All the writers coming in have a certain image, Eric said.
Break it down for me.
He broke it down: hippie-indie-scenester. White, early-30’s. Clean cut intellectuals in square frame glasses. Drink orders come in two varietals: water and tea – as if ordering anything else would be faux pas. Nobody orders coffee, despite the likelihood they guzzle it by the gallon on their ownsome.
Armed with this nugget, how do you cash it in? How do you use this information? Is image another tool in a writer’s arsenal, clanging and jangling in different timbres against the hammering rat-tat-tat of alliteration or sliding rule of simile? By its nature, the writer’s contribution is relegated to the cutting room floor. In any media or production, writing happens in the shadow, behind the spotlight. The writer’s image won’t make it to the final product, or be part of its brand. So will image play a role in a writer’s career?
In a perfect world – no. In a perfect world, any person in any field would be judged solely upon their work. The quality they produce would be the only factor propelling them forward, and lack thereof what holds them back.
But The Perfect World be pop: nil.
Dozens of factors come out to play in determining a person’s long-term success. Personality. Timing. The ability to schmooze and network and play the game. Politics, conscious and unconscious biases of those reigning from the echelons above. In each factor, everyone stands to gain a little and lose a little. Image is no exception.
If in 95 percent of an executive’s career, the writers they encounter all slot neatly into the same round hole, the edge lies with being the square peg. They are the crucial outliers – the people standing out who stand a chance amongst clutter.
There’s no “right” image to achieve, no magic bullet to stand out in a positive way. It should be organic, coming directly from the heart, and as much a part of the person as hair color, bust size, and talent.
It’s peacocking minus the cock. Aiming for contradictory is a good start – contradictions naturally attract attention. What’s initially seen as an abnormality can be the springboard bumping you to a higher level of success because of the attention the abnormality garners: the white rapper, the black golfer, the Chinese basketball player, the writer moonlighting as a stripper.
Of course, there’s zero substitute for talent. For constantly and consistently producing quality in an environment of talented people. You must have the goods. You gotta have chops. You must work on the other components of the package: personality, likability, charm, before even thinking about how you’re going to out-image the hippie-indie-scenesters. Coupling the package with a distinct image is only a gambit, but one that offers an edge in a competitive field where you must seize every advantage you can.
A writer’s image won’t make it to the final product. But it can determine if the product makes it to the finals.
Photo Credit: John Jackson
