Finding My Why
Testimonial - By Patrick Kaufmann : Dreamweaver Film Collective Participant
I’ve always loved stories. Never imagined I could tell them. So I dutifully followed my father into the Army. After he died, spending my life in a career that I didn’t love felt pointless. I traded my artillery compass for college textbooks, stumbled into a writing course, and realized I had something to say.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
My writing grew out of this strange intersection of military service and a lifelong fascination with the surreal edges of everyday life. I cover emotional terrain shaped by my combat experience in Iraq, exploring anger, guilt, and responsibility not as abstractions, but as lived realities. Writing lets me face those experiences honestly without being defined by them, transforming personal history into stories meant to resonate with a wider audience.
The journey from Soldier to Writer involved wrestling my vulnerabilities onto the page and trusting my voice. I learned that navigating creative spaces takes discipline and persistence. Somewhere along those early steps, I discovered the Veterans Writing Project.
Sponsored by The Writer Guild Foundation, The Veterans Writing Project is a mentorship opportunity for emerging writers with a military background. It is also a highly competitive program, with an acceptance rate hovering around ten percent.
I didn’t know about the ten percent bit when I applied. Made it all the way to the finals that first year. Tried again a year later and hit the semi-finals before another rejection popped into my inbox.
The next year, I didn’t even make it to the semi-finals, though I did the year after.
That’s four attempts, for anyone counting.
I thought five might be my lucky number, and when it didn’t happen, I almost walked away. Sometimes a no is just a no.
And that would have been the end of it…
…If not for JUMP Boise’s Dreamweaver Collective.
Dreamweaver starts with a workshop that meets most Saturday mornings on the 4th floor of JUMP. You can share an outline, or a short or feature-length script you’ve written, and receive honest, productive feedback to help guide revisions.
In our first meeting I sketched a few ideas for a short film based on mythology. Those ideas turned into a first draft. Then revisions. More revisions.
Nine drafts later, I had a production-ready screenplay about world-weary game show co-host Daedalus and a gym-bro named Theseus.
It’s been the most amazing experience watching five of my screenplays produced as shorts films, including existential sci-fi story ‘The Pit’ and comedy adventure ‘No Signal’. More importantly, I’ve found a community that values collaboration, clarity, and growth.
This community supported me while applying for the 2026-2027 Veterans Writing Project with a simple belief: sometimes a Yes is just one more revision away.
And one afternoon in late April, I opened a message from the Writers Guild Foundation and found my Yes.
I’m honored to join the 2026–2027 Veterans Writing Project and grateful for the path that brought me here. I share this achievement with the Dreamweaver Collective and JUMP Boise, and I look forward to bringing back what I've learned.
I’ve found my why, rooted in telling stories, supporting others, and helping voices be heard.
-Patrick Kaufmann
