#3 Alright, Alright, Alright

A little bro-y deep wisdom from Matthew McConaughey

I had an hour to kill in LAX today. I thought I’d download Matthew McConaughey’s audiobook, Greenlights, so his charming AF Texan accent might lull me to sleep on the plane, but I was having technical difficulties with Amazon. Then, while perusing Kind bars and Afrin in the airport shop, I smiled when I saw his laugh lines and perfectly-scruffed jaw on the front of Greenlights, so it seemed like fate. I picked up a hardcover copy.

I was drawn in right away, wanting to know more about a childhood where his parents were twice divorced and thrice married—to each other. This guy has stories to tell.

The greenlights McConaughey talks about are signs that mean go, advance, carry on. This is an excerpt:

We can also earn greenlights, engineer and design for them. We can be responsible for greenlights.

Catching Greenlights is also about timing. The world’s timing, and ours. When we are in the zone, on the frequency, and with the flow. We can catch greenlights by sheer luck because we are in the right place at the right time. Catching more of them in our future can be about intuition, karma, and fortune. Sometimes catching greenlights is about fate.

Structurally, it’s not a perfect book. There are a lot of tidbits of wisdom in the beginning just sprinkled in, more laundry-list style than the typical finessed layering of a book by a seasoned author.

But in between the ‘bro-y’ macho-isms (there is literally a story about a pissing contest, in full, creepy detail), there is a delightful memoir here, filled with interesting observations and recollections. As I read on, I found that the philosophy McConaughey offers resonated with me. As he has aged, he’s gained a certain enlightenment and wisdom that feels genuine and applicable for anyone who picks up a copy of the book.

The book got me to reflect on all the red and yellow lights in my path the last six years since my husband and I split up and I restarted my life. I also felt really grateful for all the greenlights that have happened for me in the last half-year or so.

As my friend Kerry pointed out recently, “girl, you are on a winning streak!” I asked for and got a raise in my rates from the SEO expert I freelance for, I landed an awesome new client, I wrote a book in lockdown that will be released this summer, I made it to the semi-final round of Final Draft’s “Big Break” screenwriting contest, and the producer who optioned my screenplay for Hallmark renewed the option.

These greenlights in my path were a combination of self-realization, creating opportunities for myself, getting out of my own way, and also getting a helping hand financially from the government, which was a concrete greenlight in terms of easing my day-to-day stress. I suddenly started righting my financial ship--one that had been sinking fast for the last six years. It feels nothing short of miraculous.

The biggest financial greenlight was settling with the IRS for a whopping marital tax debt that had been like an albatross around my neck. Getting free of that debt is my second chance, and I’m not going to blow it. So yeah, it feels a bit like I’m driving down Lincoln Blvd. (which my cousin Joan refers to as the ugliest street in Los Angeles) catching one light and then miraculously cruising along freely through one green light after another. It’s about fate, luck, momentum, good steering, and the universal pendulum of “what goes up must come down” swinging in my favor. I’ll take it!

These are some awesome McConaugheyisms that I have translated into writing wisdom:

Create structure so you can have freedom.

Yes! In screenwriting, you start with a beat outline and a clear concept of the beginning, middle, and end of your story. In any kind of non-fiction writing, even creative nonfiction, start with a structure that serves as a solid foundation for you to then organize your material. This is not just for the reader’s experience, but it helps you formulate your thoughts, layer concepts, and really get to the meat of what you want to say. “Individuality needs resistance. The earth needs gravity.”

Map your direction so you can swerve in the lanes.

In your novel or screenplay, develop characters, arcs, relationships, plots. Then you can have fun with it, create a real impact with three-dimensional characters and intricate, compelling plots. If you’re writing an essay, it can’t just be free association and random thoughts thrown on a page. Hone your craft, whatever that craft may be.

Choreograph, then dance.

This one speaks for itself. In life, in writing, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, creativity needs borders.

Learn to read and write before you start making up words.

The best thing a writer can do is read. Read a lot. Then write. Write a lot. Great writers are both humbling and inspiring. In reading you will become a more interesting writer. Take baby steps before you take that giant leap to the next plateau. Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further. OK, I didn’t make that one up, it’s a quote by Thomas Carlyle.

Check if the pool has water in it before you dive in.

Before I quit my day job to write full time, I built up enough of a clientele and I branched out to a few different streams of income to ensure I would be able to pay the bills. If you want to quit your day job and make five figures writing on Medium, that’s awesome! But understand that that is not an overnight journey. It involves building up an audience, studying Medium, developing a strategy, and hanging in for the inevitable learning curve. Look at Medium as one stream of income, and then springboard from there to create other streams of income to grow your personal brand and your writing business. “Initiation before inaugurations.”

If and when we get knowledge of the space, the craft, the people, and the plan, then we can let our freak flag fly, and create.

SEO tip:

Did you know on Medium and Wordpress there are SEO settings? If you control the SEO, your article/blog will be more easily discovered with a catchy introduction and keywords that you sprinkle in.

In Medium, when you write a new piece you can click on the three dots, scroll down to settings, more settings, which then pulls up the SEO settings on the left. It tells you that you have 140-156 characters. This is your chance to use those characters wisely so that you can multiply the eyeballs on your article, increase engagement, links, and exposure.

Rebecca’s Rant of the week: (this is not a regular feature, just one that I use when I feel ranty)

“Done is better than perfect.” I’m done with hearing this! Not that there is no truth in it…but I would modify this to “good is better than average.”

When it comes to content creation, if you simply want to throw blogs out there to increase your SEO, OK, I get it, they don’t need to be brilliant pieces of literature. I also think perfectionism is dangerous—it freezes writers up into a gripping, nasty writer’s block.

But here’s the other side of it…if you want to get noticed as a writer, you’ve got to hone your voice, perfect your craft, and have something to say. When you think about the incredible screenplays and books that made an impression on you, the most inspiring writers out there—they gave it their best and left it all on the page.

Maybe you can’t write as well as Nora Ephron or Aaron Sorkin—but maybe you fucking can! I say, study the greats and learn. And for the same price as slapping another mediocre blog post or listicle out there, why not try to do something really good? Throwing content out there that you know is mezza mezza is not going to get you that raise, that client you’re pitching, or that mythical five-figure income from Medium. Whether you’re writing a novel, an article, a screenplay, or a pitch deck, you don’t want to aim for average. You’ve got to put something out there that you’re proud of, something that creates value for the reader. When you do, then you’re cooking, and those yellow lights are going to start turning green for you.

Until next time,

Write on, write on, write on!

P.S. If you’re interested in coaching with me for screenwriting or Medium writing, email me here anytime.

Check out my latest in Illumination: Was Helen Gurley Brown the Original Karen?