The other day, a co-worker at school asked me how I dealt with the negativity of others. I thought she was talking about either fellow teachers or students, but she said she actually meant friends who were questioning her desire to write a screenplay. She said, "I mean, I thought they were friends, but now I'm not so sure anymore."
Isn't it too bad that some people in your life can't encourage you when you have a dream, or even the inkling of doing something different? I'm not sure why others discourage pipe dreams...maybe it's jealousy? Maybe they think they're being "realists?" Anyway, my advice to her was the same advice I give to any new/aspiring writers. If you want to write (or ____ fill in the blank with any dream you have) then do it - just develop persistence and a thick skin. Know that the journey might be tough, but if it's something you love, it's always worth it.
At the end of our conversation, she said, "I figured I'd ask you because you always seem like such a positive person" and considering I don't always FEEL particularly positive, either at work or at points in my writing career, I thought that was pretty cool.
Oh, and if you're a new/aspiring writer looking for some support, try the forums over at AbsoluteWrite. Theyr'e terrific, full of info and frequented by people in all publishing genres and at all different stages of the writing journey.
Soldier on, fellow writers and dreamers!
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