Inspiration from the Oscars

Fifteen years ago, I was a film and theater critic. This was back when newspapers actually employed people to cover the arts.
 
Even though I am no longer paid to write about film, I still have a deep love for it and the craft of screenwriting. And while I’m fine with The Shape of Water winning Best Picture this year, the film I wanted to win was Get Out.
 
So when Get Out director and screenwriter Jordan Peele won for Best Original Screenplay, I was happy to see the Oscars recognize a writer who did something bold and audacious.
 
And Peele was rewarded because he never gave up. He said the idea for Get Out came to him years ago and he quit writing the screenplay at least twenty times. Because wrapping a message about race and class into a groundbreaking horror movie is really, really hard.
 
"But I kept coming back to it because I knew if someone would let me make this movie, that people would hear it and people would see it," Peele said.
 
Take chances. Don’t worry about chasing the latest fad. Write from your heart. And never, never, ever give up.