ASSESSING THE SITUATION

Sustaining Stamina When You Work With Words
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- by Sam David  

I have always believed in transparency. I point out to clients right from the get-go that projects take time. And I am crystal clear in my disclosure to them that I do not possess the magical powers to bring any project to fruition overnight.

Quality productions are not shot from initial drafts, scripts, or manuscripts. There are the required (and often repeatedly requested) rewrites; along with that... consider the time-consuming task of seeking out directors, cinematographers, and actors to attach to the projects. Equally important, is the production designer, who sets the tone and mood of the project and determines what the film will look like. At the same time, there is the intense matchmaking efforts of scouting for interested -- and qualified -- backers (funding). Regardless of the sequence, both the creative and business-end of the movie process is grueling and tedious. 

Films do not materialize overnight. Almost all quality projects consisting of roughly 120 fine-tuned pages of movie script take years (from start to finish) -- with some film projects lingering on well into their second decade. It is nothing short of a miracle -- after years of passion and dedication, lost sleep, along with the diligent work that filmmakers put in to overcome the rocky bumps in the road and the behind-the-scenes stress and drama -- when films make it to the big screen.

And yet, understanding the movie maze, most people tend to be incredibly impatient. That is a fact. The blame, in part, falls on reality TV, where unknown, unemployed talents suddenly become "famous" overnight. It's actually a fictitious sort of fame, spreading at first like a desert wildfire, yet lasting less than 15 minutes.

As crazy as it sounds, statistically, people expect instant and immediate gratification, counting their eggs long before they even hatch. But as one who works with and nurtures creativity, I have never realistically been able to achieve that for any client. What I do deliver is excellence and dedication and structure and nurturing support, and my own brand of Taurus tenacity -- all which require time and tremendous patience. And that's because the on-going process from Point A to Point B to Point C is agonizing. Possibly that is why so many writers ultimately give up; they lose their footing and become utterly disillusioned. For most, their expectations are simply out of whack -- they've created an unhealthy wanting or an unrealistic desire to experience pleasure or fulfillment without delay or deferment. Basically, it's when THEY want it; and THEY want it yesterday. Then factor in the absence of a bestseller, the lack of major awards or hefty credits, and/or the missing name recognition. Those are the commonplace obstacles that I work to succeed in overcoming each and every day. Granted, while no two writers are alike, each brings his/her own uniqueness, color and splash to the table... along with a problematic mixed bag of flavors (issues) that I need to grasp and sort out, in order to turn their negatives into positives.

If that were easy, anyone could tackle my work. For reasons that I have yet to fully understand, over the years I seem to have been tapped to take on the toughest of creative projects -- especially those that are controversial or Black-based, or bring about racial and social awareness.

Activism, actually, is one of my strongest strengths: I am an unbelievably patient and nurturing human being; I stick to my guns. I am not impetuous. As an introvert, I THINK things out. It's the client who grows anxious and antsy, all too often brainwashing themselves into the false assumption that they are far more souped-up than they actually are. And what they always seem to forget to remember is that with every draft, a writer can be easily replaced. 

In general, writers write because they enjoy it. But every writer who puts words to paper -- from the not-yet published to the polished -- needs guidance and mentoring. Beyond that, writers need intestinal fortitude, as it's a cut-throat and highly competitive business, where time invested can ultimately result in a massive and unexpected loss. It's also controlled (in my opinion) by a White Hollywood, where Blacks (with a few exceptions) earn less than their White counterparts. For those who are truly gifted with the ability to pen a professional script, who have honed their writing skills and style, and who are dedicated enough to have real passion and drive, success can be achieved when the writer is blessed with unwavering support and strong strategic guidance.

Without it, it's a long tough battle.

Consider the study, conducted by Queen Mary, University of London, which established that just one in ten authors can afford to earn a living from writing alone. In particular, it highlighted a top-heavy market, with just five per cent of authors earning 42.3 per cent of all income from professional writing.

Ian Rankin, the Scottish crime writer, has previously said it took 14 years for him to make decent money from writing. In her lifetime, Emily Dickinson, a remarkable and prolific talent, published only one or two poems -- that was all. After Dickinson's death, her sister Lavinia discovered almost 1800 poems of Emily's, all unpublished. Dickinson, we were to learn, had never stopped writing.

Writing is a truly rough and tumble business. I always warn writers that if they can't take the 'round-the-clock pressures of the film industry, then they probably should drift away from the business if "burnout" is in their DNA. But for those who firmly believe in themselves -- warts and all -- then they need to be able to muster up the ability to sustain the prolonged mental effort of rejections and setbacks, while dealing appropriately with the industry's day-to-day general chaos.

Someone said adversity builds character. But someone else said adversity reveals character. In the end, it's our inner resilience that helps us adapt well in the face of both personal and professional adversity​.