Don’t be intimidated by someone else’s talent.  Focus instead on the talent you have and work hard each day to be better. Don’t underestimate hard work, but word of warning – success does not come easy.   Getting to where you want to be can be a long road with many setbacks along the way. There are many people out there who are working hard, so you have to work that much harder. Discouragement, envy, exhaustion, doubts, procrastination – all these can play in to you giving up.   Success can come, but it may come down to a war of attrition. So train yourself to believe you have it in you to achieve your goals.

There are those who are naturally talented and get the job done. And then there are those who must work very hard, and it may take them a little longer, but they too, get the job done. Pure talent can get you to where you want to be, but it won’t keep you there if you don’t keep working at it.

I was never someone who was gifted. From the time I failed grade 3, I had to work at getting high marks all through elementary school, high school, university and to this day.  Writing wasn’t something that came naturally and it’s taking me a long time to learn the craft of writing a movie or play. It’s only now, after having done it for years, that I have a sense of what I’m doing. And yet, doubts can be crippling and never far from the mind, particularly after seeing a good movie or reading a great play. I’m continually reminded that I must work at my craft.

Speaking of craft, I recently got an email update from producer Pat Patterson, who is in pre-production on my feature screenplay, Play Ball. Pat has informed me that the script is out to a couple high profile actors for the lead part of Thomas Warren. She is in the midst of raising funds for the production. The hope was to start shooting in the fall of this year, but my gut tells me we’re realistically looking at next year.

I recently completed my new screenplay The Living Water and sent it out to be professionally critiqued. This is a company that has readers who read scripts for production companies and therefore have lots of experience with what makes a quality screenplay. They read your script and then send back a 6-page critique on how to improve your script. There are 10 categories each rated out of 10. 90% of the screenplays they receive are PASS (which means the script is average or below average and would not be given to a studio head to read). 8% are CONSIDER (which means you have some work to do, but there’s a good chance your script will be given to a studio head).   The final 2% receive RECOMMENDATION (which means the script is very good and would be given to a studio head without hesitation).

When I submitted The Living Water I thought my script had a good chance of receiving a CONSIDER. Boy, was I wrong. It was a PASS, the marks on each of the 10 categories were average or below average. It left me feeling defeated and depleted. I had spent some months on this script thinking I had something better. The great news is, once I got over the initial crushing disappointment, I re-worked the script and am now in the midst of re-writing the story which has a great premise going for it.

So onward, work, stay positive and don’t let defeat beat you. Pick yourself up and leave pity and self-doubt behind because the only person who can defeat you is you. You are in charge.