Perhaps the hardest part of working toward your first script sale is keeping a positive attitude. When you have to go through so many people telling you that your story “isn’t for them” or “needs a little work” or worse, that they “didn’t get it,” it can be horribly difficult to stay positive about your own talents.
But the simple truth is: if you don’t believe in you, no one else will.
You have to be your own biggest fan, to remember every day that you’re pretty damn good at what you do, and you’re getting better all the time. If you’re putting in the time and dedication to improve your craft, remember that you’re improving your odds of success as well. So don’t get down on yourself. Love your writing. Love your stories. Love the journey.
And if you need a little help falling back in love with your writing, Robbie Blair of Lit Reactor has six tips to help you get the good vibes back:
1. Focus on passion.
From 2010 to early 2011, I spent the vast majority of my writing time on freelance articles. I was writing about bikini fashions and glock accessories, about unicycle clubs and baby clothes—anything, really, so long as I was getting paid.
I hated it. Moreover, I hated writing. At the end of a day of writing for profit, the last thing I wanted to do was write for fun.
Then I decided on a job change. I still wrote for a living, but I was determined to write quality content that fell within my field of interest. The end result was happier clients, higher pay, lower stress, and more energy to devote to creative projects. Whether you’re struggling with freelance work, writing within commercial genres, or falling into line with your own definitions of what sort of writer you are, you’re not doing anyone a favor by writing against the grain of your passion.
2. Take advantage of the honeymoon phase.
Every project has a rush of creative ideas that floods in at the moment of epiphany but quickly starts to dissipate. While it can be dangerous to pursue every new idea, the alternative is to disregard the projects that have your creative juices flowing.
I’m not recommending that you disregard follow-through on your existing projects. I try to keep one project “in my sights,” dedicating a half hour of writing to that project each day. Outside of that half hour, I’m allowed to write whatever I damn well please. The system has worked pretty well for me, and even the projects I abandon a few pages in serve to stimulate ideas and keep me in practice for other, more “serious” writing.
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