10 More Movie Quotes That Are Applicable to Your Life as a Writer

We've talked about a great deal over the last 6 months. Plot Twists, Inspirational Quotes, Award Ceremonies, LSF, Writing Partner Assassination, Imaginary "Friends", Midichlorians... But, as a sneak peek behind the scenes of Anti-Scriptwriting, by far my most popular post is the "10 Movie Quotes That Are Strangely Applicable to Your Life as a Writer". And so, as all great writers do, I'm selling out and doing the sequel. My reasons are more leaning towards nostalgia than anything, but that's because I'm going on a hiatus for a while, due to numerous project deadlines and the ongoing hunt for paid employment, so I thought, "Why not go out with a BANG?"

1) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

"Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1."
"Never tell me the odds."

It's important not to let your chances of success or failure overwhelm you as a writer. Getting a career off the ground is a roll of the dice, but the only way you're going to keep rolling is if you ignore the harsh realities of your chosen occupation and just enjoy the ride. In fact, C3PO's random statistic has been disproven anyway, meaning that the odds are really yours to control.

2) The Big Lebowski

"That rug really tied the room together."

It's quite easy to get hung up on one largely meaningless item in your script because of sentiment. Maybe a friend has told you to get rid of it because it just isn't working. Maybe a script editor red-penned that thing into oblivion. Maybe you're at your movie's premiere and you realise that the director has got rid of your protagonist. I'd mention THAT song from Frozen here, but that'd mean I'd be doing 11 Movie Quotes...

3) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

"What do you think you are, for Christ's sake, crazy or somethin'? Well, you're not! You're not! You're no crazier than the average asshole walkin' around on the streets and that's it."

People give writers a bad rep for being weird, reclusive introverts, which, for the most part, is untrue. The funny thing is, a lot of society's preconceptions are based on what they've seen in movies and on TV - something that the writer has created. Writers write about the weird and wonderful people in the world around them, because everyone is crazy.

4) Trainspotting

"Living like this is a full time business"

There's no off-switch for a writer. It's not a 9-5 stint and then chill in front of the telly for the rest of the night. Ideas don't care about working hours. If you're even a half decent writer, you'll know what I'm talking about. Walking to the shops, brushing your teeth, listening to the news - they're all really just excuses for your head to have the time to cook up your next big story. Also, don't do drugs.

5) The Incredibles

"No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for... ten minutes!"

Much like above, a writer's work never stops, even when you have only just finished a project. Chances are you're working on several things at once anyway. There's never much time for a holiday or even a cool down period in between stories. But I wouldn't know what to do if I just stopped one day, and I'm sure you probably wouldn't either.

6) There Will Be Blood

"I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed."

Perhaps we don't reach Daniel Plainview's level of contempt in our world of work, but, as I've spoken about before, being a competitive writer has its pros and cons. A competitive streak can be an excellent motivator, and, whatever your feelings are about the thousands of other writers out there, at some point, you've got to have the self belief to brush aside their needs for your own.

7) The Social Network

"You know, you really don't need a forensics team to get to the bottom of this. If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you'd have invented Facebook."

Intellectual property is always a touchy subject with writers. We all know that there are no truly original stories, and much of our job is to try and repurpose and reinvent the wheel, or at least the way that the wheel is executed. Bottom line is that if you've come up with something "new", don't let others take that away from you, even if someone does your thing before you slightly differently.

8) Birdman: or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

"Listen to me. I'm trying to do something important."
"This is not important."
"It's important to me!"

Knowing why you're doing something is crucial in writing. More often than not, though, writers can forget who they're writing for. Most of the time, it'll be for themselves, even if they don't realise it. I'm not saying that you should be considering the commercial value of everything you do, but, at the end of the day, what good is a film going to be if no one is going to see it?

9) Airplane!

"I just wanted to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you."

Sometimes you just need to be repeatedly reminded that you have people who love and support what you're doing. Being a writer can be an isolated experience, and if your friends and family have the belief to get through your hard times, you owe it to them to do your absolute best. Also, I just wanted to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you.

10) Interstellar

"We've always defined ourselves by the ability to overcome the impossible. And we count these moments. These moments where we dare to aim higher, to break barriers, to reach for the stars, to make the unknown known. We count these moments as our proudest achievements. But we lost all that. Our perhaps we've just forgotten that we are still pioneers."

Kind of says it all really.

James Cottle, after studying Scriptwriting for 4 years, is now an embittered real life freelance writer, and seeks to unlearn everything he knows. But he needs your help... Follow him on Twitter @Jxmxsc and share this blog to help spread his anarchic plight for reform amongst the writing masses.