Get in the Game!

A friend of mine who is between jobs visited me and said, "You should make a reality show about job searching." There are a lot of us out there with interesting stories." It's a shame that my friend, along with many other Americans, is still looking for work. He means well, but his suggestion shows that he hasn't really examined his idea in depth. He assumes, that if he doesn't see his idea on television, it's because no one's ever had the idea before. In fact, there's no shortage of ideas to create great content. What's lacking are creators with the skill to make their story compelling, whether they're writing a novel, making a movie, shooting a TV show, or creating a video game. That's why you can't copyright an idea -- you can only copyright an expression of an idea. Creating a believeable world with characters so striking the viewers are compelled to watch takes time and effort. Your idea is just the start. You must sit down and flesh out your characters and setting in detail. You have to be willing to spend months writing your novel, pitching your story, polishing your screenplay, detailing your character bibles. It's a cliche because it's true: You may have to work for years to become an overnight sensation. You can't create anything unless you get in the game. Carve out time in your day to create. Make progress every day. Don't suggest an idea for someone else to create; go make it yourself.