Faced with the herculean task of selling the screenplay, I thought I'd shift gears for efficiency's sake. I'm going to finish a short story called (tentatively) "Nothing is Ever Truly Lost." When this is finished and out on the market I'll move back to the screenplay.
Galway '96 hit a bit of a roadblock, both mentally and physically. I might have lost some confidence in it. Not totally, but for the time being. The criticism from friends and wife was great but it was hard not to notice that, while they were willing to help me make the script better, none of them were terribly excited about the story itself. No one really made an effort to tell me they "liked" it or how awesome it was, only how to make it better. No one said, "Man, that scene where X happens and Y says that cool line, I loved that!" And that's discouraging. This isn't a bash on those who criticized the script. Not at all. They were honest and helpful. And tactful. Maybe I needed some handholding and encouragement. But that wasn't their job. They weren't reading it to tell me how awesome I am. (Unless, of course, it was true. Which, it wasn't.)
When I stare down the reality of selling it I get depressed.
When I receive multiple job-rejections in one 24-hour period, it's difficult to muster the energy to build something which might ultimately suck eggs, no matter how much time I invest.
When I'm trying to juggle wife, kids, chores, finances, worry, and possible drastic career changes ... The Call of Writing stresses me out. I go to bed every night—every night—regretting the words left unwritten, the stories that are held captive in my head. Every. Single. Night.
So, I'm taking a break from Galway '96 and moving on to "Nothing is Ever Truly Lost," a story about job loss (shocker!), children, war, and rediscovering the things we've discarded (intentionally or not) from our lives. Well, at least that's what I intend to write. The final product may be far afield from those intentions. I'd like to finish "Nothing," ideally, in the next month. At least an initial draft. That may be extremely optimistic, considering my track record for producing words.
Every gifted writer will tell you that she/he has put many manuscripts on the back burner while working on other projects, only to return to some of them with re-newed energy and focus. Hang in there, kiddo. Am glad you’re going to start another project. You're too good of a writer to stop now.
BTW - found this on the web [see below] and thought you’d be interested in a gentle reminder:
* Andrea Bocell - he'd loved music and singing his whole life... but didn't really see it as a career possibility. Got a law degree and was moonlighting in a piano bar for fun and extra cash. He didn't catch a break as a singer until 1992, at age 34
* Julia Child - working for U.S. government as a spy. She didn't enter cooking school until age 36.
* Col [Harland] Sanders switched from one career to another: Steamboat pilot, insurance salesman, farmer, and railroad fireman. He didn't start cooking chicken until he was 40 and didn't start franchising until age 65.
* Rodney Dangerfield - started doing stand-up at age 19... then gave up on it in his mid-20s. He started working as an acrobatic diver and then as an aluminum siding salesman. He didn't start getting back into comedy until he was 40.
* Harrison Ford – at 30 starred in "American Graffiti.” Huge hit but paid next to nothing! So, he decided he was never going to make it as an actor, and quit the business to get back into the more financially dependable world of construction. Four years later, he met up with George Lucas again and, the… rest is history.
Mom
PS - here’s the link: http://www.11points.com/Personal/11_Famous_People_Who_Were_in_the_Completely_Wrong_Career_at_Age_30
Posted by: Sally Murphy | 08/05/2010 at 10:53 AM