Rebeca Seitz
The power! [insert maniacal laughter]
I will never forget when FIRST BLUSH was produced into a TV pilot. Former Disney showrunner Bob Burris and I wrote the script, which was based on my novella. On the first day of principal photography, Bob and I were sitting in Video Village when we heard the first, "Quiet on the set..." followed by, "Action!"
And then magic happened.
A character that had only lived in my mind until that moment walked into the real world and spoke words I put into her mouth.
The realization of my power as a writer hit me as both horrifying and exhilarating. Who was I to be putting ideas into the world like this?! Shouldn't I need to get a license or go through some vetting first?
Fast forward a few months and I stood in the back of a darkened theater as the show played on a giant screen. A few seconds in, a character spoke my words and the audience laughed.
They laughed!
I'd legitimately brought a moment of joy into a life purely through words!
I've thought often of those two moments. Prior to them, I'd taught at writers conferences all over the country and extolled the power of stories to inspire, encourage, and urge us toward good, healthy, happy living. I don't think I truly got it, though, until then.
When a precious reader holds one of my novels or novellas in hand and lets the gaze flow across those words that didn't exist before my fingers danced on a keyboard...there is magic happening. It isn't just my power to wield because the reader has to be present, too, but it is powerful and I am a part of it. I'm so unworthy of that, but it's true just the same.
I don't know if that power is the best or worst thing about being a writer - but it's definitely a thing I try to honor and put toward best use.
I will never forget when FIRST BLUSH was produced into a TV pilot. Former Disney showrunner Bob Burris and I wrote the script, which was based on my novella. On the first day of principal photography, Bob and I were sitting in Video Village when we heard the first, "Quiet on the set..." followed by, "Action!"
And then magic happened.
A character that had only lived in my mind until that moment walked into the real world and spoke words I put into her mouth.
The realization of my power as a writer hit me as both horrifying and exhilarating. Who was I to be putting ideas into the world like this?! Shouldn't I need to get a license or go through some vetting first?
Fast forward a few months and I stood in the back of a darkened theater as the show played on a giant screen. A few seconds in, a character spoke my words and the audience laughed.
They laughed!
I'd legitimately brought a moment of joy into a life purely through words!
I've thought often of those two moments. Prior to them, I'd taught at writers conferences all over the country and extolled the power of stories to inspire, encourage, and urge us toward good, healthy, happy living. I don't think I truly got it, though, until then.
When a precious reader holds one of my novels or novellas in hand and lets the gaze flow across those words that didn't exist before my fingers danced on a keyboard...there is magic happening. It isn't just my power to wield because the reader has to be present, too, but it is powerful and I am a part of it. I'm so unworthy of that, but it's true just the same.
I don't know if that power is the best or worst thing about being a writer - but it's definitely a thing I try to honor and put toward best use.
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