Coffee & Content: Reframing Rejection as Part of the Journey

Happy Sunday, Creative Army!

Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in.

First up, in this Film Courage interview, they’re talking to writer, Jay Fingers, about how to handle rejection. Jay Fingers is a novelist, journalist, editor, and emerging screenwriter who authored four books: Guestlist, Kisses for Tati, Orange Mound, and Manhattan Sweetheart before moving to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting. In this video, Jay talks about the fact that things often work out differently than we anticipate and that sometimes rejection shields us from a bad situation. Specifically, he shared a memory from when he sent out queries to several representatives and one manager responded with a rejection. At that moment, he realized that his logline worked well enough to entice the manager to at least read the material and even though it was a pass, he knew that he was doing something right. It was simply a matter of adjusting what didn’t work and then moving forward to try again.

This reminded me of my recent conversation with Rasha Goel on her popular podcast, Beyond the Glam. Rasha and I spent a bit of time discussing rejection and I explained my perspective that as creatives, we have to start reframing rejection as a learning experience and necessary part of the journey, not as something that sets us back! If you’d like to hear more about that, you can watch this video here. Or click here to view the entire podcast conversation!

What are your methods for processing rejection and staying motivated? Drop them in the comments below!

Tomorrow kicks off the final week of Stage 32’s 10th Annual November Write Club, in partnership with Scrivener! It’s not too late to join in! Whether you’re a writer, actor, producer, animator, composer, filmmaker, or post-pro, use the challenges in November Write Club to push yourself and make real progress with the support of this great community. You can start now by posting your goals in the Screenwriting Lounge HERE. Keep your eye out for tomorrow’s final November Write Club Blog, which will present you with new challenges for the week. Members who participate will be entered to win one of three licenses to Scrivner’s incredible pro writing software that we’ll be giving away LIVE on Instagram on Friday, November 29th!

As always, here at Stage 32, we love to share stories and knowledge with our fellow film fans. Know someone who would love this content? Share it with them! Tag them below! You can keep up with all of our content by subscribing to the Stage 32 YouTube. For more inspirational, educational, and motivational content on all things entertainment industry, follow me on Instagram and X @rbwalksintoabar.

Wishing you a very happy, healthy, & creative Sunday.

Cheers,

RB

Film Courage | How To Handle Screenplay Rejection

RBWalksIntoABar | Reframing Rejection as Part of the Journey

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