Talking ‘Bout Reputation
Like it or not, reputation matters more than people want to believe.
Writer Twitter is a funny thing. Most of the people from the screenwriting/writing community who converse and interact on Twitter are nice, normal people who are willing to dispense knowledge on the craft and biz of screenwriting. Many offer encouraging words to each other.
But, like anything else, there are those who are tempted by the social media craze of self-promotion and lunge head first into the realm of made-up meetings with producers, managers, and other experience. In short, there’s a lot of posturing.
The posturing phenomenon on social media makes me think about reputation and what it means to cultivate an authentic reputation - one that people gravitate towards, can trust, and support.
Personally, I think reputation is as essential as having skill or talent, and in many ways it’s even more important. It’s easy to deceive people when someone’s standing in front of you, but it’s incredibly hard to deceive information about you that others dispense and share. In an industry that’s built on relationships and trust, reputation is the craft more writers would stand to improve.
What I think most creatives don’t understand about reputation is that it’s really about power. Sure, someone could have the reputation for writing great stories, but the proof is in the pudding with that. When it comes to the creative person, how you interact with others builds the reputation that will either get you in the door to share your brilliance, or reputation will keep your brilliance locked in a closet. Reputation has the power to literally make or break your career.
When starting out, no one wants to work with an entitled asshole, regardless of how talented that person it. The business is already too hard. Pomposity doesn’t help the situation.
I’m reading Robert Greene’s “The 48 Laws of Power,” which is about how power manifests itself in personal and business relationships. In my opinion, it should be required reading for anyone who wants to pursue a career in the arts.
In the book there is a chapter titled, “So Much Depends Upon Reputation - Guard It With Your Life.” It’s a fantastic chapter that elucidates how cultivating one’s reputation is the cornerstone of power. And the key is knowing that reputation is always a choice: own it and you own your power; ignore it and others own your power.
Greene writes:
“Since we must live in society and must depend on the opinion of others, there is nothing to be gained by neglecting your reputation. By not caring how you are perceived, you let others decide this for you. Be the master of your fate, and also of your reputation.”
Reputation isn’t a choice; it’s not something we can choose to have or not. Reputation is a phenomenon of human relationships. The only choice we have when it comes to reputation is whether we own it or we let others own it for us.
In an industry that is incredibly competitive and collaborative, reputation is the key that truly unlocks more doors than talent. That’s why I’m purposely crafting my reputation and thinking about what I want others to say about me when I’m not in the room.
Today’s Accomplishments
Finished describing the final few moments of my pilot. I also spent sometime thinking about the thematic question the pilot presents and the show investigates. I’ve settled on something to the effect of: How does the pursuit of our passions change our circumstances and life? It’s not the sexiest thematic question - and it needs some teasing - but I feel like I’ve got a good grasp as to what my pilot and story is REALLY about.
Wrote this blog post on reputation and it’s importance to writers and other creatives.
Tomorrow’s Tasks
Write about how the other main and supporting characters contribute to the thematic question of my pilot.
Review my notes and ideas for my pilot thus far and begin revising and expanding my story document.
Identify best-fit managers for my DADLY query campaign - I’ve until Saturday to finish my research of managers.
Write a blog post about creativity and the writing life.
Today’s Story Worthy Moment
Like any other 7 year old, my son is becoming obsessed with video games. For Christmas he asked Santa for an Xbox. Santa and his parents nixed that idea. But, Santa, my wife, and I indulged him and bought him a really cool laser gun game that displays moving targets on the wall and the ceiling.
When he opened the gift he was excited - I could tell he was a bit disappointed, too, because the box the laser gun came in is nearly the same size and shape as an Xbox. And like any Christmas gifts kids get, it sat in it’s box under the tree for a few weeks, and then it moved - still in the box - in the hallway.
My wife LOVED to remind me every day to do something about the box. The box become a challenge between my wife and I: whoever moves it first is the loser. My wife gave me the nickname “H-A,” which stands for “half-ass.” She contends I never finish anything. I contend she just like to critique my work.
Well today I finally took the damn thing out of the box, looked up the directions on how to play, and spent 45 minutes with my boys playing a laser tag game on the ceiling my oldest’s bedroom.
And my wife was happy because that same box that she’s been bugging me to do something about is finally gone.
Now if I could only fix that lightbulb in our bathroom that went out last week.
