Passion
My one-word summary of the 2016 London Screenwriters’ Festival
As I sit at Heathrow Airport waiting for my flight back home to Frankfurt, I have time to process the amazing week I’ve just had at this year’s LSF. So many great sessions about craft, business and industry, script to screens, table reads, script chats etc etc etc… and all of it created out of and driven by one thing.
Passion.
The passion of festival director and motivator par excellence Chris Jones and his absolutely fabulous team. Man, you have to have a LOT of passion to be putting in 16 hours a day and still be smiling on Sunday evening! Saying “thank you” is not nearly enough but – thank you, all. You rock.
In many sessions, there were questions from the audience such as “what is the most important factor for (your) success”, “what can I do to make it”, or even just a very general “what advice would you give a new writer?” The answers varied in shades and personal stories, but the common factor was – passion. “Tell them WHY you are the person to write this story,” was one answer I heard again and again. Your answer to this “why” is given by your passion.
Passion is what takes your networking – hi how are you what are you working on what can I do to help you? – to the level of authentic connections and beautiful friendships. We are brought together by a common passion, a love for visual storytelling, and when that clicks, you know it.
Passion is at the root of perseverance, it is what will drive you to never give up. So let your passion run the show. It will make your writing better and your life richer. And that in itself is success.
Vera Mark
Screenwriter
Posted by a member of the London Screenwriters’ Festival team.
