And also need to stop using the word little, at least for the next few paragraphs.
I listen to a lot of podcasts of late. Mostly about screenwriting. There's a lot out there. Some are better than others, some resonate, while some just come off as people trying to sell me something.
My favorites, in no particular order, are The Screenwriting Life; ScriptNotes; On Story; and Write Your Screenplay. They each have a distinct tone, and I often find what they have to say useful for my writing. On top of that, the hosts are funny, smart people who I enjoy listening to as they discuss the craft and also the day to day business of being alive.
The Screenwriting Life (TSL) the other day had an episode that included the all important idea of being able to say "Fuck it". When you are nervous. When you're shooting for the stars. When you're playing baseball, or pitching an idea, or basically taking any sort of risk.
Great advice, something I have found works. It's not always easy to do, and fear is relentless. There is always a reason to doubt, to remain silent, to shut down. Most often, those reasons are bullshit, but there they are, manifested in our imagination and quite unwilling to leave peacefully.
But somehow, when we manage to say Fuck It and go for whatever it is, those fears crumble, dissipate into mist, and vanish, and we stand there, amazed at ourselves for having taken that risk, and feeling like that was way easier than we thought it would be.
I don't always manage to say Fuck It. But I try.
Today, I have a rather big Zoom meeting with some important folks about funding a new theatre project that would be a dream come true. I don't know what will come of the meeting, but I am fairly certain that one of the main reasons it's happening is because I said Fuck It, and pitched the idea to one of the theatres I work at, and then to a friend with connections, and so on. And then I have another Zoom meeting. about another theatre venture going up this summer as well. That one is the result of a writer I know who also decided to say Fuck It and get his play produced.
Fortune favors the bold, and those who say Fuck It.
Yes, Fuck is a bad word, and throws some people off. That's why I usually say it to myself in my head, and not out loud.
Sometimes it slips out. I have a habit of blurting out what's on my mind, and I think that might upset some folks. But it's how I'm wired, and has been since I was a kid. In fact, one of the first big Fuck Its I said was when I first stood up to my step-father, a very sad man who happened to be an alcoholic and quite scary when he drank.
It was scary. I think I had simply reached a point where if he killed me, I didn't care. I just couldn't take it anymore.
Happily, most Fuck Its don't involve risking your personal safety, and I am not saying it's a good thing to say when you're on the Golden Gate Bridge and wondering if you could survive jumping off. That's not saying Fuck It. That's saying I'm Crazy.
Don't do that.
Do take risks. Even if you think you will fail.
Say Fuck It this Friday. Tell that person you like them. Tell your boss they need to give you a raise. Apply for that better job. Have that Zoom meeting. Have two.
Just say Fuck It. Life is too short not to swear in public now and then.
Here's a song. It's Salute Your Solution by The Raconteurs. I dig it.
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