It never happened.
I talked myself right out of it.
Marvel would sue me.
Did I have the writing chops to take on such a project?
Would anyone want to read it?
Could I afford to pay for the printing costs?
Who am I to think I can do this? And on and on it went.
Recounting my self-doubt, the negativity, and what it cost me is painful. The lesson was well learned.
If I had written this novel, as bad as it may have been, I know I would have been better able to ride the present wave of the character’s immense popularity. Back then, my marketing chops weren’t as refined as they are today, so I would have experienced raised eyebrows, slammed doors, and pushback, but damn if I wouldn’t have made an impression. If not on the world but myself.
If you wait until you’re ready, you’ll be waiting for the rest of your life.
Just do the damn thing.
I let an opportunity pass me because my hang-ups about being perfect and my fear clouded my vision. Forget being perfect. Forget having all your ducks in a row. Forget being ready.
Whatever you’ll do, there is never a guarantee that you’ll sell it or that this particular thing will put you on the map.
Let the motherfucker bomb if it must!
If your focus is a commercial success, remember it’s measured by how many people bought the book, how many people showed up to see the film, how many people reviewed it, or how many people told their friends about it. Some projects will succeed while others will not do as well, but it doesn’t matter. Keep producing. It’s just one of the many works you have produced. It will get better and more relevant every time you ship them. If there is such a thing as the law of
averages, then you’re on the right side of the curve to eventually make a splash.
Keep stepping and keep learning. Forget about the accolades that will come of their own accord, especially if you consistently produce the work. Don’t let the worry about the outcome keep you from pulling the trigger on your hopes and dreams as I did.
Jump in the pool of the universe and make ripples, my friend; sometimes it takes moments, sometimes years for the ripples to return to you. But return, they will.
It doesn’t matter if the idea is complex or straightforward; take action; it works.
Just do it.