This
post actually started out differently. I cut the first part out for another
time and this is what was left:
Over
the past few weeks I’ve been revisiting some of my old writing. I highly
suggest anyone who creates to do this. It will open your eyes to how far you’ve
come and how good you actually are at that art! I found some pretty great stuff
in my writing, but it lead me to begin to question myself: I write, and write,
and write, but what do I do with all that writing?
My
firm belief is that, if you have a talent, and if you’re spending a good deal
of your time on that talent, but you aren’t doing anything with it, you are wasting
that talent. By spending all this time writing, but not actually doing anything
with it, I am not only wasting my talent, I’m wasting my time. I decided last
weekend that this habit of writing and doing nothing with it is going to
change.
I
have a hilariously funny short screenplay that I’ve decided I’m going to polish
up and submit to a competition. I missed the early deadline, which means, for just
$10 more, I have time to get it perfect. This is a short that almost everyone,
except for one person, absolutely loved. I hope that they actually loved it
because it was good and not just because they love me. The one and only person
who did not like it was the one I had most desired feedback from. The feedback:
“Yeah, I didn’t like it.” No explanation as to why, just that one sentence. No
suggestions for improvement, no positives. Nothing else from someone I had, at
one time, considered a mentor. At one time. It might just have not been the type of writing
they would enjoy…not that I would know, as they didn’t say anything about it
besides, “Yeah, I didn’t like it.” Yeah, not helpful…but it’s exactly the same
non-feedback that I got from this person on another piece of writing I gave
them. So, I finally have my mind in a good place to get beyond that dismissiveness
and have decided to move forward with this screenplay. I may ask a few trusted
people, whom I know will provide useful feedback (even if they absolutely HATE
IT), to help me out with it before I submit, but I won’t do this without a
rubric from now on!
The
deadline is February 15th. I will have it ready well before then. Taking
huge steps on my own. I’m nervous about it as I so rarely take chances, but…it
is time. Wish me luck!