THE STORYTELLER’S MISSION WITH ZENA DELL LOWE
S2_E51. Four Professional Breakthroughs I've had as a Writer
that You Can Apply to Your Own Career
PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
Published August 18, 2022
00:02
Hello, and welcome to The Storyteller's Mission with Zena Dell Lowe, a podcast for artists and storytellers about changing the world for the better through story.
00:11
TOPIC INTRODUCTION: Today, what I want to talk to you about is something a little embarrassing, basically how I used to get really weird when it came to meeting powers that be in the business.
00:23
PRESENTATION: Now, this primarily came through in my acting career. I would get an audition for something, and I would show up, and I mean, I would just get weird. I would get so insecure. I would be so in my head. I would be terrified. And I would get weird. I didn't know how to talk to people. I didn't know how to even be myself or be comfortable in my own skin. And consequently, I didn't do as well as maybe I should have or could have done. Now, the same thing has happened in my writing career, when I've met people of a much higher caliber. Sometimes we just get insecure, right? We all just want to make a good impression. We want other people to like us, that sort of thing. And sometimes that has caused me to get a little weird. So, I have had to learn to develop some techniques to fight against that.
01:13
And so, one of the ones that I want to share with you in this regard is reframing your interactions with the powers that be. So, this was huge for me in my professional life because I used to look at the powers that be much like I used to look at God. Like they were out to get me. Like they were staring at me like this with a scowl. And they didn't want me to succeed. They were prepared for me to fail. What I had to realize is that this was really faulty thinking, and it was going to hurt me. If I continued to think that way, it was going to hurt me.
01:51
For one reason, because it isn't true. It simply isn't true. And we should always, insofar as it is up to us, we should be walking in the truth. We should be aware of the truth. And we should be walking in it. The truth will set us free. So, in this case, it's a lie that the powers that be are out to get me, whether it be God or other professionals in this business. We have to align our way of thinking with the truth, and then reframe how we're supposed to look at it.
02:22
So, here's what I did. What I realized is that I didn't have to perform to gain their favor. Instead, I realized, number one, I'm the prize. My skills, my knowledge, my ability to deliver quality content, and ensure that they get what they want. I'm the prize because I can actually deliver that. I can save them time and money because I'm good at what I do. They want me. They want me. In fact, they're desperate for people like me. I had to understand what it is that I bring to the table and have confidence in what I'm bringing to the table.
03:07
Now, there's a difference here between false confidence and true confidence. You know, we don't want to just believe that we're good at something, if we can't actually deliver.
03:19
It's actually through the mindset of being a servant that we are better able to approach this. If I see myself as being able to be of service to them, to be a value to them, because of what it's going to do for them. If I truly analyze how capable I am at saving them time, money, frustration, heartache, and I know that I bring something to the table that's going to ultimately be useful to them, then why not be confident? Because they need you. They needed me.
03:55
And all of a sudden it changed my interactions. Instead of me begging for them to "Oh, please, please, please hire me." It is about "Hey, I can help you here." And it changed my whole interaction with them. I'm not begging for anything. And if they decide that they're not interested, that's fine. Because there's a lot of other people who are. And ultimately, I want to be of service. So, I want to serve the people that are going to benefit the most. And certainly, that means that they have to see my value. So, if they don't, I'm not actually out anything. And it changes that perception as well.
04:34
So, at the end of the day, then all I need to do is show them that their confidence is well placed in me. I don't have to be a beggar begging for a subservient position. "Oh, please, oh, please hire me." I certainly don't have to denigrate my own skills. Instead, I'm the prize that they've been looking for. I'm the answer to their prayers. I'm the one who's going to save the day. Just reframing things like this, in my own mind, is huge.
05:06
And going along with this is truth number two. And this is a truth, which is, they want me to succeed because they are in fact looking for that. No matter if you're an actor or a writer or any other kind of artists, they're looking for the person that can deliver what they want, what they need. They are looking for you.
05:31
So, instead of going into an audition, or a pitch meeting, assuming that they want to say no to me, or assuming that they want to send me away, now I can go into there assuming that they're looking for me to give them exactly what they need. They're desperate for that person that's going to fulfill the need because the more they have to look for it, the more time and money it costs them. So they want to say yes.
05:59
And I needed to remember that they were looking for someone to save them. They want me to be the one with the answers and the knowledge. They want me to do well. They're hoping it'll be the last meeting they have to have. That I'll be the last meeting of the day because they'll have found the right person for the job. And that's a relief for them, a burden lifted. So, far from them wanting me to fail, they want me to succeed. Just reframing things in this context has made all the difference with my interactions with the powers that be. And I'm no longer afraid or insecure. I'm just me. And so far, that's been enough.
06:44
Okay, so then this leads to number three, which is that my job is just to do the work. Okay, so recently, I finished writing a script for Sony. And it's my first script for Sony. Which it's a pretty big deal to have this opportunity to write for an actual studio. That's a pretty big deal. So, I'm very excited about it. And I worked my bottom off adapting a novel that they had optioned into a screenplay. And then I turned it in.
07:18
Now, it's been about a week and a half since I turned it in. And I have still not heard anything from them, other than that they have been in receipt of it. So of course, that can cause a lot of anxiety for a writer, for any kind of artist, if they don't get feedback, if nobody says, "Oh, we liked it." Right? And the truth is, I worked really hard on this because I work really hard on everything. But obviously, my hope is that they're going to continue to hire me. I want to be able to get more work, working for Sony. How exciting is that? It's a better channel to having things made that I've written. It's a wonderful opportunity. So of course, I want to be rehired. But there's a chance that I won't be. There's a chance that they won't like what I've done with the story. There's always that chance. So then, when I have that thought, I have to walk myself off the ledge because that can cause a lot of panic and fear. Well, what if they hated it? What if they hated what I turned in? Well, there's two things that I've had to do to deal with this particular fear or possibility, an actual possibility, when it comes to mind. The first one is to remind myself that all I have to do is the work. I really just have to do the very, very best that I can. And if I can, at the end of the day, say that I've done that, then I've done my job. Maybe I'm not the best person to write for them. Maybe their sensibilities are different than mine. But I've done my best work. And so it's okay. It's okay, as long as I'm satisfied. Now, I will tell you, I actually had to ask for two extensions on this particular project because my deadlines had already arrived. And the script that I was writing wasn't ready to turn in. And by ready, what I mean is, I wasn't happy with it. It wasn't done in my mind. I hadn't accomplished what I needed to accomplish, to my satisfaction. So, the first time that the deadline approached, and I realized I'm not going to be done in time because I just need more time to solve it, to fix it, to flesh it out, to make sure it all fits to my satisfaction. I simply sent an email and said "Listen, it's not ready. I need another two weeks." So, they got back to me and said "Sure. Okay, no problem."
09:53
Well, now two weeks more go by and I've been working my... I've been working my derriere off. And yet, it's still not ready to my satisfaction. It's closer. It's still really close. But it's still not quite there. So, I reached out again, and I said, "Listen, it is so, so close. I just need three more days. Three more days, and I will turn it in." And once again, they said, "Okay." Now, that could have hurt me. That might hurt me if they decide that I took too long or that I'm not fast enough. But I want to err on the side of quality rather than speed. So, ideally, I would have quality within the timeframe that I've been allotted. But if it turns out, I just need more time, I want to know that I'm happy with the material when I submit it. That's more important to me than the three days.
10:57
Now, of course, every job is different. If they had to go to print yesterday, and you asked for an extension, obviously, that's not going to fly and you're probably not going to get rehired. You have to make the deadlines in a reasonable amount of time. But in this case, I wasn't going too far past the deadline. I wasn't asking for three more months. I was asking for, at the end of the day, about two and a half more weeks, which is reasonable for the kind of project that I was doing.
11:27
Nevertheless, I did ask for that extension. Because again, my job is to do the work to the best of my ability, to make sure that whatever I'm submitting to them is as excellent as I possibly can make it, at least in that first round. And then the hope is that I'll get feedback, and I'll be able to make it better for the next round. But my job is to do the work. Not to worry if they don't like it, as long as I'm happy with what I did.
11:57
It's a really, really hard thing. It's a really hard thing to wrap your brain around that and to keep sort of talking yourself off the ledge because we have this thing called FOMO. Fear of missing out. A fear of not being part of the inner circle. A fear of missing out on these opportunities, or further opportunities, or these networking events, or bla bla bla, bla, bla. All of these things that writers worry about.
12:25
And I can't tell you how many writers email me about how to find an agent or a publisher. But they haven't completed their first novel yet, or their first screenplay. They're already worried about that, when they haven't done the work yet. So, this should be the last thing that they're worried about. First, they need to make sure that their novel is excellent. And stop worrying about the other part. Do the work. Do the work. Just focus on doing the work, learning the craft, getting excellent, acquiring the skills of the trade. My job is to do the work. And whenever I feel panicked, I remind myself of this. "Zena, just get back to the work."
13:05
Which leads me to number four another truism, which is that work begets work. The truth is, I'm afraid, we're all afraid. What if nobody ever hires me again? What if I don't ever get paid to write? What if I never get this? What if I don't get this? What if this doesn't happen? But we do the work. We do the work so that, A, we have the skills when the opportunities come and B, we have to trust our higher power, that He will open up the doors of opportunity. So, if Sony doesn't end up liking my work, then I have to trust that another opportunity will come along. I have to be ready for it. I just have to keep doing my work to the best of my ability. But work begets work. Because even the fact that I just finished a script for Sony is going to help me somehow. It's going to help me. So, work begets work.
14:05
CONCLUSION: Now if you've been listening to The Storyteller's Mission podcast for a while, you know that this podcast is dedicated to the entire artist, not just the craft of writing. I want you to be better as a whole. So, this particular episode was obviously dedicated to your professional improvement. Some truths that, maybe, you will be able to utilize as you move forward.
14:31
CALL TO ACTION: This episode is also the very last one of season two. However, I want to invite you to stay in touch with us, to to be connected to any particular events that may be coming up before we come back for season three. And you can do that by signing up for The Storytellers Digest. All you have to do is go to our website, www.thestorytellersmission.com. And if you scroll down, you're going to see a yellow section that invites you to sign up for the digest.
15:04
Now, I call digest members my "inner circle." These are the people that are in the know about all things Storyteller's Mission related. They also get emails once a month with helpful and practical tools that you can't get anywhere else. The only way you get that material is if you sign up for the digest. So, if this is something you're interested in, then I just encourage you to go to the website, scroll down until you find the digest information and sign up.
15:33
Now, you do not get a lot of stuff. This is not spam. I don't sell it to anybody. This is if you are interested in extra material that you can't get anywhere else. Valuable material that helps you in your writing journey. That's what I'm about. That's what you get if you sign up for the digest. So, you're invited to be part of the inner circle. And I hope to see you there.
15:58
In the meantime, I want to thank you for joining me on this very final episode for season two. And I hope that you will join us when we come back for season three.
16:09
OUTRO: Thank you for listening to The Storyteller's Mission with Zena Dell Lowe. May you go forth inspired to change the world for the better through story.
