Your Script Will Fail (Write Anyway)

“If you’re a writer, you’ll keep on writing. If you have it in you, you will keep on writing.”

Brock Swinson
2 min readDec 6, 2024

Good morning,

Let’s explore how Julie Delpy approaches screenwriting success through relentless persistence and strategic thinking…

And the unconventional mindset that drives her creative process.

Here’s her raw, practical approach to sustaining a writing career:

“If you’re a writer, you’ll keep on writing. If you have it in you, you will keep on writing.”

Let’s break down her core principles:

1. Writing as Necessity

  • Write continuously regardless of outcome
  • Treat writing as a fundamental need
  • Use creative pressure as motivation

2. Strategic Project Management

  • Maintain multiple projects simultaneously
  • Balance personal work with commissioned projects
  • Be ready to pivot when opportunities arise

3. Comedy Development Process

  • Test material with live audiences
  • Workshop jokes before finalizing scripts
  • Build through collaborative feedback

The game-changing insight: Success in screenwriting isn’t about waiting for perfect conditions — it’s about maintaining momentum while strategically positioning your work for production opportunities.

Her tactical advice for writers:

  • Accept that good scripts might not get made
  • Channel rejected ideas into collaborative projects
  • Build a diverse portfolio of work

Quick mindset shift: Stop thinking about “breaking in” as a single moment. Instead, focus on creating a sustainable writing practice that can weather industry challenges while continuously developing your craft.

Keep writing,

- Brock Swinson

P.S. Here’s my full audio interview with Julie Delpy

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Brock Swinson
Brock Swinson

Written by Brock Swinson

I Help Creatives Get Their Most Ambitious Work into the World... https://www.brockswinson.com/home

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