I’ve spent nearly 25 years learning the art of writing by taking countless and countless and countless of classes.  Since then I’ve been trying to perfecting my craft to to reflect my inner voice; I’ve dabbled in children’s stories but my mainstay was screenwriting. I’ve met the “who’s who” of established screenwriters over my years and learned one very important thing…it’s difficult to come up with something original let alone have a “fresh” take on something done before. All around me I hear people say negative comments about a movie they saw or a tv show they just watched; granted it’s their right to express their opinions but something inside me just cringes and snaps. In a dream scenario, I would jump out of my chair and slap them silly until they pass out. Why you may ask would I do such a horrific thing? Well, as a writer, I know how hard it is to come up with an idea and I know the tedious task of taking that idea and creating a well constructed story. Even the most crappiest of movies had to be written. If those people making snide remarks about a movie knew one iota about the process of writing then they wouldn’t be quick to judge. I would like to see them try and do better; I know for a fact that they would fall flat on their faces right out of the gate. A person slaved away countless of hours doing what they love just to tell a simple story; it’s their pride and passion and you’re gonna rain down on their parade. For crying out loud people, it’s just a movie! It’s meant to entertain you, make you forget your problems! That’s all! It’s not meant to win the Pulitzer or Noble…it’s a movie. It’s make-believe. Suspend all disbelief and assume the impossible is possible. Just shut up and have fun…and stop being a critic.