The Writer As An Entrepreneur: Part Three- The Inner Work

The Writer As An Entrepreneur: Part Three- The Inner Work

The Writer As An Entrepreneur: Part Three- The Inner Work

Geoff Hall
Geoff Hall
5 days ago

We spend a lot of time in this industry looking at products. That is after all why we do this; to get things made, to be seen by an audience.

But...

It seems to me that we neglect our inner selves and suffer the consequences because we don’t quite know how to deal with anxieties and concerns, that seem to let rip on our fragile selves when we experience problems like rejection or people letting us down.

As part of this series, I want to take a little time to look at the inner work we need to do so that we are not consumed by the negativity that will invariably confront us along the way as we develop our careers.

Geoff - The Early Years: It All Started With A Bang

If any of you know me from our time here in the Stage 32 Community, or have at least read my profile page bio you will know that the start of my life was far from quiet…or normal.

They say that your earliest experiences of life, form neural pathways which unless re-routed will inform your decisions and sense of risk later in life. However, on the occasion of three death-threatening encounters, you’d think that my sense of risk would be pretty high, but that’s not the case. I know! You are shocked!

I recall one meeting with the head of HR, back in the day when I was a civil servant – yes, I did my best to challenge the first word in my job title - when he said to me that I scared him, because I appeared to have no sense of danger, of risk. That may not have been the case, it may just have been that risk for me was a little further around the bend and he couldn’t see it.

It’s not that the early years went without some negative reinforcements and their neural pathways were firmly established.

The Writer As An Entrepreneur Part Three The Inner Work

I recall one day in particular, as a kid. I must have been between 5 and 8 years of age - so between accidents. Mum was in the kitchen cooking tea and me, along with my older sister were sat at the dining table. Why, I’m not sure, but all of a sudden, my Mum lost it and started crying. She dropped what she was doing in the sink and walked down the garden path. As she opened the gate, my Dad was there returning from work. Talk about good timing, Dad!

There were a lot of tears, my Dad held her, but I could sense that something wasn’t right. He felt guilty. He was working a 55-hour week and it still didn’t put enough food on the table. They were barely getting by. He would swear that he was earning more just so the taxman could take it all. No matter how hard he worked; it never seemed to make a difference.

During those days (1960s), schools had nurses coming for visits and doing check-ups. I always had cankers behind my ears and knees. Apparently, this was due to vitamin C deficiency and so it was suggested that I should take a supplement. I did, and those horrible cankers disappeared, but of course that was more money out of the family coffers.

What was this reinforcing to me? Money is always scarce. No matter how hard you work, there is never enough. This neural pathway was written solidly and was repeatedly reinforced during my early married years.

How does this affect me today? Money is scarce and stops me from doing the things I want to do, no matter how hard I work.

The Writer As An Entrepreneur Part Three The Inner Work

This Neural Pathway Needs Rewriting & Redirecting, But How?

Well, we can all talk about how cruel and negative this world is. Just look at the venom clubs on social media. The first lesson is that we don’t need to listen to it. Stop focusing on the things that drain our confidence. Take control of who we let influence our thoughts and attitudes. Start with being kind to ourselves.

From there, focus on our craft. Composing, screenwriting, editing, etc. whatever it is that makes our heart sing. We are in the best place here at Stage32 to improve in those areas.

We also have access to an amazing community, that will support us through those hard times - the days of doubt or weeks of waning energy.

Back to money and those neural networks. It is said that successful people don’t gain success, but they attract it. Thinking that money is THE problem and is always scarce, sends out the wrong message to the people we may be about to work with. Even when money comes our way, we will always think it’s not enough, or it will run out soon. We have to stop thinking like that.

Rewriting Your Neural Pathways.

What I did, was to think and act affirmatively. I developed a spiritual practice; 20 minutes each morning is spent silencing those negative voices, as I enjoy the silence - there’s a song there somewhere. I will then exercise and after that, go for a walk; meditation is the key here. I try not to allow a commentary to form in my mind about what I’m looking at; the trees, the birds, clouds, rain, or sunshine pushing its way through the trees. Just appreciate them.

Mentoring. I was for many years a mentor to artists, and so I was thrilled to become a mentee last year, as Sandra Correia worked with me on Seeing Rachel and also being a business mentor.

The Money Thing Isn’t A Denial.

At the moment my expenditure is higher than normal. Setting up a company has its expenses. Sometimes I can look at what’s left and the pathways of the past and try to reconnect, but what helps stop this from happening is affirmation. Sandra suggested that I need to affirm to the Universe, what I am aiming to achieve through my company, International Imaginists. I do that now, every day. It’s a declaration of intent. I won’t tell you what they are, that’s between Sandra, me, and the Universe, but they are grounded in reality, the reality of a generous Universe. This is not, by the way, a wish list!

The Writer As An Entrepreneur Part Three The Inner Work

Moving Away From Imposter Syndrome.

When I first became a member of Stage32, I felt like an imposter. There were a lot of people here who knew more than I did about screenwriting and the business of entertainment. My strategy was to lurk for a while; well, a while being about two years, before I stopped my self-declared injunction on posting something and feeling it was just about okay to ‘like’ something or give a hearty ‘well done’ of encouragement.

I didn’t just leave imposter syndrome behind. No! I transitioned to outsider syndrome. How come? Well, I decided that on some posts I did have something to say about my craft and so began to share those things.

Notwithstanding this brazen attitude that would make any introvert blush, I still felt like I was on the outside looking in. This was reinforced by the failure of my first film production company. Here we go back to those neural pathways. I was an outsider because I couldn’t get inside. My failure taught me this. All my plans of employing people to work on a film - I actually love this part of the process more than most other things about filmmaking - had failed me big time.

When there are bumps along the way, yes the outsider who is haunting me appears, but with Sandra’s help, we are exorcising that outsider out of my life.

Vulnerability.

At the moment, I feel vulnerable. And I’d say to anyone, you have to be okay with that because that is where the good stuff comes from.

David Whyte, the American poet, said that you know you are doing something radical if you can’t see where you are headed. I agree. There is no map for what I want to do, to fulfill my aspirations. It’s just out there, past the third tree on the left and off toward the horizon.

I would argue that if we are writing from a place of comfort, then it probably won’t be very good. It is when we are perhaps most afraid or vulnerable, that the best stories are written. Comfort is an antidote, an astringent to the imagination. If you want to write something fantastic, that gets people’s attention, start looking over your shoulder. And yes, you are being followed and they are out to get you.

As the saying goes, perhaps first aired on the X Files when Mulder says to Scully, “Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean to say they’re not out to get you!”

And yes, all my strategies and plans, and all of my screenplays may come to nothing. There is no guarantee. (You have to be okay with that too). Would I be okay with that? At this moment in time…Hell no! But I would have to get used to it, and then at the end of the day I have my family, and I have two grandsons who love me unconditionally, and yes, that actually is enough and it’s why I’m the richest man on the planet.

The Writer As An Entrepreneur Part Three The Inner Work

Beautiful Obsession.

In doing this, none of us have chosen the easy path for our lives and we shouldn’t be surprised by the things that happen along the narrowest of ways; as we make visible the invisible.

It is all determined by the beautiful obsession of our creative gifts and as I approach my 68th birthday this summer, I know I will never be retiring; there are just too many stories to write and a world that needs our gifts to shine in the darkness.

I am in a place now, where I don’t doubt my gifts. Yes, I know they need nurturing; cultivation includes weeding out all the competing roots of things that no longer need to be there; doubts, fears, syndromes. They also need watering at a deep well, so that deep calls unto deep and to quote Gaston Bachelard, ‘we touch the depths before we disturb the surface’ with our stories.

The final word goes to Rumi’s ‘Book of Love’.

Some Nights Stay Up Till Dawn…

Some nights stay up till dawn,

as the moon sometimes does for the sun.

Be a full bucket pulled up the dark way of a well,

then lifted out into light.

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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About the Author

Geoff Hall

Geoff Hall

Screenwriter, Director, Producer

Personal: I grew up in the industrial north-east of England, in a little town called Hartlepool. I wasn’t academically inclined in those days, just forever curious about life. My school holidays were generally spent reading books hidden away at home, or playing football with my Dad and a few mat...

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13 Comments on Geoff's Article

Gregory Barone
Illustrator, Concept Artist, Graphic Designer, Storyboard Artist, Voice Actor
love it.
4 days ago
Gregory Barone
Illustrator, Concept Artist, Graphic Designer, Storyboard Artist, Voice Actor
It at least helps me out some, I don't have much money to pay for a script review here on Stage32.
19 hours ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
That’s good to hear, Gregory. I hope you feel very encouraged.
2 days ago
Harri-Pekka Virkki
Author, Stunt Performer
Love it!
3 days ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thank you, Harri-Pekka. Did you ever have imposter syndrome? How did you overcome it?
3 days ago
Jordan Smith 16
Cinematographer
Great share! As someone with constant Imposter syndrome I appreciate the motivation, insight and expression for us to be, 'in tune' with our emotions and thoughts. They play tricks on us. I appreciate your personal journey with overcoming something that is all to relatable!
4 days ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Hey there, Jordan. Thank you for your kind words. What are you doing to overcome your imposter syndrome? Stick with this community and share your journey with us. I’m sure you’ll receive lots of encouragement!
3 days ago
Thank you, Geoff
5 days ago
I will do, thank you!
4 days ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Great to see you working on your craft, Charmane. Keep us posted on your progress.
4 days ago
Sandra Isabel Correia
Screenwriter, Executive
This is so beautiful, Geoff, and I appreciate how well you explain your inner journey in your blog. As I tell you, I am so proud of you and your evolution. You had all the skills inside you; you only needed to be aware of them and have someone who could guide you in how to use them in your favor. It happened to be me, and I am so proud of you. I can tell that you have become a happier person since we first met. You've overcome your fears, started a production company, and been in the market building tools for your success and those around you since 2024. Money is beautiful when we see it as a wonderful energy. No one taught us that money is beneficial, healthier and joy. The EGO lessons that our culture instilled in us lead us to misunderstand the concept of money. When you understand the real energy of money, everything will fall into place at the right time. Trust! I am proud of you and honored to be your partner on Seeing Rachel.
5 days ago
Sandra Isabel Correia
Screenwriter, Executive
Yes, we call that Synapses :) You are changing and reeducating your own.  We support both of us and I believe we were meant to be in this journey :) Indeed, we are thrived by our passion and good will to make the good around us and for us. Thank you also, my friend!
4 days ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
You prompted that memory about money, Sandra. I then read about our neural pathways and it all made sense. These imprints need to be redrawn. I believe that this doesn’t happen at our volition, but through the kindness of people like yourself. We have a spiritual and a creative connection. Over the last year, that has made all the difference. We know we have work to do, both inner and outer, but that work doesn’t smother us and drain our energy, it ignites us with a passion to get our stories out there. Thank you for walking with me on this journey.
4 days ago
David Veal
Actor, Screenwriter
I'll have to read the earlier segments of this series, but this one hits the spot. I've always been good at writing on a certain level. Stories are continuously forming and running in my mind, so I have always undervalued them. Or misunderstood why they continue. But recently, after years of acting, I have put a few dozen stories into structures like for film, plays, songs, etc., with intent. So, talk about imposter syndrome. I felt as a total imposter finding this space of actual writers. Sharing these stories, I found a lot of acceptance. Having a few produced, after the development and editing processes, I found a new outlet for my voice. Now my acting class is reading/workshopping them, a filmmaker has made a short of one. I feel like I am actually creating arena. I see so much of what I have been going through here in this article. As I said, it hit the spot for me. I'll be hanging around a lot more.
5 days ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us David. It’s good to know that it ‘hit the spot’. Yes, to you on those ideas for stories arising in your imagination. That’s just the universe trying to get our attention! I’m happy to hear that you are progressing with your gifts and developing your craft. In Stage32, you are in the right place with the right people to make it happen. Be well, Geoff
4 days ago
David Veal
Actor, Screenwriter
I feel like I am actually creating in this arena. --- is what I meant.
5 days ago
Catherine Cole
Screenwriter
As you've said to others many times.... Well done!
5 days ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thank you Catherine. How are things with you?
4 days ago
Ashley Smith 23
Creative Executive, Script Consultant, Producer
Geoff, this is such a deeply honest and beautifully written piece. Thank you for allowing us inside your inner world and showing how the creative path is not just about the work we put out, but the work we do on ourselves. Your reflections on money, imposter syndrome, vulnerability, and rewriting the neural pathways shaped by our earliest experiences really resonated. So many creatives carry these same weights and don’t always know how to name them, let alone reframe them with the grace and intention you’ve shown here. Your story is a reminder that the inner work is part of the craft. That our artistry and our personal growth are deeply intertwined. I’m so grateful you’re sharing this journey with the Stage 32 community. Looking forward to reading more, and I hope others feel encouraged to reflect and share their own “inner work” stories as well. We’re all in this together.
5 days ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
As ever, thank you Ash, for your continual encouragement and for accepting this piece for the blog. Yes, it’s important that we share our own inner work and that is my hope here. Looking back on that episode with Mum walking out on us, I recall a momentary concern that Mum may be walking out on us. Perhaps that speaks to an unconscious fear pf abandonment? Maybe. The thing about Stage32, is that we have an amazing community of encouragers and entrepreneurs. And yes, I will continue to share my journey as it progresses. There is lots more to learn and more inner work to be done. Thank you, again.
4 days ago
Karen E Ross
Filmmaker, Producer, Screenwriter, Script Consultant, Voice Actor, Actor
LOVE this series! It's so important to talk about the business side of being a professional creative. Thanks so much for sharing!
5 days ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thank you Kay. That’s very encouraging. How did you prepare yourself for the life of a Producer? Who were your mentors?
4 days ago
John Snell
Screenwriter, Actor
Very inspiring, Geoff Hall, thanks for sharing! You've inspired me to share the tale of my first writing experience, my friend. I was just coming off summer vacation, entering second grade, maybe seven years old. Our new teacher gave us our first assignment at the end of the day. To write a paper detailing what we had done over our summer vacation. That was a time in my life, when I was in awe of all the childrens' mystery story books I could get my hands on to read. I loved emersing myself in the tone and the character arcs of the different characters (especially, the protagonist), and then going outside and seeing the world around me as one large, beautiful, awe inspiring mystery. I'd read a book about a large old spooky mystery house with a young protagonist explorer leading his fellow supporting characters to inevitably solve the mystery that surrounded the story of the house by book end. Or, excite my sense of mystery and exploration watching shows like the children's classic "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", or many other Walt Disney films during the sixties, "Peter Pan." And then, It would all come to life when I'd get together with my two summer coherts, and go explore the large old vacant victorian houses we might find about the neighborhood in our immediate vacinity. The creaking of the stairs or the floor boards, and the sense of what lies behind this or that door. And, all the stories and movies would come rushing back to be a real live mystery. So, when I wrote my assignment I fashioned it after all the mystery novels I had read up to that point in my well storied seven year old existence. I gave myself and my cohorts ficticious names, speaking parts, and brought them to life on the page. Unfortnately, when I turned in my assignment and my teacher read it, for some reason she did not believe that I had written it myself, and discarded it. At that age I didn't really understand how I should feel or not, so I just let it ride. But, after I again found my passion for writing and my storytelling path in recent years, I sometimes can't help but wonder how much sooner I may have arrived had my teacher embraced and helped me to nurture my passion during that phase of my life, and I had not gotten sidetracked. But, since I now find myself traversing the same path as I had started on back then, is why I now say, "I guess it was meant to be."
4 days ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Dear John, thank you for sharing your story. It’s a shame your (English?) teacher didn’t have a literary grasp. However, I’m glad it didn’t deter you from writing. I wouldn’t have been able to do what you did, when I was at a similar age. I was left-handed and at my first school everyone had to write with their right hand! I have a workbook back from ‘63 I think, and it was the day after Kennedy was assassinated. I wrote something about it, but I was obviously struggling with this new right-handed world! The writing is awful! Anyways… How is your work progressing?
4 days ago
John Snell
Screenwriter, Actor
Well said everyone, well said!
4 days ago
Maurice Vaughan
Screenwriter
Fantastic close to a fantastic blog series, Geoff! You said, “Well, we can all talk about how cruel and negative this world is. Just look at the venom clubs on social media. The first lesson is that we don’t need to listen to it. Stop focusing on the things that drain our confidence. Take control of who we let influence our thoughts and attitudes.” I was just talking with Alexandra Stevens about this in the Acting Lounge yesterday. I used to listen to negative people & trolls, and I thought I had to respond to them, but I've learned to block out those people and just write/pitch/etc. instead of believing them and responding to them. It saved me time I could use on other things. And no matter what I say to a troll, they’ll still troll.
5 days ago
Maurice Vaughan
Screenwriter
That's great, David. I'm not subscribed to news outlets, but I stopped watching the news except every once in a while. There's so much negativity and misinformation on some news stations.
5 days ago
David Veal
Actor, Screenwriter
On this point of listening to negative voices, as I read it, I stopped. I went to my YouTube and unsubscribed from the news outlets. I remember the old days when we watched the news from 5 - 6 pm and went on with things. The daily process you described Geoff is an excellent one. Whatever works, we are here to find happiness and purpose.
5 days ago
Love it!
5 days ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thank you, Wendy. I hope you are well and thriving.
5 days ago
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