Web Thinking

In her book Web Thinking, successful Hollywood screenwriting consultant and author of numerous books on the entertainment industry, Dr. Linda Seger reveals the real secret to success in any job. She hits the nail on the head--it's about relationships. In my years as a performance improvement specialist to Fortune 100 corporations, 80% of success was not just showing up (like Woody Allen has said), nor is it technical competence and know-how (as our school systems wrongly assume), but rather the establishment of mutually beneficial relationships with our peers, our suppliers and our customers. People get jobs and lose them primarily because their egos are too big to help others succeed. Or as Seger puts it, we need to be "Connecting, Not Competing." Regardless, listen to the interviews with A-listers in any industry. More often it's not the project that creates the critical mass for a greenlight, but how much one person wants to work with another. Linda's writing was very helpful in the writing of my own book on screenwriting published by Michael Wiese Productions: THE MORAL PREMISE: Harnessing Virtue and Vice for Box Office Success.

Writing is a solitary profession. Most of us dream of a Hollywood career in which we crank out brilliant, million-dollar scripts that we turn over to ?our people,? who orchestrate bidding wars and then hand us enormous checks over lunches at swanky restaurants.Unfortunately, that rarely happens. Instead, emerging screenwriters discover that laboring over the written word was the easy part of the process when compared with the daunting prospect of having to knock on doors in an industry where welcome mats are few and far between.Web Thinking points out the value of ? the need for ? learning to network; creating a synergy that allows people to ?create something larger than any of us could do alone.??The Web,? Seger writes, ?is about connections ? the close connections leading to intimacy and community, and the far-reaching connections linking us globally.? Not the World Wide Web. (Although there are certainly ?connections? to be made there; mostly in chat rooms populated by people lookin? for love in all the wrong places. But that?s another story.)Seger?s research did, however, bring her in contact with Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web. He explained that the ?web? concept was taken from math, and described his vision of the web as ?anything being potentially connected with anything.?Web thinking, Seger explains, begins by recognizing our connections and knowing separation is not how life works. Web relationships involve giving and receiving; ?exchanging movement, energy, support and ideas,? she elaborates. By taking an in-depth look at different ways of thinking and the benefits and consequences of each, Seger has provided a guidebook for change ? not just for writers, but anyone willing to take a voyage of self-discovery. Seger reveals the details of several voyages of her own, and includes liberal discussion of the spiritual side of life, from her own membership in the Society of Friends (Quakers) to the creation of a ?spiritual web.?So, why should writers bother with this book??Think, for a moment, about the direction of your life for the last ten, twenty, or even fifty years,? Seger encourages. ??Perhaps you keep taking the same dead-end jobs, and your career never seems to move. Maybe difficult situations in your home life remain the same, but you don?t know what, or how, to change.?Web Thinking presents an intriguing possibility: maybe it?s the result of your way of thinking. And that is something that can be changed ? with self-examination and effort. ?Moving forward takes energy and hope,? Seger says. ?If we don?t have it, we just stay where it?s comfortable, or at least less threatening.?

As a Consultant and Lecturer on Group Dynamics I find in Dr. Seger's book a helpful simplification of those sometimes abstruse principles of how human consciousness works. The clarity of her explanations of various states of mind and how to affect transitions between them will be valuable metaphors in my work, particularly for audiences not schooled in more esoteric thought.

Some people may wonder why script consultant Linda Seger has written a book that departs from her usual arena of Screenwriting. But if you read WEB THINKING carefully, you'll begin to see the connection between "web thinking" & creativity & most of all, how this can be applied to all aspects of your life. In a highly competitive, highly-stressed out world, this book makes sense & in the film/TV industry in which I work, this book should be required reading for those who want to survive & thrive in "show biz". You'll be surprised that much of what is written is what you may have instinctively known or "felt" all along...but Seger has finally articulated it for you!

Linda Seger weaves a wonderful web of science, theology, mythology, personal experience, and common sense to create a beautiful and functional philosophy for living. It's a small book that promises to make a big difference in our personal lives...and maybe the world.