Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Don't make me turn this career around and go home. I've only started on this journey and already it feels as though I'm ten years old on a trip up the California coast. Impatient for the destination. What is the destination? Every writer has the same destination in mind: Fame. Wealth. Validation. Security. Importance. A side trip to Hollywood/Nobel Peace Prize/New York agents' office would be welcome too. In a freelance career, you make many side trips. Sometimes I feel as if this year's Academy Award-nominated films (which depress me because I'm not nominated or even writer of a film that I could cheerfully say got snubbed) express the freelancer's journey. There's "Million Dollar Baby," which echoes what we hope a producer/publisher will say: "How about a million dollars, baby?" But in the story of a plucky female boxer (with Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood in her corner, yowza) who won't give up and gets no respect (sort of like being published with PublishAmerica or iUniverse), we find a spark of determination. There's "Kinsey," which wasn't a best picture nom but perfectily expresses the writer's obsessive drive as well as the tendency to drive all our loved ones insane. "The Aviator"...ahhh. What freelance writer hasn't locked themselves in a room with a big screen TV and not shaved for several days? And we all say, "Don't tell me we can't do it. Don't tell me it can't be done." "Ray"...we should all get on our knees and pray for a story like Ray Charles' life. The music is fabulous too, which means you can listen to the soundtrack over and over while writing. Don't be afraid to set your own freelance standards, your own style, and your own assignments. "Sideways"...it's the story of a writer who goes to the wine country and has a great affair with a beautiful person. That's why we're in this business. "Finding Neverland." Don't forget to play and celebrate the power of the imagination. While we're at it, learning from these powerhouse emotional stories, let's not forget to celebrate our fellow scribes' success. After all, we'll get there someday. We may even be there right now. To be continued...the journey that is. Not the article series. Too many freelance leads! |
