Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Bauer.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
From the time I was a teenager I knew I wanted to write. I knew I had stories to tell. Growing up I was told how irritating my “what if” questions were. I was told that no one really cared whether escalators had worlds under them or not. But, as I began reading more and watching more TV, I concluded more people than I knew thought like me.
From that moment of realization, I began to understood that answering those questions was far more fun than simply asking them. In the answers there was story. The questions were merely the catalyst to the story I wanted to tell.
As I aged, my questions grew in complexity. Let me give some backstory, as a teenager I was sexually abused by a pastor. So, my whimsical wonderings about escalators and other weird things morphed into more abstract questions.
I began to ask myself whether my story would help others. I questioned whether I could, in fact, answer the many questions I had. I wondered if those honest questions would damage relationships around me. I voiced my questions to a trusted friend, and she told me that my questions sounded less like questions and more like fear.
After months of beating my head against the wall, I decided to no longer be paralyzed fear. And instead, be mobilized by it. I was scared to fail, and I was scared to be honest about my experiences. But I have fought my entire life for the ability to do things scared. So why would this be any different? Besides, fear is usually an indicator you are doing something right. So, I wrote. Good or bad, I put my pen to paper.
There is a quote by Jodi Picoult, that says, “You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” Through my writing process, I never let myself reread a word. I knew had I reread my work before it was fully baked, it would divert my focus from completion to perfection. I told myself on many days, it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be done. I will have time to edit. While the perfectionist in me screamed- the part of me which was committed to getting my story out there, kindly nudged me along.
When I abandoned the need to be perfect, the book only took a few weeks to write. That was when I knew I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.
While it had taken me a few weeks to write, it took me almost a year to edit.
So, my encouragement to you on your own journey is this, stay committed. Even when you can’t seem to stay consistent, remain committed. Breaks are necessary. They don’t mean defeat; they don’t mean you have given up.
In the midst of writing about some of the most difficult times in my life, I had to take many pauses for my mental health. But that didn’t mean I failed and it surely didn’t mean I quit.
On the contrary, it meant I was more committed than I thought. You see, I could have plowed through the entire process in months, except I knew had I done that, by the end, I would have had nothing left to give. I would have been too exhausted to have worked to get an agent, a professional editor, and to edit it again after their advice, and then bring it to a publisher.
So even with my lack of daily consistency, my commitment never wavered. And because of my ability to obey myself, I completed my book, “Stained.” And I am happy to say, I have not been re-traumatized by this process. Instead, I have found new depths of healing.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I think it is safe to say I have suffered imposter syndrome through most of this process. I had this fear that I wasn’t good enough. I feared that I was a fraud, simply because I didn’t have it all figured out. I suffered from identity, spiritual, and even mental health crisis’. It has been anything but easy. But as Hemingway says, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” And that has never been a truer statement. Whether or not you are wiring a memoir, self-help, or fictional piece- we all take from our personal hurts and life experiences- both good and bad. And that is a hurdle to overcome.
I struggle with the need to have all the information. I am a planner. And I am someone who doesn’t like surprises, which brings me to my next struggle…
My financial obstacle from leaving work which paid me consistently. Writing a book, without an advance is not easy. But I took the time to save beforehand, and with the support from those around me, I have been able to do it.
Another obstacle I have faced has been switching up my priorities.
What you don’t know is that a book was not in my plan. I worked as a consultant for screenplays. That was my dream. To be in the film industry. I even spent a couple years writing a television pilot. And I was sure that was going to be my “thing.” The breakout to my solo career as a screenwriter. I had everything ready to pitch until I felt the gut punch to write a book. A book, mind you, I had not even thought about. I spent weeks agonizing over this fork in the road.
But throughout my life, I have ignored my gut. And a few years ago, I vowed to myself that I would start trusting my gut. In everything both personally and professionally. When I had finished my book within three weeks, I felt validated in my decision.
So, I had to allow myself flexibility to put the TV show on the backburner.
Which has been extremely difficult. On many days, I feel like a failure. Yet, I try to remind myself, I have not failed, I have instead yielded to what I believe to be of the utmost importance. My pitch and script aren’t going anywhere. I have time to honor both my book and script. Just one thing at a time.
Obstacles will never not be there, and the road will never be smooth. But this is what we sign up for when we choose to step out of our comfort zone and choose calling over convenience.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an Author and a Screenwriter. I have worked on movies, shows, documentaries, podcasts, and various other media platforms. I am best known for my critical eye and ability to expand on ideas brought to me. I am curious and a wanderer. Which I believe aids in my ability to bring story to life.
I would say my experiences set me apart, not necessarily my experience.
I would say many people’s struggles and stories are not truly unique, but how they tell it is. My voice is unique simply because no one else lived through what I did, through me. No one looked through my pain and life through my lens. No one looks at story the way I do. Not because I’m cool or great, but because we are all created with different passions, pasts, and perspectives. My sister and I grew up in the same household, but we look at life very differently. Many people read memoirs, self-help, and religious books, many of which are saying very similar things, but each book has some uniqueness. Simply because the author is their own person.
We may not have a one-of-a-kind story, but no one will tell your story the way you will, and the world needs to hear it from you.
I would say I am most proud of my grit. Being an artist is not just difficult emotionally, but it can be difficult financially. It can be difficult to separate ourselves from our work and detach our self-worth from what we put out into the world. But what we must all remember, including myself, is that not all our work is going to be perfect, some of it may not even be up to our standards, but that doesn’t make us any less of an artist, or any less valuable to the world.
Any big plans?
Most imminently, I am looking forward to launching my book, “Stained.” I still have some things to lock down and get into place, but I am anticipating the day I get I hold that book in my hands. I am also looking forward to and planning on some speaking engagements as I market and launch the book.
When it comes to birthing a book, I would say there are many big changes that take place. As an artist, I am never the same me, from the time I start a project to its ending.
I also assume as my work begins to gain some traction, my life is going to look different, just as I will. I will have less time to really focus on writing, and my days will filled with more people than normal. Usually, it is just me and my characters, but that will change, and I am looking forward to it.
I hold onto the hope that all these changes will be good ones. As with anything else, I expect a few bumps in the road, but overall, I am filled with excitement and expectation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mw.productions
- Instagram: @MadWomanProductions
