and colorful tools to help you build up yours. Check it out at 33Asks.com.

* I still keep in touch with my screenwriting Professor James McBride – even thanked him in the acknowledgement of Because Fat Girl. He has a new book out that’s a great insight into acting and directing. Grab a copy here.

* My novel Because Fat Girl is a look at what my life would have been like if I hadn’t given up on my film directing dreams – and if The Rock fell in love with me. It’s as fun as it sounds. You should grab a copy here.

* If you liked this post, here are two more you’ll also love:

*Some of these links might be affiliate links, but I only share resources I love, regardless of affiliate status.

Dear friend,

Having a goal gives us focus, purpose, and direction in life – so what happens when you achieve that goal?

In late 2024, my lifelong dream came true. And now, I have to reorient myself to a new goal centered around one question:

Will this help me win an Oscar surrounded by people I love?

In today's episode, I share the journey I went on to create a new North Star.

You can find the full post with pictures here:

If you want to create your own North Star, check out this post here: https://unscripted.laurenmariefleming.com/p/how-i-reset-my-entire-life-every

And be sure to subscribe to both the Substack and wherever you listen to podcasts to support Unscripted and your own creative journey.

Because the world needs your story now more than ever.

After a month of writing, resting, and healing in Mexico, I wrestle with how to carry that lightness back to a country in crisis. This episode explores grief, patriotism, and coming home changed.

Experience the full post – with links, images and video – here: https://open.substack.com/pub/laurenmariefleming/p/i-dont-know-how-to-come-back-to-america?r=3gbzcd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

And be sure to subscribe there and wherever you listen to this podcast.

~~~

SHARING IS CARING LINKS:

* Journaling – you can get my course for free right now with code “love”.

* Reading – you can see some of my favorites here.

* Actively building creative resilience – and I have a free toolkit to help you do that.

Dear friend,

I know you just got a letter from me yesterday, but experiencing the Benito Bowl in Mexico felt like it deserved a special Monday mention.

Bad Bunny’s performance wasn’t just a thing of artistic and symbolic beauty, it was a declaration:

* That America is a diverse and beautiful place full of art, culture, and languages.

* That together, we are America.

* That love and unity is stronger than hate and division.

May we all carry that feeling with us as we continue to fight against those who would try to convince us otherwise.

With love,

Lauren

P.S. If you haven’t yet, check out my latest letter on growing up on the border, traveling to Mexico as a visitor, and learning to walk the line between appreciation and appropriation.

P.P.S. Trying to figure out how to balance art and activism, life and protest? Me too. I wrote this letter for us.