So I’ve now made it to year two in my journey with Stage 32 and what a journey it’s been! As I mentioned in my year one post (click here to read it!), I enjoy reflecting in order to stay positive on this journey full of obstacles and “no’s”.

So what did I learn in Year Two...?

Nothing Was Wasted

Some time ago, I worked for a major music distribution company called EMI, which has since been absorbed by Capitol Music. I was an International Marketing Manager, overseeing releases that took place in 66 countries. Each country has its own flavor and way of doing business. One example is that when you’re sitting across the table in a meeting with representatives from Japan, we learned not to hand our physical business cards directly to the recipient. Instead, take two hands, place the card on the table, and slide it across—no touching involved.

On a relational level, I was blessed to have fostered friendships with so many representatives from different countries - friendships that I carry to this day. Even though my time there ended over a decade ago, the rep from Malaysia still makes it a point to wish me a Happy Birthday every year.

One of the responsibilities I had was to monitor royalties for each country relevant to the exchange rate of the month. I’m not a numbers guy but that job alone turned me into one. I monitored sales for releases by the month for each country and reported those numbers to the powers that be. Lo and behold, many years later, there is a trend toward international productions that I’m learning about in the film industry. My past experience as an international marketing manager gives me a jump on understanding the nuances of it and will help me better understand cultural differences in the future.

Back when I tested for my black belt, one of the tasks that had to be completed was to come up with a choreography on the fly - two defensive techniques against one offensive in 30 different combinations. Then it had to be done backward. As an instructor, I had to be able to not only teach others how to do this but to do it effectively and in a manner that made sense in the real world. No one is going to do three backflips to avoid an uppercut. It had to be real and be demonstrated. This has enabled me to write fight scenes within my scripts that are not only real and believable but also a great jumping-off point for a future choreographer. This is especially true in my scripts for Haven of Dante and The Book of Jon: A Blade of Saints & Angels.

Managing hardships in the midst of keeping my goals was something that hit hard in year two. Recently, my mother had to be checked into a nursing home after a fall and the revelation that her dementia had increased dramatically. The process of that was torturous and for me personally, a nightmare that I had dreaded for years come true. At the same time, I had surgery to contend with, and something had gone wrong. Sometimes, a “truth” in my gut will show itself and the one that did in this instance was “take care of yourself, rest but keep going even if it’s a crawl”. Because of everything going on all at once, I had to learn when it was time to rest and let go and when it was time to write. We sometimes think of rest as unproductive but it’s not. I accomplished more during my rest than I ever did striving. Trusting that what I was supposed to accomplish would show itself, turned out better than all of the planning I would ever do. And it worked.

A Dream Come to Life

One night, I had a dream of a story that played itself out from beginning to end. The next day, I woke up and immediately wrote down the outline for the story which became a short script titled, Homeless. Ironically enough, there was a short season in my life where I was homeless so I decided to add that as the title. Later, I further developed it into a full feature titled, The Book of Jon: A Blade of Saints & Angels. It’s full of those aforementioned detailed fight scenes. All that to say, a dream journal is a staple that sits on my desktop.

Homeless has been entered into a few contests and to date has won a couple including making it onto the #1 slot for fantasy shorts on The Red List.

Keeping the Circle Positive

I truly believe that our words are powerful. I’ve heard it said that “Life and death are in the power of the tongue,” so I’ve become extremely selective in who I mention my goals or next steps to. Even in this post, I’ve mentioned things I’ve learned and hinted at things I’d like to do, but how those things will be accomplished is what I will keep closely guarded.

Don’t get me wrong—I do love the relationships I’ve fostered here, but if even a small amount of yeast will make a whole loaf of bread rise, then we must be careful who we share our hearts and goals with. One example of a comment made to me by an amazing and wonderful executive here on Stage 32 really encouraged me. He said, “I think you have a clear destiny in writing science fiction, particularly in animation.” Along with a few other Stage 32 executives, he gave me a “Writer: Recommend”.

One small word of doubt or fear can poison your mind and paralyze you. Likewise, I hope that anyone who has a conversation with me leaves it encouraged.

Venturing Out of My Lane

I’ve continued the trend of venturing outside of screenwriting by learning all that I can about production and acting. I’ve been exploring Producing education here on Stage 32 and I've taken quite a few acting classes (more than I can count) fueled by an unquenched thirst for that side of things. Most of my work can be either live-action or animated so I’d like to leave room for learning all I can about voice acting. It’s a fun process.

Enjoying the Journey

Speaking of fun, this is where I would encourage you to land. Enjoy the journey. You’ve heard it said here many times, it’s a marathon. And in my times of rest and reflection, I’ve come to see it as a boat traveling on a calm river that never ends. Enjoy the sights. Don’t be in a rush. The best is yet to come for you.

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Got an idea for a post? Or have you collaborated with Stage 32 members to create a project? We'd love to hear about it. Email Ashley at blog@stage32.com and let's get your post published!

Please help support your fellow Stage 32ers by sharing this on social. Check out the social media buttons at the top to share on Instagram @stage32 , Twitter @stage32 , Facebook @stage32 , and LinkedIn @stage-32 .