But so do a lot of dreamers.
I know because for many years I was one of them.
This is an open letter to all the dreamers reading Deadline today.
T.J. Newman, “Drowning” BookCourtesy; Simon & Schuster
This is the part where I would normally say I never dreamed of something like this happening to me.
And dreams are important.
Theyre what keep us going.
My dreams kept me going.
Watch on Deadline
I know Im the exception, not the rule.
I know the odds are stacked against you.
I know the industry is in a transformative year.
Right now, everything feels unstable and uncertain.
Yeah, the odds are tough … but why not you?
Why shouldnt it be you?
Just as most actors never get into the room, most writers work never gets read.
Its one thing to have a casting director cut you off with a Thank you without even looking up.
That leaves a mark every time.
And an invisible rejection feels even worse.
Im not a good writer.
The storys not as interesting as I thought.
Im not good enough.
I wanted to quit and give up.
There were so many times I almost did.
And Id pick myself up and keep going.
Growing up in Arizona, some 90s kids were mall teens, others arcade teens.
For my friends and me it was the movies.
After prom, we didnt go to parties.
We went in our tuxes and gowns to seeSpider-Manopening weekend at the AMC Centerpoint 11 in Tempe.
Film, books, theatre.
In sum: stories.
My whole life has revolved around experiencing and creating entertaining and meaningful stories.
I assume you share the same passion.
For years, I wrote figure out my life on every to-do list I created.
I meant it sincerely.
It never got scratched off.
I took a stab at teaching.
I worked at a natural history museum.
I was a secretary at a commercial real estate firm.
I took seminars in entrepreneurship.
Still, nothing fit.
I had finally found somewhere I belonged.
I began to write again.
It was hazy, but I was beginning to imagine a future that made sense for me.
After the bookstore, I became a flight attendant.
What would he do?
I knew instantly that I had the makings of my first book.
On my days off, I edited.
When the story was as good as I could make it, I started submitting to agents.
The first 41 agents rejected it.
(Apparently, an unpublished flight attendant without a platform is a tough sell.
The 42nd was my one and only yes.
Number 42 Shane Salerno of The Story Factory took a big chance on me.
He saw my potential.
They didnt take the weekend.
Instead they called the next day and put a seven-figure, two-book offer on the table.
It was more money than I ever imagined.
Next came the film deal.
To which I replied, …One-point-five what?
My brain could not comprehend these numbers or even what was happening.
Id gone from 41 rejections to half of Hollywood chasing my book.
Falling, the book that was rejected by 41 agents, debuted as a No.
1 national bestseller, No.
Massive, epic stories are what Ive always loved to watch, read, and write.
Its a strange business.
None of us know when, or if, were ever going to get our shot.
I got lucky (the 42nd time around), but I just as easily could have not.
Picasso famously said, Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.
The same thing is true of Lady Luck.
If there is anything you take from my story, just let it be this.
I didnt know anyone in publishing or in the film business.
I didnt have a family name or family money.
I didnt study writing or screenwriting.
Create something you believe in and that you want to see.
Believe in what you created and in yourself.
Find a partner who believes in you.
And dont stop until you get everything youve ever wanted.
And neither did you.
I am rooting for you.
Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 will be published May 30 by Simon & Schuster.
