After the final no there comes a yes
And on that yes the future world depends.
-Wallace Stevens-
Folks if you stick with this long enough, one day you will hear a “no” when you were sure you were going to hear “yes”. Plain and simple, it’s gonna happen.
I don’t say this to scare you, but rather, to prepare you, so you can ready yourself for that day, because, if you are not ready, it can wipe you out. Your work. Your time. It will be gone because a surprise “no” has the power to make a person want to quit. It can honestly feel like the world has ended.
But the world hasn’t ended. Not even close.
The day the jarring “no” happens will be the day you will find out how well you have prepared yourself.
And what is that preparation? Three things:
1. Goals. Knowing why you’re doing this, what you want out of it, and what you’re willing to put into it.
2. Ideas. Writing down the ideas you have had for other shows as you work on your main show idea.
3. Learning the craft of creation. Creating your show so thoroughly that you now know you can take any one of your ideas and prepare an equally impressive pitch for any other idea.
You need to be prepared – not to steel yourself from the disappointment that comes with the “no”, but from the knee-jerk reaction to quit and walk away from your dream of making a TV show.
This business is not for the faint of heart. Even with a tremendous idea and a great pitch you will run into negative responses simply because your show isn’t for everyone (it can’t be). The hard part is when it goes up the corporate ladder and they say “yes” and “yes” and “yes”, and then someone up top says “no”, ooooh it burns.
But consider this: if you have written a show and a pitch that gets past the gatekeeper and up the ladder, it means you’re in the game. You’ve learned how the system works and what they’re looking for. So when every fiber of you wants to quit, go back to what you’ve written and accomplished, and let that push you forward.
Because, after the final no there comes a yes, and on that yes the future world depends.
I believe it with all my heart.