Unlocking the Secrets of J.F. Lawton: The Screenwriting Tricks That Hollywood Won’t Tell You
“There’s a great story I heard the other day that I’ll rip off. I guess it’s a classic Japanese story about a tea ceremony expert who got into a spat with somebody. The guy challenged him to a sword fight, and because of his honor, he had to go. So he went to a great sword master and said, ‘What can you do? It’s tomorrow. What can you teach me?’ The sword master said, ‘There’s no time for you to learn anything, but I’ll just tell you one thing. When you draw your sword, fully commit to your action. If you commit absolutely, you have a chance.’ So he goes to the duel with this other fine swordsman. They are standing there. He starts to reach for his sword… and the other guy concedes because he can sense that the man is so committed he’s going to lose. Likewise, in this business, you do have to fully commit to what you do and not be worried about the consequences. Instead of trying to second guess what the market will buy or what the audience will enjoy, it’s important to pick what you want to do, fully commit to it, and stick to it as best you can.”
— J.F. Lawton
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