Love What You Do

A couple weeks ago, I spoke to a Gig Harbor high school film class about screenwriting — the ups and downs I'd experienced.

The Downs

As I went along, I realized there were a lot of downs.

• As a writer, lots of people will reject your work — quick possibly for YEARS

• You'll be rewriting countless hours, with no assurances of a sale.

• When someone does buy your script, you will loose creative control.

I left thinking, "I hope I didn't tell them too many downs. I hope I didn't turn anyone against writing. I hope they saw there's a lot of good stuff too."

The Good Stuff

Writing's a personalized journey and the good stuff for one writer is completely different for another. My good stuff? Where do I start?

Working to become a screenwriter has lead to:

• a freelance career

• meeting my husband

• traveling around the world

• wonderful friends and experiences

• and eventually a movie and some money

Class Response

I got the thank you card from the class yesterday. I was hesitant to open it, expecting something like, "Thanks for nothing!!!"

Instead I read, "You truly reminded me that you should absolutely love what you do. Thank you so much!"

It made my day. Despite the downs, I realized I really DO love what I do. How cool is that?

Everything comes with ups and downs. I guess the trick it choose the thing you're passionate about — it'll make the roller coaster ride worth while.