Posts written by Danny

Now or Never

30th March 2009 by Danny

It’s difficult to talk about ‘time’ or the concept of ‘now’ without resorting to some sort of cliché. “Where has all the time gone?” “Time flies.” “Christmas feels like only yesterday.” “We’re reaching the end of the first decade of the new millennia. How did that happen so quickly?” Warning, more clichés to follow, but bear with me.

Scary, isn’t it? Time whizzes by so fast, it’s difficult to keep up. Before we know it, years have passed and we’ve been so wrapped up in the day-to-day demands of our lives, we haven’t achieved what we set out to do in the first place. This is where mid-life crises looms and we desperately re-evaluate what we want to do. More often than not, it’s too late. We’re too old, too fat, too tired, too busy.

There is one cliché that we should try to embrace: carpe diem. Crikey, good advice from Robin Williams, who knew? Yes, it’s a bit corny but when it comes down to it, there’s no better way of grabbing the best of the present and making the most of now. Ironically, we put up lots of psychological barriers for the things we really want to do. Fear of failure. Not enough money. Too risky. Personal/family responsibilities. Some of these barriers may be genuine but more often than not, they’re just excuses.

For example, if you want to be a writer. Just write. That’s all you have to do. Write. Find the time. Keep writing. Send your stuff out. Take the rejection. Keep going. If you’re talented and lucky enough, something will break, but what excuse do we have not to write? Everyone’s got a spare half hour somewhere.

Me? I’m making the most of now by writing/directing a short film in the hope of attracting interest to a feature film project I’m passionate about. To do this, I know I have to step up to the plate. To take responsibility of what I want to do and what I want to achieve. I’ve never directed before, and the prospect is daunting but very exciting. Bit by bit, the production is coming together, and the short film is becoming a reality. I’m way out of my comfort zone but, minor panic attacks aside, I’m enjoying every minute and pushing myself as far as I can.

I don’t want to look back in ten years time and say: ‘gee, why didn’t I make that short? Why didn’t I give it a go? I shoulda, woulda, coulda, but it just didn’t happen. Ah well, never mind…’ I know this situation could occur all too easily, so I’m fighting it as much as possible. Make things happen. Life isn’t a dress rehearsal. It’s far too short. You only get one shot. Take a chance. Make the best of it. We can take advice and inspiration from these cliches without having to live our lives as one. Avoid the mundane traps and the easy routine. It’s time to be bold and ambitious. That only happens by doing something now. NOW!

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tagged Film Scriptwriting this is now