Love vs. Money
The hardest decision a professional screenwriter has to make
We all want to love what we do. But in the high-stakes world of commercial writing, we often face a devilish temptation: a project that pays incredibly well but feels fundamentally ‘wrong.’
A while ago, I had the chance to work with a famous documentary filmmaker. My portfolio impressed the team, and I was given a test assignment. I studied the materials, I found the story... and then I walked away.
The Moral Roadblock
The director, once known for deep social films, had pivoted to ‘True Crime’. For me it’s a genre that exploits human suffering for cheap entertainment (I know my opinion isn’t popular, but still). As I watched the footage, I realized I couldn’t spend my days marinating in someone else’s agony just for a paycheck.
It reminded me of an earlier mistake in my career: a project for an online casino. Back then, I said ‘yes.’ The result? Burnout, panic attacks, and the realization that no amount of money can fix a fractured conscience.
The Integrity Filter
Now, I have a simple rule: if I take on a project, it’s because I see a soul in it.
In 2026, where the market is flooded with ‘content for the sake of content,’ integrity is the only thing that doesn’t scale. You can hire AI to write a script for a casino, but you can’t hire it to care about the impact of its words.
The Takeaway
Choosing ‘Love’ over ‘Money’ isn’t about being a ‘starving artist.’ It’s about professional longevity. If you write something that you hate, you will eventually stop being a writer. You will become just a typewriter.
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