You Need a Crane to Build Your Career
by Jaden
Whether you are a screenwriter in Budapest, or a cinematographer in Hollywood, or a fiction writer in Buenos Aires, there will be difficult days when you want to resign.
Maybe you struggle financially. Maybe no one wants to look at your work. Maybe you can’t figure out a scene to connect the beginning to the end of your story and three months have passed without typing a single word. Or maybe, after ten years, you still don’t know what the heck you are doing.
Think about your favorite writers or artists; what if they had given up their craft one single day too soon?
You need to have a sturdy crane in your life who has true confidence in you and will help to lift the heavy materials on the days you are feeling weak.
This friend or family member reminds you: You’re just having a bad day, you can do this. You have come too far to give up now. Who else can [fill in blank] as good as you? The way you [fill in blank] is like nothing I have ever seen. You’ll get there, just keep at it. Be patient. Learn more. Educate yourself. Find that missing key.
Lots of people don’t have the crane person in their lives. It is essential to have support. Strangers like me can be your crane. On the Internet, you can find people with similar goals and interests to root for you. Connect with them. Open up and talk to people. Share your conflicts and obstacles. A support group will help you on your way quicker and more efficiently than when you are alone.
Having a network of support while you are building your career relieves the angst of hard days and keeps you on track.
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5 Responses to “You Need a Crane to Build Your Career”
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It’s true! About two weeks ago, my summer job in California fell through and I was bummed out about it. Trying to look for a job out here on the East Coast of Canada is hard as employers want permanent full-time or if they’ll give a job to a student, it’s pennies and the late shifts. Over the past two weeks my friends have been supporting me. Yesterday morning, I received a call from a French credit union where I did a CO-OP over 5 years ago in Ontario. He was looking for a replacement to fill in for an accounting job because his employee is on sick leave until Sept. So it’s perfect! I’m leaving this morning by train to move home to my parents’ place for the summer. The pay and hours are a lot better than out here and I’m still able to keep up the Sizzling Popcorn business!
When I was frustrated, my friends’ support really cheered me up and got me through the past 2 weeks!
P.S. I just picked up Screenwriting For Dummies yesterday and will be reading that on the 23hrs train ride today! I want to start unpacking the movie ideas I’ve had in my head for the past couple of months!
SizzlyP — (That’s my nickname for you, hope you don’t mind?) Sounds great! I feel your pain re: employment. I’ve got your screenwriting shoulder right here! Reading the book ought to excite you and get you going.
I was reading through the book last night and this morning on the train and read a part about various ways to get a story from…pictures, eavesdropping on others’ conversations, movies, poetry, etc… Right after I read this, there were two guys sitting front of me talking. One was about 19-21 yrs old and the other was 14yrs old. I quickly listened into their conversation and found out a lot about the 14yrs old’s life, which was exactly what I was looking for. I’m trying to develop the main character, who is about 14 to 16 yrs old and has a rough family life, high school drop out, etc….I was so surprised how quickly I went from reading that part in the “Dummies” book to finding the information about this young kid on the train, which I needed in order to develop this character!
I went into the local bookstore this afternoon looking for a novel in which the main character struggles with some of the same issues as the character I’m writing about. The customer service rep. recommended “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography. I’ll have to read it and see how good it is.
SizzlyP — Great start!
You will see that when you get on your right path, the things you seek will come to you.
I am excited to hear (read) about your progress. I’d also like to hear about Angela’s Ashes. I heard it was good too.