Robert Mark Kamen

photo by Brant Ward/SF Chronicle

Earlier in the week I got to sit down with screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen, who is about to have his 20th script produced.  Yes, my fellow struggling writers… 20.  His credits include The Karate Kid series and Taken. 

In other words, he’s a badass.

I’m going to be featuring him in an article that will be published on sf360.org, which will primarily focus on the fact that he’s a highly successful screenwriter who has a home in the Bay Area. 

While spending an hour with him, I acquired an appreciation for his confidence and drive. Most screenwriters are full of self-doubt and insecurity, but Robert believes in his talents and expects to be respected for his abilities. Granted, the quality work under his belt would get anybody to puff their chest out, but hanging with a writer with such fortitude was refreshing.

Today Is Better

by Sam Brown/Exploding Dog

Just because you are tired…

by Sam Brown

Make me *bleeping* care

I pre-ordered this print a while back and it finally came in the mail.  After finding an extra frame that was lying around in the basement, the final piece is now up in my office.

My mommy may not be too happy with every element of this print, but the constant use of the f-bomb adds emphasis to what would otherwise only be a boring and preachy piece.

It sits right in front of my desk and stares me in the face as I work, constantly reminding me to strive to be better.

If interested, you can get your own print, which is now available in now also white and red, via Good Fucking Design Advice.

Life is too short

by Hugh MacLeod

(Not So) Sweet Dreams

This morning I woke up from an uncomfortable dream.  Someone who I look up to for writing inspiration was offering an exclusive one-one-one mentoring opportunity to one developing writer, but she turned me away because I wasn’t putting enough time in everyday to get better.  She wanted to pick someone who worked harder.

Perhaps it was my own subsconscious telling me to kick my ass into another gear.

All I know is that I was out of bed with a cup of coffee and my to-do list written out, ready to get to work by 6:30 this morning.

So whether you were using the powers of Inception to penetrate my dream or if it was just completely random, thanks for the kick-in-the-ass Ms. Julie Gray.

Making yourself accountable

One of the things I’ve found that keeps me from procrastinating is to promise to share a body of work with someone at a specific time.  Basically, giving myself a due date, but subtracting the opportunity to pansy out or allow a lame excuse prevent me from finishing.

This upcoming Monday I’m going to share my treatment with two other people.  The fear of letting them down motivates me to work hard and create the best project that I can.  They’re both expecting it, which means I can’t do what I have a tendency to do, which is to tweak and tweak and take forever to finish.

Which also means, I need to get back to work.

____________________________________________________________________________

TODAY’S AGENDA:
SCRIPT: The Silence of the Lambs – Ted Tally (still need to finish)
WRITING: 4 freelance articles, 2 hours on treatment, 1 hour on short
MOVIE: yep, still haven’t gotten to Brothers, so let’s cross our fingers it’ll happen tonight

The short documentary, Influencers

Influencers is an awesome short documentary written and directed by Paul Rojanthara and Davis Johnson which explores the power and ability that some people have to influence others.  It’s incredibly inspiring.

INFLUENCERS is a short documentary that explores what it means to be an influencer and how trends and creativity become contagious today in music, fashion and entertainment. The film attempts to understand the essence of influence, what makes a person influential without taking a statistical or metric approach.

You can find more information at the official homepage for the Influencers film and its Facebook page.

INFLUENCERS FULL VERSION from R+I creative on Vimeo.

Be the only one

by Hugh MacLeod

Writers are…

by Alex Noriega

Let’s keep it real… this is kind of the truth.