Do it for yourself
Oh, hi friends!
My commitments don’t look the same as yours.
My dreams don’t either.
Our pasts and paths are different.
Our challenges and privileges divert and cross over in surprising and not-so-surprising ways.
I know this because I’ve chatted with many of you, my “newsletter friends,” over the years.
But there is always one common thread — at least among people who continue to read these notes.
You are reaching for something.
Those things can change month to month, year to year.
You’re in the food industry and you’re comedy writers. You’re typing screenplays and novels before and after work. You’re enrolling in workshops and grad school. You’re going freelance and asking for promotions.
You’re innovative and creative, even though you might not feel comfortable using that word. (I never used to either.) You tell me when you’re quitting your job or moving across the country or when you just booked a new gig. I love these new changes so much.
Because you have...a spark.
Some days it’s brighter than others. Believe me, I know that, too.
When people ask me about staying motivated or working on projects, it all boils down to one principle.
You can work hard for your boss or the company. You can come up with new ideas when you’re asked. You can submit to a job, fellowship, role, or award for prestige or simply because you need a paycheck or a deadline.
But I know and you know the spark stays the most alive when you do it for yourself.
I hope the start of a new season reminds you of that — and that you keep reaching.
My latest reach is, as you know, the journal I created with Tessa Forrest. We hope it helps you connect with the projects and things you love most. Today, September 8, 2020, is our publication day!
If you get a copy and use it, write in it, enjoy it a little or a lot, I’d love to hear your thoughts. And I would be grateful if you told friends, bought a copy for your mom, posted on Twitter, took a photo of your favorite page, left a review on Amazon or Goodreads, really anything at all. I know word of mouth is the opinion I always trust the most. But if you can’t, that’s OK! I only share the things that bring me value and know you do, too. And I already feel like I won because I made something that speaks from me to you.
And whatever you're reaching for — today, tomorrow, the rest of 2020 — I hope you can do it for yourself, too.
Envoy
by Billy Collins
Go, little book,
out of this house and into the world,
Carriage made of paper rolling toward town
bearing a single passenger
beyond the reach of this jittery pen,
far from the desk and the nosy gooseneck lamp.
It is time to decamp,
put on a jacket and venture outside,
time to be held in foreign hands.
So off you go, infants of the brain,
with a wave and some bits of fatherly advice:
Stay out as late as you like,
don't bother to call or write,
and talk to as many strangers as you can.
(From Ballistics)
I want to remember this poem every time I release a project into the world! Go, go, have fun, talk to strangers, and be well.
Knowing More About Screenwriting and TV Writing
There are great tips and really solid examples in this 15-minute video with Insecure writer and co-executive producer Amy Aniobi. I especially loved her advice on finding agents (note: you should want them to find you) and creating an elevator pitch for yourself. (h/t Dorie Clark)
You can also support my work by ordering my motivational journal Do It For Yourself, out now!
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara