More books

I recently finished Writing from the Inside Out and I know a lot of writers love this book, but it really didn't have a whole lot in it for me personally.

See, the basic message is that however writers feel about writing, they're not alone in feeling this way, and it's normal to doubt yourself and blah blah blah. OK. I get that. I have a writing partner, so I actually have another person right there. I don't have to have crazy conversations by myself (not that I don't occasionally have those too, but you get what I'm saying).

But the OTHER message of the book is to be happy about the work that you do. And if you're actually working as a Hollywood writer, that's really really hard. Even William Goldman said it's really hard to be creatively fulfilled if all you do is write assignment-type work, because everybody is always changing stuff and so writers have to bend and mold themselves to something they may not personally believe in just so they can cash a check. Goldman thinks this is why people go on to be writer-directors, or writer-producers, or add the hyphenate of your choice, because for many writers, if you don't do something else, you won't be creatively fulfilled.

The cool thing is, I have that something else already! I have Pendant!

My husband and I have always remarked that even if a story we love doesn't get picked up in some form by someone in some medium, we can still create it through Pendant.

I think also that writing for Pendant has helped us learn more about what we really want to write, what actually creatively fulfills us and makes us happy. I think if we had truly broken into Hollywood before now, it might have been detrimental to our development as writers in general.

Because of Pendant, not only have we written on deadline (for years) but we've been editors and producers. We've developed stories alone, as a team, and with larger groups. We've had such a wide range of amazing experiences because of Pendant, I just... I am so grateful for what I've gotten to do so far.

And no matter what eventually happens for us professionally, that's never going to change. Pendant will always be there, giving us the freedom to do what we want to do.

I think that's pretty freakin' great.