How to handle the jealous writer

So if you're a writer, at some point you're going to come up against writers that don't want you to succeed. Occasionally I'll meet a writer like this who feels threatened by meeting any other writer, especially if it's a writer that they think might succeed before them. It really sucks meeting these writers, and truthfully, you don't always know that's what's happening when you do. What you might notice is you feel very insecure around them and start to doubt if you will ever succeed when you talk to them. If you notice these kinds of thoughts and feelings, then you know that's the kind of writer you're dealing with. Remember it says more about how they feel themselves as a writer, than how you should feel about your own writing. Once you remember this, then it's really easy not to let it upset you. If you're still not sure if you've come across this type of person, here's a few questions you can ask yourself. 1. Does this person make you feel insecure about yourself? 2. Does this person make you doubt yourself as a writer? 3. Does this person make you question while you ever became a writer in the first place? 4. Did you not feel this way until you started talking to this person? I think you can see where I'm going with this. So when you've come upon this type of person, ignore it! Remind yourself, this is all them. Not you. A confident writer in themselves will not make you feel less about yourself and your writing. Personally I believe that whenever I meet a writer it's my job to help them be successful. Because I think if they succeed, then my energy will help me do the same. I believe that we can't look at the world as "not enough" because then that's what will happen to us. I think that's something I learned from The Secret. And truthfully, I've noticed how it's helped me a lot in this world. The more people I help, the more they want me to succeed. I have seen doors open for me in ways others haven't and I believe it's because of that energy. In fact, I know it is. So when you're with another writer and you find yourself feeling insecure and doubting yourself, remind yourself it's them. And when you're with another writer, let them feel good about their writing and not insecure. I promise you, you'll see success come to you before everyone else. You just might thank me someday for this bit of advice.

What's your plan to succeed?

What are you doing to move your writing career forward? Are you writing a new script? Are you working on an outline? Are you entering contests? Contacting managers? It doesn't matter what you're doing, but be doing something!

Jack Canfield in his Success Principles book talks about we should do 5 things every day that help us achieve our goal. Now, if I'm seeking a manager, contacting 5 managers every day, sure, could make it happen. But a lot of times managers don't want to hear from writers that have yet to succeed. So screenwriting doesn't always fit with that mold. But, there are ways around that. Perhaps it's taking another class to get your screenplays even stronger, so that you can enter contests, so that you can get the attention of those managers. Or maybe it's finding a new writing group, one that can really challenge you and make you a better writer. The key is to evaluate what your situation is, and ask yourself if it's propelling you towards the success you want.

Or maybe it's making a list of people you are friends with, or friends of friends with, who know people who know managers. A talented writing friend of mine queried a lot of managers and no one was interested. But then he found out a friend of his knew this manager, and that was how he got in. So even just moving forward on your goal can set the universe into action and make things happen in a way you didn't predict. So don't worry about wasting your time. You're never wasting your time if you're trying to achieve a goal and you're taking steps towards it.

Just have a plan, be clear about what you want, write it down, and go after it, every day. Eventually you will succeed.