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Aug 23, 20233 min read

For Pete's Sake. Do Something!

Don't sit around waiting for something to happen. Make it happen.


Brainy Quote quote from Michael Jordan

There are two reasons why we writers are unproductive. The first is procrastination -- the creative's albatross. Our souls want us to develop fantastical worlds and flavorful characters. Yet, we find ingenious ways not to write.


Heck, I was going to post this article eight years and 17 websites ago. I just had, you know, stuff to do. Important stuff. Not quite earth-shattering stuff. Maybe a little below it.


The second reason unproductiveness emerges is sulking. This happens when an article is rejected, an agent doesn't like your manuscript, or no one seems interested in hiring you. Here, you mope around the apartment, blaming the magazine, the agent, and everyone else who doesn't think your writing is the wasp’s knees. Distracting yourself with stuff doesn't even help your mood.


The Verb and Noun That Change Everything

When your sulking is to the point that even Bluey gets sullen around you, it's time to change things. You need to take a verb and a common noun, put them together, and do something.


A photo of Ike Barinholtz
Ike Barinholtz (imdb.com)

The phrase helped Ike Barinholtz, the comedian and actor seen in MADtv, The Mindy Project, and The Afterparty. As he told Guy Raz on his podcast, The Great Creators, Ike was coerced to do something after a creative drought when nary a job appeared on the acting horizon.


So, he pivoted into writing screenplays. Lo and behold, he became the executive story writer for The Mindy Project. Instead of being a one-off assignment, he continued writing. The fruits of his keyboard produced screenplays for the movies Central Intelligence and History of the World: Part II.



My Noun-Verb Experience

I had a similar "Do Something" experience, though not as powerful as writing a hit sitcom or movie. In the mid-2010s, I won a publishing contract for my book Paradise Not Quite Lost (which will eventually be rewritten and released). Although the publisher said the book’s expected release was that upcoming winter, the timeframe came and went with a lot of nothingness. Eventually, the publisher fell off the Earth, never to be heard from again.


I spent a plethora of hours stomping across the living room floor in a childlike funk. I was a small step away from holding my breath until I passed out or the publisher responded. At some point, tired of simultaneously taking care of me and our five young children, my wife said, "Do something else." Translation: Stop your whining, or, by God, I'll kick your butt so hard you'll need a cast for your tushy.


So, I took her gentle suggestion and did something else. The result was my short story anthology Coffee Cup Tales. Eventually, I got the rights back to Paradise Not Quite Lost, received positive responses, and self-published the work.


What Did We Learn Today, Rich?

Sulking is fine for one or two days max. After that, remove your thumb from your mouth, get out of the corner, and do something else.


  • Not getting the job you want with your current resume? Update it and your writing samples.

  • Pitches aren’t accepted. Review suggestions from others on how to construct a proper pitch.

  • Not feeling it with stories or novels? Try writing narrative non-fiction or poetry.


In summary, mix it up. Go beyond your zone of comfort and do something new. The success you desire could be just around the literal and figurative corner.


All the best.

Rich Scott Keller

 

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