Wisdom on Wednesdays: Rolling With It

I've been feeling lately like life just keeps handing me setback after setback. I think that's true for a lot of writers, and it's also true for a lot of actors. We all go through periods when it feels like you take a step forward, only to be pushed back again.

But the more published authors I talk to, the more I learn that this happens to everybody. I don't know a single published author who hasn't had a book deal fall through at the last minute, or had their editor quit midway through a contract, or had to leave their agent for one reason or another, or faced a bazillion rejections. Not a single one.

Success in this industry is as much about perseverance and rolling with the punches as it is about anything else. A talented writer who lays down and quits after the first handful of rejections is never going to get anywhere. And an actor who quits after only a month of auditioning isn't going to get anywhere, either. And focusing on the negatives? Definitely not going to help.

I could wallow in self-pity after learning that my husband's job means I have to miss a meeting I was excited about, or I could take the time I would have spent at that meeting to focus on writing a new proposal. I think I know what I'm going to do.

Writers and actors take a lot of hits. If you want to succeed as either, you've got to learn to roll with it.