If any of your kids are interested in a creative career, my interview with successful writer Mike MacDonald is a must listen!
***
Mike MacDonald wanted a career in creative writing but he was shy. In high school, he didn't want to show his work in case it wasn't any good.
What has he learned since forging a career as a successful writer?
Your writing isn't going to be good at the start - writing anyway is how you get good. Rejection and criticism are part of the process of rising to the top of the field.
Tune in as Mike shares his journey from pursuing political science at one of the best schools in the world, to doing a 'goofy' graduate dissertation that was true to his interests and that he stuck with despite naysayers. Good thing too, as that dissertation is what started him down the path to getting paid to write jokes.
Since then, he has worked for the biggest newspaper in Canada, covered elections with the CBC, done speech-writing for the United Nations, worked full-time at The Onion and published 3 books.
Skills takeaway: skill-build in contexts you genuinely enjoy (ie building writing skills by writing jokes)
Some other invaluable distinctions:
- If you think you're not good at writing/math/[insert thing here], it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy - you won't be any good because you've chosen to believe as much. Believe you can become better, do the things to become better, and you will become better.
- Want a career out of doing what you love most (ie playing video games)? That is do-able, BUT it will still take hard work, perseverance and a strong skill-set to make that happen.
- You have to set realistic expectations. If you're a C student, don't aim for an A. Move to C+ first. Then go for low B's. Then high B's. It's a process.
- Find people who are doing what you want to do. Ask them how they got there - their habits, routines, work ethic. Emulate. For Mike, it was the creator of Rick & Morty, who he worked alongside before he created Rick & Morty (and Mike shares what he learned from him here!).