I have been writing with the goal of selling my work since age 17 (I’m now 35).  I was a fan of Prince and wrote a novel based on one of his songs.  The novel took nearly a year to write.  A few days after graduating high school, I drove from Indiana to Minneapolis to get my book to Prince, only to hear from one of his managers that they don’t

accept unsolicited material.

Disappointed, I came back home and told what happened to a writing teacher I’d had.  He suggested I try a literary agency, mentioning one in particular he had heard good things about.  The only problem was, this particular agency charged roughly $300 to review a manuscript.  I raised the money and sent my manuscript.  A few weeks later, the agency said that while I have potential, my manuscript was not sellable.  So I wrote another manuscript, then another one and another one and another one, sending each (with fee) to the agency, which told me the same thing each time.  Tired of the constant rejection, I decided to just forget the whole thing.

It wasn’t until several years later, after getting my bachelor’s in journalism and enlisting in the Navy, that I decided to give writing another try.  I was sitting at work, bored, and a story came to me.  Though it wasn’t much at the time, it was interesting enough for me to write it down.  Over time, I extended the story into a screenplay and attempted to sell it.  As before, I was met with rejection.  This time, however, instead of starting a new manuscript or giving up, I decided to rework what I had written.  A little change here, a little change there – and in retrospect, I’m glad I was initially rejected.  The experience has made me a better writer.

It has been several years since I first wrote my story, and only now can I confidently say that my script is where it needs to be.  I am proud of A Family Affair, and the time has come to unleash it.