Scott Myers wrote this helpful article on the importance of knowing when to say no to a writing job:
In the event you break into the business as a screenwriter, you need to be prepared to say this word: “No.”
The simple fact is if you say yes, you can make a lot of money as a screenwriter. You can also end up writing a lot of crap. And over time that can kill your soul. Call it blood money.
As soon as you say “yes” on a project, the studio in effect owns you. So in a way, the only true power a screenwriter has — other than their writing ability — is to say “no.”
Here’s an example: Let’s say you have a deep, instinctive hatred toward all things related to horses. Perhaps you fell off a horse when you were a child and broke your coccyx. Maybe your father gambled away the family’s life savings by betting - and losing everything - on the longshot Snotblossom at Santa Anita. Maybe you get physically nauseous if you’re channel surfing and you happen upon My Friend Flicka. Whatever. The thing is - you despise horses!
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