Give Thanks for the Talent of Others
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It’s Thanksgiving week! A week to say thanks to everyone making this special. I want to say thanks first of all to my friend Ruby Hankey, who lets me record these episodes in her amazing voiceover studio, to my awesome British editor Harrison Lewis, who edits them, and to Erin Raderstorf, who’s helping with podcast media and promotion. I LOVE team sports. I have since I was a kid. Going from writing as a solo activity, to writing with a team expecting material from me, ready to use their talents to make mine stronger, is the best feeling. So thank you, all. 2020 is the year that gave me a team, and I’m grateful.
Which brings me to today’s topic!
GIVE THANKS FOR THE TALENT OF OTHERS.
When I was in grad school for playwriting, I was very competitive internally with the other writers. For no reason, they were nice, polite, happy writers, and I’m still friends with them. But I wanted to be the best, and I knew I wasn’t, and it was frustrating. There was one time in particular when somebody else’s script beat my script out for something, I forget what now, but I remember it made me so mad it got to the point where I thought, “I’m actually in the wrong here, I am unhealthily mad and jealous, we’ve passed the point of friendly competition.”
So, being the good little Catholic that I am, I went to confession about it. I confessed, “I’m sinfully jealous of an opportunity that somebody else’s good writing earned them.” And the priest thought for a moment, and then he said this:
“For your penance, I want you to pray that God increases that writer’s talent. Give thanks to God that He has blessed them with an artistic gift, and ask Him to increase it and send that person more opportunities to share their gift with the world.”
- Annoyingly wise priest trying to make me learn humility
The priest shared with me that he was on campus writing his dissertation (which is not uncommon at Catholic University of America, where I got my MFA in playwriting) and that he struggled with the same thing, wanting to be the smartest in his class. So anytime he was tempted to jealousy, or wanting to be the smartest or the holiest, he prayed that God would grow the other person in holiness and smartness and wisdom.
So, look. I know lots of you listening aren’t Catholic, so let’s extract the lesson. I did my penance. I prayed for that other writer’s talent and opportunities to increase. And it made me realize, as I thought about them, that I am grateful for their talent, for their notes on my scripts, and for the chance to work alongside them. Their extreme talent made me and my work better.
There will always be writers more talented than us. The temptation to jealousy and competition is going to grow with time and professional achievement, and the next level is always out of reach. The question is, how do I want to live through it? And when I dig deep, deep down, I know that I want to live in a world where other writers, more gifted than I, get more opportunities than I do, provided I grow in my own gift to the best of my ability, even if it means I’m not “the best.”
The petty part of me DOES NOT want to live in a world where writers LESS talented than me get MORE opportunities than me, but that happens too! It’s besides the point. The point is, give thanks for the talent of others. And don’t worry about your own-- just do your work, keep your head down, and enjoy the great things that others make.
And thank God for all great writers! If it wasn’t for great writing, I might not have gotten through some of the toughest times of my life. If it wasn’t for William Goldman and *The Princess Bride*, I might not have gotten through being sixteen years old and refusing to do my medical treatment. If it wasn’t for Shonda Rhimes and all 200 million seasons of *Grey’s Anatomy*, I might not have gotten through 2020 quarantine; if it wasn’t for the Sherman-Palladinos and *Gilmore Girls*, my mom and I wouldn’t have the special traditions that we do. All of those writers are better than me, and thank God they are, because I need them to be.
My hope is that one day, somebody will be having a tough time, and my chronic illness sitcom or my weird quirky church comedy will get them through it. That’s my hope. Time will tell.
In the meantime, I’m giving thanks for all the artists out there whose talent has ministered to my battered soul. I raise a glass to them this Thanksgiving, to their art, their handiwork, their unseen midnight writing hours that delivered to me a slice of hope. For *The Spy Who Dumped Me*, the movie my family and I will watch-party on Hulu together this Thanksgiving as we all stay home and stay safe.
I’m jealous, petty and competitive, and I’d like to think I’m working hard and putting in unseen time to get to my ten thousand hours of mastery. Thank God for the writers who came before me and inspired me to start, and thank God for the other writers at my level who edge me out and beat me to the opportunities I want. I’m praying for all of you today. I’m praying that God would increase your talent and bless you with more chances to share your gift with the world, to share your gift with me and my family, cheering you on.
Thank you so much for listening. I’m really grateful for those of you who show up. It’s early days of this podcast, and according to Anchor, my platform, I have twenty-one unique listeners. And I hope that number grows! But right now I am thankful for all twenty-one of you, my family, devoted friends, my mother-in-law Jill who listens the second the episode comes out, thanks to all of you for encouraging me and the work I put out into the world. You are a gift to me! Happy Thanksgiving.
DM me to let me know what you’re watching with your families on Thanksgiving! We’ll watch *The Spy Who Dumped Me*, and probably the turkey-pardoning episode of *The West Wing*, when CJ tries to buy the turkeys and save their life.
WRITING: Just finished a sitcom writing class at Stage 32 that I loved. This is a sitcom about medieval nuns, sort of like PBS’ Miracle Workers. I know, I know-- another medieval nun comedy? So overdone. But this one basically sells itself.
READING: Finished The Comic Toolbox by John Vorhaus ! I loved this book. Really recommend it for all comedy writers.
WATCHING: The Spy Who Dumped Me. Also The Crown. So good. And so expensive-- tied with Game of Thrones for the most expensive series ever made, at 13 million an episode.
Thanks for joining! Use the hashtags #writingmywritingdown and #writereadwatch to show me what you’re working on. I follow these hashtags! Follow me at @hellokathleenj on instagram & twitter, this podcast on IG at @writingmywritingdown, and all podcast transcripts on my blog at hellokathleenjones.com.
Edited by the amazingly British & talented Harrison Lewis, @harryjtl. Special thanks to Ruby Hankey, Amie Cazel and Erin Raderstorf. Check out the transcript for this episode here, and let me know what you’re writing today.
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If you have reading and watching recommendations, please DM me. I’m always looking for new books-- and bonus points if you can connect me with the writer!
I’m Kathleen Jones and this is Writing My Writing Down. If you want to get your writing done, write it down.