Recently I’ve been posting on Twitter, inviting people to send in questions about playwriting, TV writing and the “writing life”. I’m willing to answer the juiciest questions on video, posted to my YouTube page. Part of the reason I coach, is that I enjoy being of service to creative folks as they evolve in their work and their lives. Many of the things I talk about are things I’ve discovered on my own, and I believe, the more support we can provide each other, the better.
I’ve been observing an interesting pattern in the questions I’ve gotten in response to my Twitter post.
The questions are ENORMOUS.
Rather than break something down into bite size chunks, the person writing in often sends a compound / complex question.
For example: Recently someone posted something along these lines. “Do you need to have an agent to sell a show, or to get into the world of television?” The challenging part of this question is not the sentence structure, but the fact that it feels like three or four separate questions. “Do you need to have an agent?” is one. “How do I sell a show?” is another. “How do I get into the world of TV?” is a third question. “How do I get an agent?” is packed in there as well. Certainly there are answers and thoughts I could provide for any one of those questions. But all four? Tough to answer on Twitter or even to create a video without having my answer last about 30 minutes. When I asked the questioner to clarify, the response was different, but not simpler.
Why avoid simplicity?
One takeaway from this is how complicated we are, as writers. Often we are trying to do HUGE THINGS. We’re attempting to write blockbuster movies, rather than just trying to write a film. Or craft a good scene. We’re looking to launch a career-defining project, rather than simply get something produced. Or to produce something ourselves. I’m not decrying ambition here, I’m suggesting that everything needs to be bite-sized at first. Everyone in the history of the world who has done anything of note has done it step by step: one word at a time, one moment at a time, one skill at a time. Want to create a masterpiece? Start with understanding how to write a good scene. Looking to sell your idea to a network? Start with coming up with a good idea.
The practice of breaking down a question into small parts, will likely reflect on your writing life and your career. Once you’ve examined the small pieces: character, story, dramatic action, marketing, networking, finding an agent, pitching, selling an idea – then you can put all the pieces together to great effect.
Until then, look to master the moment-by-moment, word-by-word process of your writing life. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Keep it small and basic. Then, as you approach mastery of the fundamentals, ask your simplest questions. Ask me or anyone else – so you can methodically build your empire.
As always, let me know how it goes.
And if you have questions – send them in.
