Time to Write

Is it time for you to act with Audacious Chutzpah?

Publisher and writer Ron Schultz wrote in E:CO magazine about “Applied Chutzpah.” [There’s no great translation for chutzpah, but let’s say it means daring or nerve.] He defines it as, “a willingness to step forward into audacious action even though one may have no idea of how one will either pull it off, or where it will ultimately lead. The only real knowing at the moment of Applied Chutzpah is an intuition that if some audacious action were not initiated, nothing would get done.”

HIS FURTHER THOUGHTS on AC: "Acting on the emergence of a weak signal is an audacious act. It doesn't always take into account that one might be wrong or fail. That only matters when we get stuck in the belief that we are creating something whose sole value is its completion. If we're really trying to make a difference, which may be an act more closely associated with foolishness than audacity, we have to be willing to see that the adjacent opportunities that emerge from our activity may not fully form into something for centuries. [Earlier in the article, he references those who worked on cathedrals that took centuries to complete.] And that being the brave builders, confident enough to face the perils of ambiguity and indifference, we find that what might emerge from this causal chain is something that will inspire others to act, as well. And then, as they say, shift happens."

An example of AC from my life was deciding to move to London after my house in LA burned down, even though I didn't know whether I'd be able to make a living as a scriptwriter (or any other way) here. It worked out pretty well. How about it? Is it time for an act of Audacious Chutzpah in your life? (If you'd like to, tell me about it, either in the comments section or via email at J4London(at)aol.com.)

Steps to Writing Success (Donny Deutsch - day 5)

On his CNC blog, ad man Donny Deutsch shared his principles of success. I thought it would be interesting to give you one of these each day for five days. Don’t let their simplicity fool you—the secret of making them work is to actually implement them. Here’s his fifth principle, and an assignment I suggest:

 DO IT DIFFERENTLY - One of the first pitches I worked on was for Tri-State Pontiac. At the time, we had no car experience and no TV experience which is exactly what Tri-State Pontiac was looking for!  My colleagues and I were trying to figure out something "out of the box" to get us noticed.  And then it came to us - used car parts!  Over the course of a twelve-hour day we delivered a different car part to the client every half hour.  A headlight with a tag that read "We'll give you bright ideas", a fender that read "We'll protect your rear-end".    Our idea could have backfired and upset the client but luckily the client thought it was clever.  Winners think outside the box.  They do it cheaper, faster, better, smarter and more colorful. 

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it: Decide on the next step you need to take on your road to writing success. Then brainstorm at least three different ways to do it (different from the conventional way). Choose the one that you believe has the best chance of working, and do it. [Warning: not everybody responds well to gimmicks!]

That ends our five-day mini-course, with thanks to Donny Deutsch for his ideas. If you have any thoughts about it, or comments on how it’s working for you, please do let me know, either in a comment here, or in an email to me at [email protected].

 (for more tips and techniques on how to be more creative and productive, sign up for my free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an e-mail request now to [email protected])

 

Steps to Writing Success (Donny Deutsch - day 4)

On his CNC blog, ad man Donny Deutsch shared his principles of success. I thought it would be interesting to give you one of these each day for five days. Don’t let their simplicity fool you—the secret of making them work is to actually implement them. Here’s his fourth principle, and an assignment I suggest:

4: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE SMARTER THAN YOU -Winning depends on the kind of team you have around you.  Surround yourself with people who share your passion, drive and know more than you do! 

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it: Identify the one area in which you are weakest. This might be some aspect of writing or perhaps marketing your own work. Then identify who could help you learn more about this or do it for you. The information might be in a book (naturally, I recommend my own book, “Your Writing Coach,” but there are dozens of good books out there on every facet of writing), or it might be in the person of an agent or editor who you contact via email or invite to lunch to pick their brains, or it might be in the form of a workshop. Take the steps to learn what you need to or to outsource what someone else would do better.

 (for more tips and techniques on how to be more creative and productive, sign up for my free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an e-mail request now to [email protected])

 

Steps to Writing Success (Donny Deutsch - day 3)

On his CNC blog, ad man Donny Deutsch shared his principles of success. I thought it would be interesting to give you one of these each day for five days. Don’t let their simplicity fool you—the secret of making them work is to actually implement them. Here’s his third principle, and an assignment I suggest:

 3: NEVER TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER
I've heard dozens of stories from successful entrepreneurs who kept going back time after time after hearing no.  You'll never win if you take no for an answer.  If you get 100 doors slammed in your face, go to door 101.  Keep knocking until you find the person who will say yes to your dream.

Your assignment for today, should you choose to accept it: Identify the next three people (agents, editors, publishers, or other) you will approach with your project. When you have written the query letter or proposal, send it out and identify the next three people you will approach if the current three are not smart enough to see the potential of your project.

 (for more tips and techniques on how to be more creative and productive, sign up for my free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an e-mail request now to [email protected])

 

Steps to Writing Success (Donny Deutsch - day 2)

On his CNC blog, ad man Donny Deutsch shared his five principles of success. I thought it would be interesting to give you one of these each day for the next five days. Don’t let their simplicity fool you—the secret of making them work is to actually implement them. Here’s his second principle, and an assignment I suggest:

 2: DON'T BE AFRAID OF FAILURE!
Don't allow yourself to be crippled by fear of failure, that truly is the definition of not winning.  If you do nothing, your failure is guaranteed!   Even if you don't win the first time, you're still in the exact same place you would be if you didn't do anything at all.  You've lost nothing.  DOING is the ultimate win.

Your assignment for today, should you choose to accept it: Identify the three top fears that have stopped you from giving your full commitment to your writing dream, or the three obstacles that have stood in your way. Look at them rationally and brainstorm how you can get around them, step by step.

(for more tips and techniques on how to be more creative and productive, sign up for my free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an e-mail request now to [email protected])

Steps to Writing Success (Donny Deutsch - day one)

On his CNC blog ad man Donny Deutsch shared his five principles of success. I thought it would be interesting to give you one of these each day for five days. Don’t let their simplicity fool you—the secret of making them work is to actually implement them. Here’s his first principle, and an assignment I suggest:

 1: SAY "WHY NOT ME?"
I always tell people you have to say "Why Not Me?"  But you can't just say it, you have to own it!  Every single one of us has a dream but in order to win you have to make a conscious decision to pursue that dream and only then can you win BIG!

Your assignment for today, should you choose to accept it: Identify your most cherished writing dream. Vividly imagine what you will see, hear, feel, taste (chamagne, anyone?) and even smell (the fresh pages of your newly-published novel? The popcorn you order at the showing of the film you wrote?) when you have achieved it.

 (for more tips and techniques on how to be more creative and productive, sign up for my free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an e-mail request now to [email protected])

Charlie Kaufman on screenwriting

Charlie Kaufman, who wrote Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, has now directed a film he wrote, called Synchdoce, New York. In an interview with The Australian newspaper, he talked a bit about how he works:

"I have something I'm interested in and then I decide I'm going to explore it. I don't know where the characters are going to go or what the screenplay's going to do. For me, that's the way to keep it alive and make it interesting and worthwhile."

 "Realistic and naturalistic are not the same thing, and I think it's interesting to play with surrealism or dream logic and try to create a poem, a metaphor, something that sort of conveys a feeling or makes something happen in your gut that you don't necessarily intellectually understand.”

 To which I would add--lucky is the scriptwriter who can get studio executives to agree with that!