The Importance of Writing & Believing In Your Passion Project
In looking at the life of Gina Prince-Bythewood, it has dawned on me how challenging the life of a screenwriter can be. One could easily think that the writer of Love & Basketball, a classic romantic movie, would easily get any of her other projects green-lit with ease. However she personally shares that that isn't the case here.
Gina's latest movie which was released last year, Beyond The Lights, had a tough time getting the project backed by any studio, all because of whom she wanted to cast in the lead, an unknown, as far as Hollywood was concerned.
Gina believed in her movie enough though to not let the opinion of anyone else influence her passion and belief in the project, and she kept going, and kept asking until she found someone who would say yes.
Far too often after hearing no once or twice, we call it quits, and I'm speaking from personal experience of being in network marketing. I haven't called it quits, but the passion did dwindle a bit. I've never written anything other than poems, my 1st grade story about a yellow bird published along with all my classmates stories doesn't quite count, and it's not easy pouring yourself out on paper, only to be critiqued.
So didn't it just dawn on me that I've been blogging/writing for over 3 years, lol. See how we discount ourselves and our efforts? Difference here is that I don't necessarily need anyones approval to keep writing. Neither do you do though. Whether you want to write a movie, a book, a poem or a blog post. Just write! How? Start with one word, one sentence, and build from that. You may have to go through drafts, but at least you have a starting point, a skeleton which you can build on.
Don't let any no's stand in your way, cause like Gina said "I just needed one yes". That's all you need, so keep at it. And remember, if you don't ask, the answer is always no.
Be blessed!