Do You Have What it Takes?

Wavers, writing, particularly in entertainment, is like running a marathon. It is to push yourself further than you ever have before, to hit the wall and burn inside because you want to quit so badly. It’s punishing. And exhilarating. And it’s about stamina, determination and training. It’s about staying in the race.

Aspiring screenwriters line up at the starting line, the pistol is fired and off they go, joyous and optimistic. It’s a crowded race, fans cheer, the sun is bright and life is good. Anybody can write! It’s easy! Movies are fun!

But the writers thin out relatively quickly. The ones with no natural talent or willingness to develop writing skills go first. Splat. Next come the impatient and the unrealistic. Splat. Splat. Next come the writers who are ego-invested and neurotic. Splat. Splat. Splat. Next come the writers who have just grown too exhausted by the ups, downs and near-misses. Splat.

But a few writers remain. Writers with the patience of Job and an almost certifiable single-minded determination. Sure, they get tired. They want to quit. They look back at the other writers crawling off the track with a mixture of pity and envy. They begin to hallucinate. They want to lie down and breathe in the smell of sweet poppies. But they keep their eyes on that finish line no matter what. Those are the writers that make it.

It could take 10 years. Can you handle that? It could take 10 years, nine scripts, having a baby, needing a new car, hating your day job, and your friends and parents taking you aside sympathetically and telling you you’re crazy. Are you tough enough? It could take 15 crappy meetings, a flat tire, third place when you deserved first, 29 printer cartridges and 14 tons of coffee. Still in?

Gatorade up, everybody, and do your stretches. Are you in it for the long haul? Do you have what it takes? A support system, goals, feedback and drive? Are you taking classes, networking and writing every single day? We Rouge Wavers don’t mind if other writers stumble to the side and quit with dignity. They just made it easier for the next writer to succeed. And that writer will be a Rouge Waver who just didn’t stop trying.