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Last week, my husband and I caught an advanced showing of the documentary “LORNE, which is about the creator of Saturday Night Live (a comedy show in the United States).

Initially, I was skeptical of this documentary about Lorne Michaels. Yet, I ended up surprised that I absorbed useful lessons from his work life.

A lot of these lessons apply to both writing and life in general.

• Listen to people of various ages. One comedian working on the show said Lorne Michaels, around age 80 now, listens to people in their early twenties. In the world of TV, this is important. Where else might this be important for us to do?
• It’s never too late. He had some TV failures when he lived in Canada. He kept going, moved to LA, and worked for Lily Tomlin before founding the successful show he still runs today.
• Refine the ideas. The Saturday Night Live writers might come up with sixty ideas and have twenty of them thrown out. This is a normal part of the creative process.
• Keep going. Due to the live nature of this show, I’m betting they have to keep going and don’t stop to mourn the skits that don’t make it. This can be useful when writing. Bottom line is to keep going.
• Say yes to a few wild ideas. If your friend Paul Simon wants to drive to Graceland with you, just say yes because Paul might write an album about it…

What have you watched or seen lately that inspired you? Hit “reply” and let me know!
​
Warmly,
Deb Ager

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