I'm going off Camino today to talk about rejection.
How do you see, how do you handle, rejection?
I had a script rejected overnight. This happens all the time in my industry. There are numerous stories which have gone down into myth about the famous movie scripts that got repeatedly rejected, then went onto make gazillions.
JK Rowling was rejected early on. And The Beatles, too.
I've been an independent filmmaker now since 1982, and I've had stuff rejected time and again. I've always regarded it as part of the process of making a film.
It's the Universe testing my resolve.
Do you really want to make this film? Do you really want to spend the next four years of your life on it? Will audiences be interested?
But supposing I've been wrong all these years.
Supposing rejection is the Universe telling me I'm going the wrong way. Putting up barriers to stop me heading down a road I'm not destined to go down?
Should life be a struggle to test resolve? Or should it be easy, without barriers and roadblocks?
Is rejection the Universe's way of redirecting you onto your proper path, whatever that might be?
PGS the Way 
Rejection is just another life experience. You cannot truly know the joy of acceptance unless you have first experienced rejection. Perhaps the person(s) who rejected your script is, or are, not the person(s) to whom you were meant to entrust this particular work. To do what you love is not always the easiest choice to make. A big cyberhug from me to you! Julie
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Julie,
I got your cyber-hug, thank you!!
Yes, you’re right in that not everyone sees the world, or material, the same way.
I remember once sitting down to a very weird dinner in a three star Michelin restaurant somewhere outside of Cannes – and I was sitting beside Terry Gilliam, of Monty Python fame. As a film director, Gilliam has done all the Monty Python movies, but also Brazil, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Fisher King, Twelve Monkeys etc…
Anyway, he spent the evening telling me all the movies he’d rejected, including Forrest Gump, and the Truman Show.
So it is very much an individual thing.
As for myself, early in my career I was sent the original Die Hard script to consider for direction – and said no to it. Thought it was trash. And now I regard it as one of the better made action films…
Huh…
Bill
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Julie is right, Bill.Real creativity is a gift, and what is created is there to enrich,or inspire, or positively affect the eyes that were meant to see it. Think of your photo of the boy in the rain -some people saw it as beautiful,others didn’t. That wasn’t the fault of the photo or the person who created it – its just an aspect of a world created to be full of unique people with unique appreciations.When I write or present something that isn’t well received, and I know that it was good, not from vanity, but because of self knowledge, then its my fault for not finding the people it was meant to be given to.Gifts are divinely given and meant to be shared,therefore its not thatcthe gift is unworthy, just inappropriately presented. Find the right eyes for you script, believing in your work, and it will.not just be received -it will soar!
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Dear Sister –
Thank you for these very inspiring words.
what I’m always fascinated about is the level of success you aspire to.
You don’t need to have a big success – but that’s often what people go after – and in the process they ruin what makes it special.
Bill
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Bill,
Rejection, when it happens to me, can be pretty humbling.
I do not take it personally though, I try to look upon rejection of my work as the audience, in that instance, was not the proper audience.
I also am a firm believer in “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven”. Everything happens in the way it is intended to happen.
If life were easy, we would never learn nor would we grow from our experiences. Submit to another venue, I say!
Ultreia
Arlene
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Hi Arlene –
the other thing that rejection does – if you believe it is PGS, as I do, is it prods you in a certain direction.
For instance, this was a script that I’d forgotten about – I’d sent it out, and got busy on other things – it had been sitting on the guy’s desk for six months, and I’d assumed it was a pass because I hadn’t heard back, but the email came in overnight, just when I’m finishing up the Camino book and wondering what I should next be doing while I’m waiting for finance on my next movie.
So it was a reminder that I really should give this other project some more thought.
It’s my PGS at work – prodding me!
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Bill,
I definitely believe PGS is at work – always. But I also believe there is a time to every purpose. I think both work together to guide us along the Way.
Nothing happens by chance, I think we consciously or unconsciously draw situations to us.
And, I agree yes your PGS is prodding you towards the next step.
Arlene
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I ask myself these questions ALL the time . I am an idea machine! If i had the resolve I would have made a lot of money my life! Like I thought about good coffee convenient coffee houses before Starbucks happened. But I didnt do anything about it , I. was mothering and didnt want to sacrifice that to anything else. I have gone the route of less resistance( not least ). I have felt if something was really , really hard , then the universe or god or spirit was saying no! However, I am not really sure if this is accurate ! I am still trying to figure this out. I dont trust my PGS so much . I wish i did, or maybe i dont know how to hear/ read it in my life. I do know I have a blessed life. I am grateful for it. I have had plenty of tough/troubling times, but I dont dwell on this times, i know they have taught me much. But i still wish i could accurately know i was following THE path for my life.
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