Tara and I have been rewriting our screenplay for a director who’s made hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office.
It’s been hard, fun, exciting, and humbling.
Because when I went back and read the draft this director gave notes on, I realized something:
The script was good.
But it wasn’t great.
I didn’t know that. When Tara and I wrote it back in 2024, I thought it was great.
And this insight has totally changed how I view where I’m at with our screenwriting.
Success comes when you’re great. Not before.
Earlier this year, I wrote the following in an article about why Tara and I started a YouTube channel:
“Without being a ‘name’ writer (someone who’s gotten their movie made and didn’t lose the producer a ton of money), a great script isn’t enough anymore to attract permissioned leverage. This is leverage that someone else needs to give you in the form of money or labor for you to turn your script into a movie or TV show.
As a writer at our level, we need to find a way to add more value than just a great script. So, Tara and I embarked on building a YouTube channel.”
Now, I still think putting the reps in creatively to build an audience and hone your craft is important.
But I’ve changed my mind about one critical part of the equation. Specifically, that a great script isn’t enough.
I think it can be enough. We just haven’t written anything that’s truly great.
We’ve written a lot of stuff that’s good — good enough to get real Hollywood producers attached to our projects.
And now, for the first time, it looks like we’re good enough to get real directors attached to our projects.
But there’s still two more levels to go…
Next, we have to be good enough to get star actors interested in our projects.
And finally, we have to be good enough for buyers. This is the biggest hurdle because they put real money on the line (millions of dollars) to bring your script to life.
Are we good enough for that?
We’ll find out. But I’ll share a simple trick you can use to see how close your work is to being great…
More after a quick message from this week’s sponsor:
Turn AI into Your Income Engine
Ready to transform artificial intelligence from a buzzword into your personal revenue generator
HubSpot’s groundbreaking guide "200+ AI-Powered Income Ideas" is your gateway to financial innovation in the digital age.
Inside you'll discover:
A curated collection of 200+ profitable opportunities spanning content creation, e-commerce, gaming, and emerging digital markets—each vetted for real-world potential
Step-by-step implementation guides designed for beginners, making AI accessible regardless of your technical background
Cutting-edge strategies aligned with current market trends, ensuring your ventures stay ahead of the curve
Download your guide today and unlock a future where artificial intelligence powers your success. Your next income stream is waiting.
Look at the greatness around you and ask if you’re at that level.
Tara and I just rewatched “Meet The Parents” — it’s an all-time classic comedy. I recently watched “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” probably the greatest adventure movie ever made. I just started reading “The Bourne Identity” again and my god if I can’t put that book down. It’s truly great.
I look at this work, and then I look at our screenwriting and I have to ask: are we operating at this level?
Obviously, you have to be extremely honest with yourself if this exercise is going to be any use.
And the honest answer is no. Our work is not at that level.
You may ask, “well, who is?” These are some of the greatest pieces of work ever done. Isn’t it a waste of time to compare yourself to that?
No! Because as stupid as it sounds, I want to be great. As great as those who made the classics I love to watch and read.
There are so many mediocre movies. So many bad books. Why would I strive for anything else but greatness? Writing a movie is hard to begin with — why not go the extra (10,000) miles to try and make it great?
It’s just that the bar of greatness is higher than I thought. Much, much higher.
And that’s okay because it gives me something to work towards.
If you knew in the beginning how hard it was, would you ever start?
I’m glad I didn’t know how hard this was going to be. It would have been much harder to start down this path in the first place.
There is magic in ignorance. False confidence can be a gift in the beginning because it gets you going. It gets you in the game.
If I had known how much work, how much disappointment, how much frustration, how many close calls, how much patience I would need to even get this far, would I have jumped in with as much enthusiasm as I did five years ago?
Probably not. But even after all we’ve been through, we’re still writing. We’re still pitching. We’re still coming up with ideas.
Because I love it. And I couldn’t stop if I tried.
The gift of ignorance is that by the time you learn how hard it’s going to be, you’re already good. And if you’re good, you have a chance to be great.
So don’t stop now.
Thanks for reading.
-Thomas
P.S. This AI feels like magic…
Speak the email. Send the email.
Talk through your reply and get polished, professional text ready to paste. Wispr Flow strips filler, fixes grammar, and formats everything. 89% sent with zero edits. Works everywhere.
