SQN - Sine Qua Non - Issue Two - Journal - Page 31
SINE QUA NON
go before you've given up too much. You should never go into a casino without a limit. It's
the same thing when compromising yourself for your art.
You're going to compromise, especially if you decide to go into television. You will be
rewritten. |ese are just realities. Are you willing to compromise on that? |ere are some
people who can't. Are you willing to lower the quality of your writing to get past X, Y, and
Z obstacle? Are you willing to play into some stereotypes? Are you willing to allow your
characters to fail the Bechdel Test?1 If it allows you a paycheck and insurance beneots, will
you do it? You have to know what your compromise is and what your endpoint is.
For me, there are the things I have written for commercial gain because I needed money. I
needed to be paid. Everything that we do, even if we're not in the entertainment business,
comes with some level of compromise and exploitation. I wish the world was better, but I
have certain realities, like my son's needs and my bills. And I ain't gonna lie, there are things
that sit on my conscience even now, and I wonder, did I do the right thing? But that's in all
of life.
HS: What is something you learned as a professional writer that you wish you had known
when you were an emerging writer?
FG: Ask for time. It is much better that you turn in something well written but a little late
than something poorly written but on time. Written poorly is hard to come back from. |e
biggest thing to learn is how to ask for help, for grace. You9re not the only one working with
a producer, agent, or manager. You're not the only project that's in development. Sometimes
they9re grateful not to have anything to read this week. |ey're under a lot of stress themselves.
So, ask. And if they say no, then decide if and how you oght through.
In terms of the whole
