The Words

Recently, I had a chance to attend the movie “The Words” starring Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana. I was very apprehensive about this movie because I did not think I would enjoy it, but this movie had many lessons that many aspiring artists and writers could learn.

            This movie was about a guy who aspired to become a published author, but many publishing companies rejected his work. Does this sound familiar? After he and his girlfriend sought support from his parents, he was forced to get a daily job at a publishing company. A sense of complacency came over him because he started to live a regular life. However, he finally received the call he had been waiting for, but the publisher informed him that he believed in his work but there was no market for his type of writing. He and his girlfriend got married and honeymooned in Paris where he found a vintage briefcase with a manuscript inside. The story that he read identified with his current situation, and he copied the outline word for word. In this story, a man was stationed in Paris for war and met the love of his life. They married and had a child together, but the child became ill and died. The wife was distraught and left the soldier. In order to keep his sanity, he wrote a book about his life. The author gained publicity and fortune, but an old man, who originally wrote the manuscript, confronted the author. The author was very disturbed by this encounter and offered the soldier money and rights to all of the royalties. However, the soldier did not accept anything from the author but challenged him to accept his mistake and move on. These actions caused a great deal of trouble for his marriage, relationship with the publishing company, and his life.

            As I pondered about the messages in this movie, these teachings will help you along your path:

1.     Don’t fear rejection. This is a chance to continuously perfect your gift or work. In addition, you want a publishing company to believe in your work not just accept you. Rejection means “not yet”.

2.     Don’t become complacent. Although your dream of writing may not happen when you want it to, it will happen in due time. Until that time, gain all the information you can about publishing and distribution companies and how they work. Keep in mind that your current situation will not be forever.

3.     Be original. One of the worst feelings is to know that you plagiarized or infringed on someone’s intellectual property. This can turn into legal trouble and is something you want to avoid. Let your work come from the heart because many people will be able to identify with the many triumphs and trials you have endured.

4.     Accept your failures. It is guaranteed that you will not reach your dreams on the first try. You will make mistakes that may cost you, but you must find it in yourself to make things right and move on.