Activating Your Stagnant Screenwriting Career
One of my favourite instruments to listen to is the cello. I’m always amazed when I hear it. With one quick flick of the wrist, a cello can go from an inspirational, uplifting note to one of melancholy and gloom. It gives the player such power of emotions. But this instant switch from happy to sad doesn’t just exist in the space between notes. It is also ever-present in the careers of screenwriters.
As screenwriters, we all strive to craft and create something of meaning. While we build our work, a fantastic sense of importance washes over us. It’s what empowers us to continue. But it’s also the main ingredient that causes us to stop as well.
The Cold Truth About Your Screenwriting Career
One of the best lessons I learned in life is how to balance my absolute love for my work with just how much other people simply cannot care about it. 🤷♀️
Within seconds, we can go from euphoria to dismay. All because of someone’s reaction to our work. It’s a bucket of cold water crashing against your naked body. One of the worst feelings you can receive. But the problem is that this is the moment where so many Creators quit. And that is such a down-and-dirty shame!
I’m not going to tell you that it won’t hurt. But we simply can’t let the initial sting stop us from pushing on. As Lawrence would say — The trick, dear reader, is not minding that it hurts.
Rejection and insult are actually all part of the game we play. But so many screenwriters let their careers get crushed by one or two people’s opinions. And it starts to soil all the precious work they did… This becomes one of the biggest reasons why writers can never sell their work — They get wrapped up in the negative.
It’s important to learn how to take the splash cold water. We may never enjoy it. But it shouldn’t stop us from swimming ahead.
It’s time we started wearing two different hats.
The hungry, driven creative hat.
And the ambitious, persuasive salesmen hat.
The Hungry-Driven Creative is too close to the material to take those hits. But this is the person that will strive to make the project the best that it can be!
The Salesman, on the other hand, has a job to do and will plow through rejection until they get a buyer. One way to look at it is:
A NO is just a YES that hasn’t happened yet.
The biggest reason why you can’t sell isn’t that someone didn’t like your work. It’s that you took the first or second rejection as gospel and quit trying.
In business, did you know that 80% of sales are made between the 8th — 12th follow–up? And that’s following up on the same person! So, somebody didn’t say yes 7–11 times before they finally converted.
That’s crazy! Just imagine the number of screenwriters who quit after the first try. Or even the 5th!
In the end, the difference between success and failure can be as simple as endurance and perseverance. And as Mark Cuban would say: you only need to be right once.
So take the hit. Embrace the cold water and when the cello chord suddenly switches from happy to sad, understand that it only takes another moment to flick right back.
So what we want you to do this week is follow up on a contact that hasn’t gotten back to you. Remember: absolutely every single piece of work, of any significance, has been turned down before it was greenlit. The only reason it exists now is that the creator kept pushing! Now go get’em, Tiger 🐯
Thanks for reading!
If you’d like help writing that follow-up email, then download our free Screenwriter Email Template eBook.
The track I listened to as I wrote this: The Imitation Game, Alexandre Desplat
Subscribe to Writing Chops
You will receive all the latest news and tips from the screenwriting world straight to your inbox.
