In Los Angeles when you ask people how they are, inevitably they say: "Fine". If you ask about their kids they tell you that they are: "Great". When you ask how their business is doing, they tell you: It's going great". "There's no question about it", you tell yourself, "I'm the biggest loser in town. My knees hurt when I play basketball or go to the gym. My kid is getting a "D" in math and my business is in the toilet". In Hollywood there is a tremendous amount of lying, the most prevalent is how wonderful you are.
Let's not forget that everyone is human. We all get bellyaches and headaches, our kids screw up, our spouses get boring and our screenplays and novels just seem to lie there. I get 4 different types of headaches and have suffered bouts of depression all of my life. I had a rough childhood and I don't produce enough serotonin. Those things amount to depression. Thank goodness someone invented Prozac. None of the myriad of doctors that I've seen can tell me why I get some of my headaches. They are profoundly painful and the pain medications don't always work. It's a nightmare.
With all of that said, I managed to have a 25 year career as a Literary Agent. I booked millions of dollars worth of television and motion pictures. After finally giving that up, I became a consultant, began giving seminars, wrote a book and had it published and married a wonderful guy.
The reason I am sharing all of this with you is that I managed to overcome some serious odds to become successful, fulfilled and proud of my accomplishments. You can do it too. Writing and becoming a professional writer are two very difficult things.
Learn to forgive yourself your setbacks. All the cliches are true: "Get back on the horse". "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead". "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again".
It ain't easy, but the rewards are great.
I've just come through about three months of extreme headaches. I saw my doctor and have been rewarded with a new prescription and two shots in my head to prevent further headaches. This should last for awhile. Now I am back to work. Pressing on and moving forward. I love being a script and novel consultant. I love all of my work and best of all I love my clients.
Once more into the breach, dear friends.
