Not All Rollercoasters Are Fun

When I celebrated my birthday in May, it seemed my career was on the climb. I finished three prestigious TV writing programs, one of my scripts was a quarterfinalist in a writing competition, and so many people were cheering for me to succeed.

But what goes up must come down. I didn't get staffed, got dropped by my agent, and found myself facing the biggest crisis of faith of my entire creative career. My entire life, really. The self-doubt was painfully suffocating - You've wasted your life pursuing this dream that will never happen. If you were actually good enough, someone would have hired you by now. All the signs are telling you it's time to quit.

I've always said that not losing faith is the hardest part of being an artist. Because artists need faith to survive. We don't choose this path in life because it's lucrative or logical - we do it because we must. So to doubt our career is to doubt our very core being.

But my Taiwanese tiger parents raised me to work hard and be the best, so I've pressed on. June was not pretty. July wasn't any better. I felt blocked even though I knew I had to keep writing.

Thankfully, momentum is an integral component of all rollercoasters and the kinetic energy generated by the years I've invested in my writing life have propelled me through this low point. I'm working on a new pilot script, editing my second short story collection, and I'm almost back to writing every day.

And finally, some good news - I was just hired as a writers assistant/researcher for a new legal drama premiering on BET in 2016. I'm headed back to the writers room! A huge step in the right direction and the boost I needed to start my next climb.

Also, my short story collection HEARTBORN is finally available as a hard copy book. (Pictured here with my morning spinach smoothie...)

It's thin, but beautifully tangible. Order a copy before your Labor Day weekend getaways!

So the rollercoaster that is my creative life rolls on. Thanks for riding with me, everyone. Here's to more ups than downs in the future and the strength to know that no matter how big the dips, faith will always propel you forward.