12/04/2024
š„ In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the brown belt is the final step before black beltārepresenting almost 8 years of dedication, thousands of hours on the mat, and countless lessons in humility.
š¤ I recently adding the brown to my belt tattoo, marking another milestone in this journey of mastering a craft.
You know whatās fascinating? Whether Iām on the mats or crafting scenes, the path to mastery looks exactly the same:
š Break down complex skills into manageable pieces
š Practice those individual elements relentlessly
š Get feedback from experts whoāve been there
š Return to step one and keep refining
8 years ago, I stepped onto the mats as a white belt, just like I started the Story Grid podcast thinking I knew how to write.
Both journeys taught me the same truth: there are no shortcuts to mastery.
Just like you canāt skip straight to brown belt by watching YouTube videos, you canāt write great books by just reading writing theory.
Itās about:
1ļøā£ Breaking down the skills
2ļøā£ Getting on the mats (or opening that blank document)
3ļøā£ Doing the work
4ļøā£ Starting back at step 1
This is exactly why we teach scene writing the way we doāpiece by piece, skill by skill, with expert feedback at every step.
(And yes, Iām wearing my Story Grid shirt for this tattoo session... because why not combine my two obsessions? š
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