Never Write Alone

Today, I met up with some of the IVCF members, so that they could have an idea of the script and what exactly the play was supposed to entail. I must admit that I was rather proud of this play. It was the first one that I had ever written. My friend Elizabeth had recommended a special program to me for writing media, and I had pretty professional looking manuscript. I had shaped the characters with my own hands and created them in my mind. This was to be my crowning glory. This would be my play and everyone, would be amazed at how awesome it was.

I must admit, I was a bit proud of my creation, but what else could I be? I had done something that I had never done before, and I had succeeded. And so, brimming with pride and confidence, I presented my manuscript. The others weren't even a minute into reading it before they began suggesting changes. Changes!? This was my play! My creation! My child! What right do you have changing it? What right do you have walking into my perfectly ordered world and turning it all topsy turvy? I was mad. Not mad enough to show it, but I felt insulted. They didn't think that I was good enough to write a play.

It was in that moment that I remembered something that made me feel foolish. I remember listening to John Green, a young adult novel writer that I look up to. He said that many people would assume that a novel is written by just one person and reflects only that person's ideas. Then he showed a list of several people who some way or the other, adjusted his first book, to make it into the award winner that it was today. It was then I realized that no writer is an island. We all get our inspiration from somewhere and from people. They may not have come up with the idea or done all the writing, but without their input, we would never get anywhere.

Before I knew it, I was accepting the advice from my friends, and getting excited as I imagined their ideas. Maybe when this is all said and done, my name may go down as the playwright, but it would have been written by many many other people as well. I don't roll solo.

I don't write alone.

P.S. Yesterday, in all my procrastination, I didn't realize that I had hit 100 blog posts!! Yay!!! I hope that there would be many more where that came from.