When the No volcano burps a Yes
Oh, hi friends!
I apply for a lot of stuff.
Reading series. Screenwriting labs. Film festivals. Workshops. Playwriting groups. Residencies.
These applications makes me think about my projects, my artistic statement, how all my titles are vaguely goofy.
But most importantly, it forces me to pull up drafts of my plays and scripts, read them, tweak them, realize that I *do* like them and, ultimately, send them off to an uncertain future.
This means each time I apply to something my work gets incrementally better. Even if it’s just changing one line.
About 90 percent of the time I’m rejected or not chosen to move on. Honestly, you get used to it. And it's OK! It was one person/company’s opinion, and it wasn’t the right fit.
Meanwhile, the work gets a tiny bit better. You win a little bit anyway.
At the same time, every “no” gets stack on top of one other and creates a giant No volcano.
But then one day the No volcano erupts, and out of rejection emails and getting ghosted and “sorry but nah we don’t like you,” a little liquid hot magma called “yes” comes rushing into your life.
That’s my way of saying I’m excited to share a “yes”—I was accepted into the One Company writer’s residency retreat to work on my full-length play “Old Hollywood.” From Wednesday through Sunday I’ll be on a farm hanging out with chickens and pecking at my keyboard. I’m grateful for this chance to make space in my physical surroundings (and brain!) for my writing, and to hang out with writers.
(Nothing changes with Brass Ring Daily! I’m writing the rest of the week’s issues before I leave. But I will not be on email!)
But really, the point is this:
Keep applying.
Keep trying.
Keep remembering why you’re doing the work.
Keep rooting for yourself, and others might follow.
I really admire Jim Cummings, and his generous advice can be translated into many different fields.
Are you waiting for someone to give you permission to take the next step? Or can you take the next step yourself?
PS — His short film “Thunder Road”—which he turned into a feature!—is worth 12 minutes of your lunchtime.
My grandpa is a softball legend! He was interviewed by PBS for a documentary about the history of fast pitch softball in the Central Valley. This eight-minute video warms my heart. (He’s also the hardest-working and kindest man in the world! And at 96 years old, he’s a fierce Bingo player.)
Do you like these daily emails? Please share with a friend!
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara