20 Three Golden Rules Syd Field taught me the real meaning of downloading. It was so refreshing to talk to an amazing writer like Syd and hear him say that he didn't write. He spent half his time each day downloading the alpha state ideas he had from the previous day, and then spent the rest of his daily writing time evaluating and polishing the ideas he wrote down from the day before. Syd says that he `throws his ideas onto paper' and then worries BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL screenwriter means following a few simple rules. Of course the usual mental and physical health rules apply. The biblical golden rule ­ Do unto others as you would have them do unto you ­ is also a pretty good rule to follow. A successful screenwriter needs, I feel, a few more specific rules that outline a plan of attack to the specific problems that a screenwriter faces. Rule Number One: Quantity, Not Quality