David Hal Chester
KEEP GOING
If you are a writer, specifically a screenwriter, you must have heard the phrase "Keep writing!" It's always said in a cheerful way. No...
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DAVID HAL CHESTER
SCREENWRITER/FILMMAKER
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David Hal Chester
- Apr 11
- 3 min
DO IT YOURSELF
(Photo by Zbynek Polak) You want to be a screenwriter. A director. A producer. You want to do it all. You don't have any money, you don't...
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David Hal Chester
- Dec 9, 2022
- 3 min
DON'T LET FEAR HOLD YOU BACK
2022 was perhaps the most challenging year of my life. I started off with a health crisis that I was sure spelled the end for me. By the...
73 views1 comment
David Hal Chester
- Aug 28, 2022
- 3 min
VALUE YOUR VOICE
Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? But for me, it took me decades to accept that I even had a voice. I spent the majority of my life...
63 views0 comments
David Hal Chester
- Apr 20, 2022
- 2 min
ACCEPTING NOTES GRACEFULLY, WITH GRATITUDE
Because I came to screenwriting much later than most writers do, I always felt I had to try harder and learn more and be better. I was...
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David Hal Chester
- Feb 5, 2022
- 3 min
YOU AGAINST THE WORLD
I used to write with co-writers. I loved the experience. I do not like writing alone. That said, even though I had co-writers, I often...
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David Hal Chester
- Oct 29, 2021
- 1 min
I GUESS I'M LEGIT NOW
I wouldn't say I have "imposter screenwriter" syndrome, but I definitely have moments where I think, "Okay, step back, it's time to let...
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David Hal Chester
- Sep 8, 2021
- 3 min
FROM CONCEPT TO SCRIPT IN 4-6 WEEKS
You have an idea for a screenplay. In fact, you might even have a finished screenplay. Now, you want to engage a producer or manager. Do...
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David Hal Chester
- Aug 1, 2021
- 3 min
FIRST, YOU MUST BELIEVE
I did not start screenwriting until the age at which most people have already achieved career success in their chosen field. In my case,...
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David Hal Chester
- Jun 16, 2021
- 3 min
OUTLINE, OUTLINE, OUTLINE!
Did I say "outline"? I recently handed in a first draft of a feature screenplay that I was hired to write by a production company that...
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David Hal Chester
- May 23, 2021
- 2 min
BIG MONEY COMES EASY; SMALL MONEY COMES HARD
The first time I heard this phrase, I couldn't understand what it meant. Colleen, my friend and former roommate, said it one day when we...
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David Hal Chester
- Apr 26, 2021
- 3 min
BREAK THE RULES. GO ON, BREAK THEM!
Perhaps some of you have heard of the American Western crime drama TV series "Justified." The series was created by Graham Yost, based on...
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David Hal Chester
- Apr 19, 2021
- 2 min
SAYING GOODBYE TO EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE
I am a lucky person. I have many, many things: clothes on my back, food in my stomach, a roof over my head, sunlight streaming through my...
34 views2 comments
David Hal Chester
- Jan 28, 2021
- 2 min
Is your one-page written pitch up to snuff?
Hello all. It's been a while. I hope you and yours are well. It's been a challenging time. I thought it might be beneficial to share some...
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David Hal Chester
- Nov 20, 2020
- 2 min
The Value of Notes
November 20, 2020 When you ask for (or pay for) someone to give you notes on your screenplay, you must accept that the reader may offer...
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David Hal Chester
- Nov 19, 2020
- 3 min
On Point: 10 Pitching Tips for Screenwriters
November 19, 2020 I can say without hesitation that pitching my screenplays has been the most terrifying thing I have ever done. I can...
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David Hal Chester
- Nov 1, 2020
- 3 min
HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY IN 10 DAYS OR LESS
NOVEMBER 1, 2020 If you are a screenwriter, produced or not, you will know those moments… those moments when you start to question… WTF...
21 views0 comments
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