“You start writing the next one.”

There’s this amazing scene in the movie tick, tick… BOOM! that I had to watch again. It happens after Jonathon Larson has his big presentation of a new musical that nobody on Broadway wants to produce.

He says, “So what am I supposed to do now?”

Rosa Stevens says, “You start writing the next one. And after you finish that one, you start on the next. And on and on, and that’s what it is to be a writer, honey. You just keep throwing them against the wall and hoping against hope that eventually something sticks.”

Here’s the clip.

I love this scene! The creative process is a journey. On this journey, we reach peaks and valleys. We share our work, looking for kudos or constructive criticism. We learn from our mistakes. And we keep moving toward the next set of peaks and valleys.

There may be thrills along the way. We may need to take a break. And when we keep at it, we can produce something meaningful.