Anticipation

As the days and weeks pass by, the anticipation of the books release starts to build. The excitement of having your own work out in the world to breath a life all its own. and the anxiety of wondering if you have done enough. Did I mold the characters enough, was I descriptive enough, did I add enough realism into the plot and storyline?

The same is true for actors. We wonder if we have done enough research, enough character development, have we built a relatable and believable character? Will the audience love it or hate it.

I am reminded of an interview I read years ago, of a businessman I have long admired. An Icon of American spirit and tough Texas Perserverance. The King of Oil, T Boone Pickens. He talked about the need to analyze and over analyze. He said when he was a kid he used to go back and forth until one day his father told him “T Boone, it’s time to make a decision. It might be the right one, or it might be the wrong one, but it’s time to decide.”

In a way, writing and acting are much the same. You can practice and hone as much as possible. Should I write it this way or that way, should I act this way or that? At the end of the day, you have to trust yourself and go with your gut and know that you have done enough. Will you make mistakes? Yes, of course you will. Thats a part of life. If you try to love a life void of risk, it isn’t really living, and you never learn the valuable lessons of failure.

Anxiety can lead to fear and fear can keep you from taking a chance and doing the scary thing, which often times the fear in our own minds far outweighs the reality.

Be scared and do it anyway.