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This week's Answer:
Anti-betrayal
Antidote
I appreciate
your e-mail, Gigette. I have definitely been
involved in similar circumstances and, through that School
of Hard Knocks, I have discovered a very important way to
wade through "betrayal waters," (which are next
to the School of Hard Knocks, which is close to the Ocean
of Back Stabbers, which is near the Forest of -- I guess
those are enough map markers), a way to make certain that
I'm never betrayed ever again. And here it is in all
its glory: To
Avoid Being Betrayed, Never Expect Anything. I
really mean that. It's not an exactly easy task to
accomplish, but it will do wonders for that creative,
wonderful, enthusiastic part of you that dies a little
each time an expectation is dashed to bits when the result
you were focused on doesn't come about. Instead of
having to go to the School of Hard Knocks, wouldn't it be
more efficient and easier to attend the School of Get
Everything Because You Expect Nothing? (Tuition is
free; you don't even have to apply; just come on in.) I
know, in this business, there are many people who take or
try to take advantage of screenwriters, but there is a way
to never be taken advantage of again or for the first
time. It's simple, but, again, it's not always easy
to carry out. Here's the key: Nobody
Can Take Advantage of You if You Need Nothing From Him. Simple,
but very powerful when it comes to holding your own in
this business. Now,
I'm not saying that it's easy to not want something
from someone like a producer who can give you a whole
bunch of money for your script and or open many doors for
you as a screenwriter. Or from a caterer who can get
you a second piece of chocolate cheese cake on location or
in a soundstage, where a director and some actors are
butchering your masterpiece. It's definitely okay to
want that. But, as soon as you need that,
you've lost your power. Because you've lost your
self-pride. And, if you lose that, you've lost
everything. Well... maybe not exactly everything. You'll
still have that cheesecake.
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