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Accomplishments and overcoming obstacles can range from getting over an addiction to getting hired at your dream job.

Lots of families have drug-addicted sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers. What do you do when tough love isn’t enough? How about writing about it? This is how you get a movie made, by plumbing your own emotional depths to find a truth greater than yourself that will resonate with an audience. When people recognize their own relatives in your movie, your writing will truly move to another level. It’s why the movie The Fighter was so powerful. Christian Bale’s character is an addict, but his character’s mother is in denial. The movie’s journey is as much the story of Bale’s character and his mother’s acceptance of this addiction as it is the victory of Mark Wahlberg’s character in the ring.

Another movie about addiction is coauthor Paul Peditto’s Pictures of Baby Jane Doe (you will find the entire script in the Appendix). The story studies addiction from the point of view of the enabler.

You can tell your story from whatever angle you know best whether you were the addict, or someone you knew was the addict, and show how the addiction affected loved ones.

• Did you go from making $50,000 to $100,000 a year (or vice versa)?

• Were you at the top of your graduating class?

• Did you figure out an answer to a problem that stumped everyone else around you for months?

• Did you overcome an addiction when everyone else had given up on you?

• Are you living the life of your dreams? If not, ask yourself why?

If you want to see an inspiring true story, watch 127 Hours. The story is based on the mountain climber, Aron Lee Ralston, who overcame incredible odds to survive.