We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amy Dellagiarino. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amy below.
Amy, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I’m not sure I got it from something in particular as much as I was just forced to develop it if I wanted to keep doing what I’m doing. There’s a certain point in the arts where you can either fold up shop and go home or accept that this is your life, come what may. It’s crazy how much rejection we face in our profession, but it’s also freeing as well. You learn to really delve into why you want this career in the first place, because let me tell you, if you entered it for the glory you will not last.
Even the most talented among us will never please everyone, which gives you the permission to do the work for the work’s sake, not the accolades. As a writer, it’s helped me to hone and sharpen my voice, to write the things I’m really interested in and I feel are worth exploring. It will never be for everyone, but it will find it’s audience, and that is the most rewarding thing ever.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a playwright and screenwriter specializing in dark comedies and tragicomedies. Basically anything a little dark but also a little funny. My work is very character driven, as I love to explore all the things we want to keep hidden in our psyche. I do love a good secret in a script. I’ve been published by Stage Rights and Smith & Kraus, and my plays have been produced across the country.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The first one is just to “do”: you’ll never learn as much as when you actively have boots on the ground. Say “yes” to everything. Participate in everything. Learn how you like to work, and what works for you. Try everything once. You never know! The more you do, the more you discover your style and your voice. Say “yes” now so that you can say an informed “no” later.
The second is to learn how to separate the notes that are helpful from the ones that aren’t. Like I said before, not everyone will be for you. Not everyone is gonna understand your style, or appreciate your voice. They will have notes. Those notes are not for you. Learn who your people are, the ones who just “get” you, that understand the way your mind works and what you are saying. These people will be invaluable in helping you shape your work. They are rooting for you. They like what you have to say, they only want to make it more cohesive, more understandable, a better story. Listen to them.
The third is just to live your life. As many days as I spend writing, I spend just as much, if not more, NOT writing. Your brain needs rest. And hey, you’re a person. You need to live. Otherwise… what are you writing about? I always get my best ideas when I’m just out and about living my life. If I sat in front of a computer all day everyday my scripts would be very boring. And I would be miserable.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
This is maybe a cop=out answer, but I read fiction all the time, constantly. There isn’t one specific book that has helped me, because they’ve all helped me. Just being immersed in someone else’s world for a while can open up doors inside of your own mind. Inspiration comes from everywhere. Plus… you get to read a good book.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amydell.com
- Instagram: @amydee116
Image Credits
Daniel J. Sliwa, Matt Kamimura
