The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna 264 | Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind, I Am Legend, Star Trek): Turning Writing Into a Job (and a Life)
Sep 25, 2025
Akiva Goldsman, an Academy Award-winning screenwriter known for A Beautiful Mind and I Am Legend, shares invaluable insights on making writing a sustainable career. He emphasizes treating writing like a job with set hours to reduce anxiety. Akiva discusses the importance of knowing your story's ending, crafting first drafts as a form of seduction, and using dialogue that resonates emotionally. He also tackles the myth of writer's block, encouraging writers to keep producing. Plus, he reveals how to embed personal truth into adaptations.
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Took A Derby Rewrite Gig
- Akiva described taking a production rewrite 'derby' gig during a dry spell and committing to it.
- He now writes long days on that job and appreciates the limited emotional drain it requires.
First Drafts Should Seduce
- A first screenplay draft should seduce readers with evocative prose and emotional voice.
- Screenplay prose matters beyond dialogue because it guides the director's imagination.
Smuggle Your Truth Into Adaptations
- Akiva smuggles his emotional truth into adaptations by marrying source material with personal history.
- He aims for emotional truth over factual autobiography.
