That damn, little voice

While my optioned screenplay continues to make the rounds, I've been working on another project. You know, like it should be.
My little Midwest story has now been completed, and my team is attempting to determine whether there is any interest in the subject matter. Which got me thinking. Why did I write a romantic comedy about improv?
Seriously. Of all the stories I could have written, why that one?
Nobody was exactly beating down my door demanding a screenplay set in the world of improv, stand-up comedy, and sketch performers. There wasn't a market report suggesting audiences were desperate for more scenes involving awkward acting exercises and people pretending to be cats.
And yet I wrote it anyway. Why? Because something kept telling me there was a story there. Not that it would sell. Not that it would become a movie. Not even that it was a particularly smart career move. Just that there was something there worth exploring.
Which brings us to this week's subject:
Listening to your inner voice. You know the one. The voice that tells you a story is worth pursuing. The nagging feeling that keeps pulling you back to an idea long after common sense has moved on to something else.
Without that voice, none of us would have believed in ourselves in the first place. Without it, none of us would have stuck with this business. Something in the back of our minds keeps telling us to keep going. That maybe the rest of them are wrong. That maybe we really do have something to offer.
Now, I realize this sort of thinking can also get you prescribed medication or an extended stay in one of those special hospitals where troubled people go to "rest." But we keep listening.
Of course, sometimes the voice is flat-out wrong.
For example, it may convince you that Lucky Strike in the third race at Hollywood Park, paying seven to one, is a sure thing. It isn't. In that particular case, your little voice has suddenly become a problem.
There is a difference. Sometimes it's difficult to tell.
So which is it? A gift or a problem? Depends.
A couple of things I have learned over the years:
If something is telling you that pursuing a particular course of action may hurt yourself, others, or your career, you might not want to listen too closely.
But if you are sitting in a story meeting and somebody is advising you to cut all of Act Three, and your little voice is telling you that something isn't right about that note, pay attention. It may be onto something.
Here's the deal.
You and your little voice, your intuition, the muse, the Holy Spirit, whatever you choose to call it, are a team. You can't really have one without the other.
And while it is important to stay in touch with your feelings, it's equally important to stay aware of the situation and your surroundings. Your little voice is supposed to be your friend.
But like all advice from friends, it deserves a little thought before you act on it.
Is that too much to ask?