Reject Rejection

When I wake up in the morning one of the first things I do is look at myself in the mirror and say, "You're shit, Carver, and you know it!" Then I spend the rest of the day trying to prove otherwise. It might not be the bee's balls of motivational techniques but it works for me.

Here are a few handy hints I've picked up, borrowed or just plain stolen along the way. I hope they help.

Things you need to remember:

• Don't judge your career by other people's. The average time it takes a writer to get established is ten years. Just because another writer gets lucky with their first or second script doesn't mean it should have happened to you. Don't begrudge them their success, they've earned it.
  

• Don't wait for someone to recognise your talent, you have to make them discover it. Putting yourself out there, or selling yourself, is as important as your writing. Cut corners and it'll cost you. Never, ever let up on this.
  

• A rejection letter isn't rejecting you, it's rejecting your script. So it wasn't to their taste, maybe the next one will be?

I look at my career like this: I will always try and do my best, but if I fail then so be it. I won't dwell on a failure, or a rejection, because then I'll be wasting my time on something I can't change. Instead I plough all of my energies into learning from that mistake, or rejection, reducing the opportunity of it happening again.

An excellent example of this came by email this morning:

"We did take a look at "Cross The Rubicon"; I have to say, to me it reads as the same script and the same tone. I'm glad to have taken a look at it, but I do still think it will not be something we're going to commit to at this stage."

Is it a rejection? Only a rejection of that draft. They like the script but not in it's current form. I could just say 'Fuck it' and not bother, but then I would only have myself to blame when I don't get anywhere. So my response (and the correct one) is to find out why they didn't like this draft and change it so they do.

No one ever said being a writer was easy.

Have a fun weekend, people.