Advice to Writers – You’re A Boxer
You’re a boxer. Your job is to get punched in the face and keep swinging. It’s easy for anybody to say, “I wrote five scripts. None of them sold. I gave it my best shot. I’m moving back to Chicago.” You can’t do that. If you want a career in Hollywood, you can’t fail. You can quit, which most people do when they don’t achieve success as quickly as they’d like, but you can’t fail. There are as many opportunities as you can create for yourself. You can write a script a day, every day, for your whole life, if you’re that motivated.
ADAM RIFKIN (Quote reblogged from AdviceToWriters – Advice to Writers – You’re A Boxer.)
stubborn little me, at three
This quote touched a nerve for me. Many years ago I wanted a child and had pretty much exhausted all attempts to have one the usual way. Then infertility treatment failed. At least, what we could afford to pursue failed. My husband is older than I am and we weren’t eligible for adoption agencies. Then I learned about private adoption. Then our first adoption failed, at the hospital. Devastating.
But this is what I realized: I couldn’t fail. I was not willing to give up being a mother. “Not in this lifetime maybe,” a friend counseled me. I got mad. Bullshit, I thought. In this lifetime! We put our hearts out there again, and our oldest daughters, twins, appeared. Six years later, their sister showed up.
My daughters may drive me crazy (some days), but I never regret being their mom.
That’s how I’m going to pursue this writing gig, this new, full-time writing gig. I can’t fail. “There are as many opportunities as you can create for yourself.”
Bethany, thanks so much for this story of your daughters, and for your inspiring resolve. Brava on your new, full-time writing gig!
Thanks for sharing this–I’ve always believed if there’s a will–if you truly want something–there’s a way. You won’t fail!