There are lessons to be learned from story-tellers. Even the ones you might not appreciate.
Because, at the very least, they raised their hand and demanded to be heard. They may have been afraid, but they got over it.
Boldness is needed. Audacity is mandatory. If not now, when?
Still blissing out to the new Bladerunner soundtrack. You should too.
Want to read the first chapter of my novel? Email me.
This is the time of year when I start getting resumes from filmmakers just graduating from college and wanting to break into the biz.
I give a full breakdown of how I think you should approach the job search over at my company site, Hand Crank Films. Check it!
One of our intrepid Production Managers at Hand Crank Films, Avielle Heath, forwarded me this article about multi-tasking that rang a very familiar bell. Five minutes ago, multi-tasking was all the rage. If you weren't responding to your email, fielding a call, ordering a cappucino and having a conversation with a co-worker while planning your next vacation, you were not working fast enough. Plain and simple. Job postings everywhere made 'multi-tasking' a pre-requisite to success.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the brass ring. I for one have come to realize that the thing lacking from my work and my life is pretty straight-forward: focus. The ability to dig deep into something and take the time to understand it. To listen. To understand. And then, perhaps, to act.
The resistance tells us we need a 'to-do' lists a mile long. That we are measured in quantity. That speed is a virtue. That check-marks are our most important asset. I've believed it, and lost many opportunities because of it. And that's too bad.
ACTION ITEM: One thing I've tried to do is take some time every Sunday to outline my 'Model Week'. During this outlining process of the Model Week, I mark the 3 big objectives I need to get done in any given day. That may include something as simple as 'Start :30 Script' on Monday and 'Finish :30 Script on Friday, with all the necessary steps in between. If I get my 3 things done everyday, then the rest is gravy. I try not to rush to look for the next thing I can spit out the door. I try to use the in-between time to understand the job at hand. And, most importantly, to Think Bigger.
It's tricky stuff to be sure, but try it next time. Living in the weeds makes you think smaller. No exceptions.
That's the beauty of great film, fine prose, poems that are music. These things pull you into the moment. Grab you. Force you go deep as well as wide. You can live your days like that too.
And that very well may include a phone stack or three in your future.
If you're doing anything worthwhile (and I mean anything), you're going to hear 'no' a lot.
No - it's not what we're looking for.
No - the timing isn't right.
No - we're not ready for this yet.
No - you are out of your flipping mind.
You can be crushed by No. It seems so permanent and heavy. Immovable.
But maybe we can look at it a different way. Because life really is about odds and oddsmakers, maybe every No helps build the ladder to Yes. The roulette wheel spins, but only if you're at the table.
Which means it might be good to give thanks to the No. Just moments before trying again.
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Many of you know I finished a novel, Devil's Candy, about a screenwriter who sells his screenplay to a producer, the producer gets murdered, and the screenwriter gets framed for that murder.
So I've started to email a few agents about it and have found out a few lessons the hard way:
That all said, it's a numbers game. You have to do the outreach and the work. Writing the book is only half the battle.
I've reached out to 11 agents so far. 1 has agreed to read my first 50 pages.
Onward.
I often share the tools I use to get my one hour of writing a day in the can. Here's one I've found I can't live without;
I've experimented with a few timers in the past (and time trackers like Toggl), and this is the best one I've found so far.
PROS: You set up an Interval (I like to do two 25 minute intervals with a 5 minute break), hit Go, and the rest is pretty self-explanatory. An alarm goes off when the interval is over, then gives you 5 minutes to surf the web or do one armed push-ups, then you're back in the saddle again. Boom. You nailed it.
CONS: I wish you could set up different intervals for different projects. Plus, I wish you could set your own custom alarm. That way, I can blast the Game of Thrones soundtrack every 25 minutes to pump me up (and thoroughly annoy those around me).
Got any tools you're using right now you love? Lay them on me.
I had the pleasure of being on 'The Unabashedly Real and Creative Podcast' hosted by Jared Kessler.
There's some stuff of value in here, I think. Take a listen and let me know your thoughts - but at the end of the day 'Do the Work' remains the mantra. And don't forget to subscribe, or the Gods of the Blank Page shall descend down upon you.
Join me in reclaiming our existence.
I re-committed last year to write one hour a day, every day. I was going to see how long I could keep the streak alive, inspired by Jerry Seinfeld, and as I started to gain momentum I thought I'd share some of what I've learned.
My advice is very simple: find the one thing you love to do, and do it an hour a day. Sounds so simple, doesn't it? You'd be surprised at the enemies, real and imagined, standing in your way.
But here's 5 ways you can get started:
A lot of people have talked about the power of INTENTION. That's all this is, I'm no mastermind. But since I've been dialing in on #FindTheHour a lot of great things have happened. Awards, films coming together, a novel that is wrapping up, a lot of pieces that would not otherwise exist. And that is what this is all about, existence.
Go.
If you need anything, let me know. I don't have many of the answers and you probably have some great ideas too. Share them. I want to #FindTheHour along with you. Who knows what kind of cool shit could happen?
Next Post: Killing the Beast that is Resistance.
LOG-IN ENTRY:
Streak Count of writing ONE HOUR A DAY: 52 days.
#FindTheHour
Music to write by: New LCD Soundsystem, yo!
Stay frosty.
#POV.
The man at work.
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. - F. Scott Fitzgerald
With the shootings that occurred in Florida last week that left 17 people dead, the inevitable always happens: people sound the alarms and fortify their positions. Trenches are dug a little deeper and we frame things in terms that are black and white.
If you're PRO-GUN CONTROL, you must be against the SECOND AMENDMENT.
If you love guns, you must not care about the children.
But Fitzgerald had it right: true intelligence is the ability to hold contradictory ideas at the same time. The ability to see grays and nuance. The skill of sharpening the spear while at the same time showing compassion.
That's what art is about, great art. And good writing. The purpose isn't to provoke people into a place that is unyielding as much as it is to inspire us around new ways of thinking.
At times like these, we all think words, and the world, has failed us. Which is true. While at the same time proving once again that these efforts are needed now more than ever.
If you feel obliged to help people smarter than I am carry on the conversation, then perhaps donate to everytown.org.
Maybe you've heard of the Distribution Paradox. Most people think that when Wal*Mart calls to place an order for a product they are selling, this is a good thing. And it can be.
The challenge is, this order often forces you to scale - maybe faster than you really want to or can really afford. You might have to buy new equipment or hire new people, or....
Expenses immediately mount. And many a company has flamed out and not been able to deliver under the pressure.
Perfection can be like that too. The demands of getting 100% on your next creative project can add pressures that cave it completely. Rewriting, reworking, tinkering, can be both boon and bane. We have to know when to let it go - because that's what the pros do (who are still in business): they deliver.
Perfection is a myth and a moving target, anyway. The goal is progress.
Want to raise high the roofbeams and read the first 3 chapters of my novel 'Devil's Candy'? Of course you do.
Kerouac Knew How to Have Fun.
The challenge we all have is time. We create more time when we find the courage to say 'No' to things. It's hard. Feelings get hurt. FOMO is real.
But if we keep track of where we want to be, it's easier to qualify what we're willing to do: does it get us closer to our goal? Does it inspire us?
If the answer to what you should be doing next doesn't move you, you probably already know which direction you should head off in.
Want to get down and dirty with the first 3 chapters of my novel 'Devil's Candy'? Of course you do.
