Tuesday, November 14, 2006

My Ultimate Goal...


I want to be the first African American to win an Academy Award for screenwriting. To hell with those who say they don't care about awards. I like awards. I like big awards. And I have stories that are award worthy. Sure, there's that little thing about writing good enough to actually have a script purchased, but that's simply a matter of time. Five minutes. Five days. Five months, Five years. Five decades. But a matter of time. And then after that, the award. You watch me.

Pondering...

It's a quarter till 5am and I'm working on my script. It dawned on me, as I stay up all night for the umpteenth time, that when writing, you spend a lot of that time pondering. Your brain relaxes and begins to work out what you're going to write. I wonder if I put myself in a meditative state, could my brain relax to the point that storylines become more clear, or dialogue more crisp? Or maybe I'm delusional because I'm up all night for the umpteenth time over the past three weeks? Anyway, I'm at the end of Act I and we're in week seven. We don't meet next week because of Thanksgiving, but I'm going to write during our time in Dallas.

Started the USC script, and it's moving relatively quick. It's definitely going to be a first draft, versus anything polished, but I'll have plenty of time to work with it later. And then there's Money Shot. Let's just say that the first two weeks of December are going to be writing slug fests. But I'll get 'er done because I don't want ANY work left for late December or January. I want a relatively clean writing slate for the Spring and Summer.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

My Day...

I worked on Iconoculture stuff today, writing the observations I collected throughout the week. My editor asked if I could also do some Gen-X observations along with my African-American obs. I was like hell yeah! I'm interested in how people are forgetting about Gen-Xers and have moved on to Gen-Yers and Millenials etc. Anyway, knocked those out.

Talked to my mom about Thanksgiving. We're having a ton of fam over and I think I'll drive the fam unless I can find a really good flight. The trip to Dallas is not that bad, particularly if you have Sirrus or XM Radio as we do. Thanksgiving for us is like Christmas and New Years rolled into one. We eat so much, and it's all good.

Tonight, I'm going to continue writing my script tonight. Tomorrow, I meet with my boy Ben from the producers program. MK, Ben and I have a post graduate project to do. Also on the agenda this week, finish my USC thesis script.

After Thanksgiving, it's two days in a hotel room to finish Money Shot. I can see the end y'all. I can see the end!

Friday, November 10, 2006

Did I Mention...

How happy I am now that my country has been taken back? How optimistic I am about the future now that my Democratic Party has broken through the Bush hold on this nation? Go Democrats!!!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Needed a break and got it...

The brain was a bit stressed over the past few days, and so I shut it down. Did my observations, and cleaned up the work of the previous person in my position. Didn't work on my 434 script today, but I did finish the first 10 pages to my satisfaction. This week, I'm going to change up and do about two observations per day versus waiting to Saturday. That way, I can save the weekend for writing my script. By Wednesday, I'll have at least another ten pages. By this weekend, I'd like to get to page 40. If I can get to the end of the second act by Thanksgiving, then I'm good to go.

I have the USC thesis to work on. I've started it, but it's in the infant stages. I promised Krystal that I'd get a first draft done by Thanksgiving, and that's probably right.

I can finally see the end of the quarter coming. Yes, I still have a BUNCH of overnight writing sessions left to do, but everything's starting to come together. After Thanksgiving, I will take a weekend at a hotel and knock out 2/3rds of Money Shot.

And TheYack is going swimmingly.

PS: Went to the gym tonight. Felt great!

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Today I rested...

You know how you're so tired that sleep is no relief? Well, that's how tired I was. I slept all day long. My brain kept telling me to get up and write, but I ignored it. I slept, woke up for an hour, and then slept again. And now I'm refreshed. I have my Icono work to do, but I think I'll start it this evening.

Friday, November 03, 2006

I've gotta destress...

Seriously. I'm feeling mad tension right now. A lot of projects, and not a lot of time. My script received WONDERFUL notes during my last 434 meeting. I'm still doing my fourth version of my first ten pages. But I stayed up all last night, writing pages and also watching Kinsey. Very interesting movie. Anyway, my fellow students gave me an idea about how to really punch up my inciting incident (my main problem) and getting these two authors on the road. Pressure and choices along with something like dynamite to get them together and on their journey.

I'm too tired to go over everything else I have to get done, but y'all know.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Sleepy...

I'm very sleepy.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Pressure and Choices Part II

Okay, so I've had the bright light that characters need to be pressured to make choices. It's what all of my instructors have told me since day one, but like most lessons in life, it didn't hit the brain until last week. So what did I do?

I already had the beats written. The beats plot out the script from Page one to the end, and show me where the structure is in the script. Next, I broke down the scenes in the first ten pages via what was at stake for the characters, and what choices did they have to make? Seems logical, but wasn't. But when I did it, the motivations of the characters came alive. I'll put it this way. With the beats set, but the choices and pressures of the characters not set, each character was walking down the same path. They were close together, talking to each other, but never touching, and never saying anything that affected the other. Now, with the pressure and choices, my characters are bumping, elbowing, and talking to each other in ways that affects their moods, attitudes, and how fast or slow they make their way down the path, either together or alone. So with that, the next four or five hours will be dedicated to rewriting my first ten pages.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Pressure and choices...

Okay, so I'm on an America West flight from the East Coast to Los Angeles, and I'm watching The Devil Wears Prada. The wife and I saw it in the theaters and I found myself really liking it. Didn't know why, but I did. But as I watched it for a second time, I figured out what it was. Meryl Streep's character put the young protagonist under immense pressure, and didn't let up. Choice after choice was tough, tougher, and even more tough, which appealed to my sense of drama. So by the time our young protagonist walked away, she'd finally made a choice that although tough, was true to herself.

As I write The Bestsellers, that's something I must keep in mind. It's also tough to do when you have only ten weeks to do it. You're really writing the skeleton of the script during this ten weeks, and so you kind of don't have all of your choices really plotted out. I mean, your script has all of the right plot points, but the if you want to really rachet up the pressure, I think it requires that second, third and fourth draft. But I'm going to try. Each scene, I'm going to turn the screw that much more.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

TheYack is live...

Go check it out at www.theyack.com

TheYack is live...

Go check it out at http://www.theyack.com

Friday, October 27, 2006

Yesterday...

was a whilwind. I took an overnight flight from Los Angeles to Hartford, Connecticut. I had a regularly scheduled phone meeting for Icono that I thought I'd miss, but I was happy to make it. After that, I had a WONDERFUL lecture at Central Connecticut State University. Great kids with a great attitude.

I have a full plate of stuff to do, per usual. I have to correct some sourcing stuff with my articles at Icono, and I want to put more articles in. That's a weekend thing. My ten script pages for UCLA garnered great notes and I'm making corrections as we speak (4:30AM EST). I'm jut going to keep writing and see if I can get a bit ahead. Right now, we're all technically behind.

Okay, gotta get on a morning plane. Holla later.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Very Productive Weekend...

Finished my beats for The Bestseller. Took out an element that was unnecessary in the story. I finally have the tone down. Wrote ten pages of script and I feel like I could write twenty more right now. That first year at UCLA is kicking in. Whereas I walked into UCLA not know a script from a hole in the wall, now I feel confident enough that I can write something and see the problems. And when my classmates find issues, I have enough tools to address them. I still say that if I learn anything in life, the skill of identifying crap is the most valuable. So, ten pages done, and only about ninety left to go.

I'm excited about Icono because Donna is going to let me in on some calls with clients. Being that I like the business side of marketing, that will be an added bonus to the writing. I think I have the Icono voice down, and now it's about cleaning up mistakes, and making sure I input things correctly. No biggees.

The fiction manuscript has a name, but it seems as though it's too provocative for Kensington. Manie has gone to the mat for me, and I want to keep it.

Still need to write more for the non-fiction book. Still, one thousand words a day should do it. I've been chipping away at it.

This week, a lecture in New Britain, Connecticut.

Friday, October 20, 2006

I figured out what happened...

When I started writing this story during the summer, I knew what type of tone I wanted it to have. But when I got to class, I sort of forgot. But something Tim said in class resonated. He said that road trip scripts are the easiest to write because people have to get from here to there. That is probably true. What I forgot is that I want to write a different type of road trip script. My road trip script is not one where there are a bunch of gags. I'm just not a gag guy. My script is one that Mike Leigh might like. Two women, forced together, and yet very lonely. If I keep that in mind, it'll make writing this script much easier.

Torture...

I think I'm trying to torture myself. Went to my 434 with my beats, but really, still didn't like the story. Trying to change one character to a man had kind of messed up my story. So I ditched that. But then, I started changing elements that didn't need to be changed. There's one storyline that needs to be ditched, and that came from comments in class. I agree. But I'd started cutting much deeper, creating a boring road story that was neither here nor there. So I'm going back to my original story, cutting out some back story, and then rewrite my beats. Hopefully that will work. Need to write ten pages by Tuesday, which will be the first ten pages of the script. Next week is week 4 and I need to get in gear.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Still Working on my Beats...

It's 2am, and I'm still working on my beats. I know that I probably have holes in the story, and as I write the beats, they become very apparent. I shouldn't keep going back and forth through the beats, and just get them done, but that's a weakness of mine. So I plod on. I think I'll write until 3am, and then finish up in the morning after going to the gym.

The wife and I had a date and saw Helen Mirren in The Queen. I'm a huge Helen Mirren fan, having seen her in HBOs Elizabeth, and I wanted to see her play the modern day queen. Her performance was fine, but centering the story around the death of Princess Diana was a drag. I was more interested in the Queen at center stage, rather than watching her under the giant shadow of Diana. I give it seven stars out of ten.

Tonight, as I write my beats, I thought I'd watch a nice and violent Sam Peckenpah film. Cross of Iron is a favorite. Lots of blood and guts. Seems old fashion now, but at the time, all of Sam's movies were shocking.

TheYack.com is finally in capable hands. If things work out well, it'll be ready for beta next Friday. If things go slower, then we're talking about Halloween. Regardless, it'll be up and running by the end of the month. The design is tight, and the coder knows what he's doing.

On the home front, my son is reading like a champ. Makes me very proud. His school work as been so on point that he's getting outstandings in almost every category. Every category except religion. Oops. As a good Catholic, I should have that handled, but they've changed things since I was a kid. The Hail Mary is different. Not to get all Mel Gibson on you, but who said we could take out the "thees" and substitute "you"? It's throwing me off. Anyway, I need to step it up.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Writing Beats...

I actually enjoy writing the beats to my script. Beats are a sort of road map for the script and it helps me understand what the scene is supposed to accomplish or establish. Usually, there are about sixty beats. I've been working on and off and so far I've written about ten. I think, and then rethink, the scenes. And since I think Tim will marry us to these beats, it's better to work out any issues with the beats, versus writing scenes and not knowing where it's supposed to go.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Changed Mind...

Decided against making one of my characters a man. Sure, it makes it more commercial, but I couldn't figure out a way to make any story relevant and comedic. Also, I lost a bit of what I was going for in the story, which is two women from different backgrounds becoming friends. Pretty simple that.

This is going to be a grundgy week, meaning I'm not letting anything get in the way of writing. Get stuff done is the mantra. Right now, I am taking out some of the subtrefuge I had at the beginning of The Bestsellers, and tightening it up. Then I'm going to write the beats. That's due on Wednesday, but I want to get it done by tonight. Then, I'll start writing the script. This is week 3, so I'm a little behind, but I'll catch up. It's weird, but this year feels slow and I feel like I really haven't got my brain into it yet. I think it's because of all the projects. Boy, I can't wait until it's Xmas and I'm done with the book, the script, and the television script. I won't write anything for a month. May not even turn on my computer. Yeah, right.

Weight Loss Update:

Start: 219lb
Now: 218lb

Only got in one workout over the past ten days, mainly because Iconosphere messed with my schedule. I'll get in at least three per week starting tomorrow.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

YA FIRED!

I fired the developer of my TheYack.com site. I've developed quite a few websites over the past decade, and this guy was full of more excuses than Mark Foley. Anyway, got rid of his ass last week and you'll probably see me on the People's Court getting my money back. Talked to my lawyer and he says I have a open and closed case for a refund. Offered the guy a chance to make a partial, but surprise, didn't hear from him. I did my part in offering him a chance to not pay everything back. Now, the Small Claims will do their part.

But not all is lost. I had a backup plan, and TheYack.com should be ready in two weeks. If I'd gone with my original plan, TheYack.com would have been up and ready around September 1st. But now, we're looking at two weeks. C'est La Vie.

BTW, my Raiders are terrible.

Friday, October 13, 2006

This Weekend Goals...

1. Write five observations for Iconoculture (reduced quota for this week due to Iconosphere): DONE
2. Write 5000 words for MS
3. Write summary of the fiction manuscript
4. Write character description for fiction manuscript
5. Rewrite story for The Bestsellers. Figure out whether to do a beat sheet or Tim's overview (IN PROGRESS RIGHT NOW)
6. Write beats for Secrets & Lives (DONE)

This is going to be a great week for my writing. My Thursday producer course isn't meeting this week, so I only have my Wednesday 434. So for this week, I'm waking up and focusing on NOTHING but writing. It's time to make serious headway, particularly on MS, on all of my projects.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Juggling...

The past two days have been spent at the Beverly Hilton at the first Iconosphere. It's our confab where clients come in and learn about the company and also get a chance to meet Iconoculture folks to tend to only talk to on the phone. The same goes for intra-company. We all get to see each other and in some cases, meet each other for the first time.

You can always tell how a company views itself by how they hold these confabs. I like how Iconoculture did this. Holding it at the Beverly Hilton was a great touch; first class, and nice for your clients. It shows that you value them. And as employees, I could feel that we were all excited to be there. Not that fake excited that happens when everyone hates their job, but an excited that comes with believing that what you do REALLY does have a value. That's how I felt as I answered client questions. And that's all you can really ask out of a job.

On the UCLA front, we read your stories, and Tim (my 434 teacher) asked if you would be interested in making one of my characters a man. At first, it didn't make sense, but then I thought about it and wondered why I hadn't thought of it. He said that it could make the story more commercial, and baby, I'm Mr. Commercial. So I'm changing the character. Next up: Treatment

The books: Need to meet with Lexington, but just haven't had the time. He's been cool about trying to set it up, but I think it'll move to next week.

Meeting with Krystal on Friday to go over the episodes.

I need sleep.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Working On...

My assignment for Tim's 434. Before I start writing The Bestsellers (and ignore the page count on the right. That's going to zero 'cause I'm starting over), we need to write a two page story (which is down from the three I'd written before), a letter from the protag and antag to their lover, and then an obit for both the protag and antag. Lastly, I need an obsession for the protag and antag. Cool, almost done. I'm at the obit right now. I'll be done within the hour.

Went to the gym this morning, and did a full 45 on the Lifecycle. Felt good. Tomorrow, I'm getting up at the crack of dawn to do another 45. I have to be at the Beverly Hilton by 8am for Iconosphere. That'll be all day, and thank god my day is clear. Speaking of classes, it looks like I'll be taking only two classes. And that's probably good because I still have an ass load of writing to complete. But after December 15th, I'm free of commitments. Until then, I've got mad shit to do.

Holla at ya later...

Listening to:
Violent Femmes
Jack Johnson
Nic Armstrong
Ben Lee
Del Amitri
The Exies

Sunday, October 08, 2006

What I accomplished...

I think writing my observations on Saturday (for the job) is going to work. I'm spending the week looking for things that I think are interesting, and surprisingly, there are a lot of things. Plus, my contacts are starting to come through with interesting article they're writing. So that's pretty good.

I wrote ten this Saturday, and I only have five to do this week because we're having a company confab called Iconosphere. Iconosphere is a presentation where we talk with our clients about what we do and how we do it. Not a bad idea. I'll be there on Tuesday and Wednesday to offer advice and also help out the main African American strategist.

I'm finally in Tim Albaugh's 434 class, and everyone who's taken him has sung his praises. He's a cool guy and I'm hoping, as with all of my 434 classes, to learn something I didn't know. I want each script at UCLA to be progressively better.

Our first assignment is two write a two page story, a letter from our protag and antag to their mistress (or in my case, their master? My protag and antags are women), and the obituary of both. I've rewritten the three page story to The Bestsellers, and made it much more sharp. Amazing, but all this summer, I thought the story was crisp and cool. The minute I know I have to turn it into someone, I can instantly see the holes. Next, I'm going to finish the rest of the assignment.

Tomorrow, I'll see if I can get into the documentary course to fulfill one of my critical studies requirements. The Kevin Smith thing meant that I missed the first class. Hopefully, that won't be a problem. But we'll see. It looks like I'll have class all day on Monday until 10pm, and then partly on Wednesday. That's 18 units, which will take me to 62 units. I only need 72 units to graduate, so theoretically, I could take two classes in the winter quarter and then pass on my spring quarter. We'll see.

As for the book, didn't really get a chance to write. But no worries. Ten weeks till D-Day. The new goal is to write 5000 words per week, keying on Tuesdays and Thursdays as the main writing times.

For Secrets and Lives, I need to meet with Krystal. Dave Johnson, my 434 teacher last spring, has agreed to read it and offer advice, which is cool. I need to flesh out the character sketches Krystal and I worked on, create a story for the pilot, and then do a beat sheet. Krystal needs to plot out the thirteen episodes for her thesis, but I think I'm going to let her do that. Ted Frank told me that this is really unnecessary if a series gets picked up because when the writers get together, the stories have to be approved anyway, so there's no reason to plot it out. But I'm pretty sure Krystal has to do it for her exercise. Now that my schedule is getting set, I can schedule a regular time to meet with her.

I need to write a summary of my fiction manuscript. I submitted a couple of potential titles, but honestly, I'm not happy with them. It's my fault because nothing come to mind. But it'll come.

More than likely, I'll need a hotel weekend to write. Don't know when, probably sometime in October, but it'll be soon.

I paid my UCLA reg fees last week, so it's time to head to the gym. So the official weight loss countdown begins tomorrow morning when I head to the gym for the first time in about eight, no ten weeks. Remember guys, it's 35lbs in twelve weeks. I'm about to get as fit as Issac on Celebrity Fit Club. lol

Friday, October 06, 2006

Dropped the Kevin Smith Class...

Had to do it. One, the time commitment was going to be waaaaaay to much for me. Thought the writers would be on a fixed schedule, but no haps. Also, I think I've noted before that I'm a believer in red flags, and this class was full of more red flags than the old Soviet Union on May Day.



Better to get out before you sign your name to the dotted line and be happy, versus trudging through and be angry. All opportunities aren't created equal for every person. The brilliant Howard Suber once said, and my screenwriting friend Phil reminded me (and Phil dropped the class too), that the best and smartest thing you can tell this industry from time to time is one simple word: no.

Just got back from speaking at Albany State, and I've got to tell you. When you speak at an historically black college, it's like speaking in front of your family at Thanksgiving. It's fun as hell, people you''ve never met treat you like you're a long lost relative, and they try to fill you up with as much food as possible. And the food is ALL good. I spoke at 10am after flying into Atlanta at midnight, and then driving three hours to Albany. Told the Holiday Inn cat at the front desk, the one with the ponytail, but bald on top, that I needed an eight thirty am wake up call. Uh, never happened. No biggie. This isn't my first time at the rodeo. I go to sleep at four am, but keep the television on. That way, I wake up periodically. Works like a charm, except you don't get a solid four hours of sleep.

Lecture, then to a luncheon, and then on a puddle jumper back to Atlanta then LAX.

Monday, October 02, 2006

What I'm Listening to...

The first day of school is done. Went to the Kevin Smith class. MUCH better. We're still working on stuff, but much better atmosphere. Tomorrow, I pitch Linda and then send Tim a summary for my 434. I speak in Albany, Ga. as I close out the lecture schedule I'd made prior to Iconoculture. BTW, this is what's playing now on my iPod. If you're never listened to Prefab, you're missing out...


Sunday, October 01, 2006

Work to do this week...

Observations for Iconoculture written. Tomorrow, I will write all day on the book. The hope: 5000 words. All day. I'll start by getting up in the morning and watching Manchester United versus Newcastle. And then NFL all day. I feel bad because grad school and my work really limits how much family time I can allocate, but Langston is going to his art class, so at least he gets to get out of the house. My book is due in ten weeks, and that means I need to write at least five thousand words per week. No execeptions. It's gonna be a hellava ride. Still working on a name for the fiction manuscript. Need to have that and cover ideas, which I might add, is the first time I've been asked about cover ideas since the Divine Nine. But I really can't complain about Kensington covers. I've pretty much liked them.

Friday, September 29, 2006

Hold Me Back...

So I land this morning, run to the Lot C bus at LAX, hop in the Jeep, speed down a CROWDED 405 freeway, roll into the UCLA parking lot, and arrive at the Kevin Smith class about fifteen minutes late. So I miss a segment on what the hell we're actually doing. No sweat, so I think. This meeting was scheduled a day before, where the professors changed the times, fucking up my flight schedule from San Jose. And it added sixty eight bones to the credit card and a 5:30am wake up call is the result. But I have my ass in the seat. The professors strongly encouraged us to attend, but you COULD cop out and not show up, which some people did. Again, my ass was in the seat.

So one professor talks yada, yada, yada. Great. Got it. My boys are in the class, and what I missed, I'll get later. So next on the agenda is the head of the producing dept. She starts talking the usual yack about the class, what's going on, how great we are, etc. Then she asks if we have any questions. Cool. Here's my chance to find out what I missed. I ask a question. She says that should have been gone over. Okay. But the other professor says that I came in late. She then turns with steely eyes and says no one ever comes in late to her class. Huh? This is grad school, not homeroom. People have real jobs, and mine happens to take me to San Jose, Palookaville and all points between. So I stare, tripping that she's calling me out like I'm at St. B's. She then says that in her class, if people are one second late, they get a grade less. So I'm stewing. I'm tired, sleepy, and now super pissed. I'm STILL fucking pissed. That's cool. I think she may remember that last year, I was the only screenwriter to attend the so called Town Hall meeting and questioned why we don't have classes on television. She didn't seem pleased by that. Well, I pay good scrilla to learn about television. She talked about some class that happened years before I got into the program. Great. That'll help me.

Anyway, I talked with my screenwriting boys and they had some great ideas. We'll try to see how "cutting edge" this class is going to be. It's all experimentation, and I think we can do something interesting. But that shit has me jacked.

Do You Know The Way To San Jose?

It's 7am and I'm chilling at the San Jose Airport. Last night, I spoke at San Jose State, and had a great time. The students were enthusiastic and it was a great lecture to start the year with. I rarely speak in Cali, even though I live here, so the short commute from my sofa to their podium was delightful. I had to take an early flight because there's an explanatory meeting for this Kevin Smith class. Can't miss that.

Each week, I'm responsible for ten observation articles, and I think I'm going to always research during the week, and turn them in on Saturdays. I've quickly learned that everything that I think is a good observation, doesn't necessarily resonate with me a couple of hours later. Better to give them good information than filler.

According to my editor, they need a title for my fiction manuscript by the end of the weekend. Nothing is rolling off the brain right now, but I need to give it the college try. If I pick a title that I hate, I'll hate it for eternity. Maybe I should choose something Latin or German, just to be different. Yeah, maybe not.

Next week is the official start of PITCHING for 434s. I'm going to have to write a pitch for one teacher because I'm flying out for another lecture.

Participated in our annual "Inside Baseball" session with the 1st year students. This is when Hal and Richard give them the official scoop about the department, and generously I might add, allow the students to give the young'un the real scoop on what to do, how to do it, and where to go. The first years were full of the same questions we were, everything sounding like pig latin to them. A lot were worried about how many classes to take, and a surprising number of critical studies course questions. Funny, but I really wasn't worried about those classes. And even more surprising, considering these are screenwriting students, not a lot of writing questions. But it's probably for the better. We'd only scare them. lol

Honestly, I feel it's best to let them bask in the whole "I'm in the UCLA Film School fool!" feeling, and then let the reality of the work set in later. There's sort of a transition that happens when the work becomes more and more part of your life, and the whole prestige thing begins to fade a bit. Not that you're not proud to be in the film school, but you're more interested in writing a good script, finishing a good scene, or getting rid of that damned on the nose dialogue. Let the relatives brag on you, you've got work to do.

Did I mention that I had lunch with Ted Frank, the exec from NBC? And did I mention that it was the single most informative, outstanding, lunch I've ever had? The man has wisdom and I'm thunderstruck that he's been generous enough to impart it to me. I have big time goals, particularly in television, and he really helped craft my year long plan to achieve them. I knew I had to write a spec script at some point in time, but he gave me some good advice on the type of spec to write and when to have it done. Soooo, since I'm going to be chock full of project until December, I'm not going to try to write anything that's not on the agenda right now. It would be unrealistic and poorly done. But I am going to watch and record episodes of two dramas I'd like to spec. One will by Grey's Anatomy, and the other a procedural like Law and Order. I know those shows like the back of my hand, so I know the voices, plot, etc. If I can have them done by March, life will be good.

Alright, it looks like we're going to board in a few minutes, and my Southwest "B" boarding pass is my ticket to a middle seat. So I'll holla at ya later.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Adjustment...

After thinking about it, I think I'm adjusting my weight goals. I was watching Celeb Fit and folks were losing about 15% of their body weight. I started thinking, maybe that's what I'll do? I'll lose 15% of my body weight. So I will go from a husky 218lbs to 185lbs. I haven't seen that far south of two hunny since I was married in '92. But hey, what's the world but creating outrageous goals? Thirty two pounds lost in twelve weeks. That's a doable goal.

So as Harveh would say, beginning this Monday:

"Yoh tahgit wait lawse foh this week is foh pounds. Good luck to ya."

Starting Weight: 218lbs
Weight Today: 218lbs

School's About to Start...

On Sunday, another 2nd year screenwriter (Robyn) and I organized the annual 1st year Screenwriting party. A bit of beer, a bit of pizza, add a few speeches, about twenty five battle hardened 2nd years dispensing advice and you're done. It's funny to see the students so enthusiastic, ready to conquer the world with their words. It makes you remember that writing (for money in particular) is the best job in the world, and to get a chance to spend two or three years doing it damn nirvana. So a great time was had by all.

Met with Krystal, my USC Starkie compadre and we fleshed out the characters for our new, upcoming, blockbuster television show. It was real fun because she knows what the hell she's doing. I hate incompetence, and also hate NEAR competence. I like people who know what they're doing, and then do it. I have a funny feeling that we're going to do damage in this industry. The Brotha and Sista Wreckin'shop in television. I love it.

We start pitching 434s next week, however the Kevin Smith class requires me to be on campus at 6am on Monday. Wow.

This week, I'm writing a bit more book, I meet with Ted Frank on Wednesday, and then fly to San Jose to speak at San Jose State on Thursday. Next week, it's Albany State in Georgia. And then there's a new gig at Central Connectict State in mid October.

With Iconoculture, I'm still trying to get the voice down. I have a ton of information to write about, but I want to make sure that I get it right. I think I have to get out of the straight journalism style and move to an editorial style (hence my title of African American editorial strategist). It takes a bit to understand that I CAN have an opinion on what I'm reporting. Time to give it a bit of edge.

As for getting back in shape, when the quarter begins, I begin. Right now, I'm at a lumpy 218lb. So it's back to working out. I may, although April laughed, get on my mountain bike and ride the four blocks to campus each day. I can see me riding to campus, but being mad pissed riding back. But anyway, the goal this quarter is to move from 218lbs to 200lb. I figure that the folks on Celebrity Fit Club can do it, so why can't I? And this give me an excuse to do my Sgt. Harvey Walden imitation:

"Yoh tahgit wait lawse foh this week is foh pounds. Good luck to ya."

It all starts on Monday.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Everything is set...

In about ten days, I'm going to start the most challenging year of my life. And the future is mighty bright. A book in copyedit, and another one due in December. I have two other manuscripts half way done, and I can afford to leisurely finish them. Lastly, the publisher wants me to update the Divine Nine. So on the book front, I'm set.

As for UCLA: I have my normal 434 script-o-rama, the Kevin Smith project, and the collaborative thesis script with the Starkie.

And for the Iconoculture, I have my observation and trend articles each week.

As Grady would say, Good Goobally Goo.

My mantra is to work efficiently, work constantly, and work intelligently. Focus. Focus. Focus.

This weekend, I'm going to post my proposed daily schedule. It's going to be a bit crazy, but as the year progresses and projects are finished, the load gets progressively lighter. I will have no free time for the foreseable future, but if you want success, you need to go for it. I hate people who get hung up on "coulda, shoulda, wouldas". Be like Nike and Just Do It.

Competing in Film School...

By my very nature, I'm a VERY competitive person. I like to test myself, prepare myself, and then compete in order to see if I can win at various competitions. If we're playing dominoes, I'm going to whomp you up, talk about you as I do it, and then psychological f* with you to the point where I'll have YOU pick the domino out of my hand that will continue your demise. I'm that good.

But one of the more unfortunate things about this thing called Hollywood is that we compete against our friends. We send out scripts, folks judge them, and some get hired for the job, scripts get sold, while others don't. Then suddenly, things can quickly turn on their head. The people who got hired get fired, the folks with sold scripts never sell anything else and end up selling insurance, and the person who was overlooked at the beginning is now thanking the Academy. You just never know.

I bring this up because I was picked to be one of the screenwriters on this Kevin Smith project. On one hand, I'm excited because I'm sacrificing time with the family, my financials, etc. in order to get and exploit opportunities like this. This is an opportunity to work on a real production that will be seen by thousands of students on the college network MTVu. But on the other hand, I feel absolutely terrible for my buddies who didn't get selected. Actually, I feel like someone kicked me in the stomach. I'm the type of guy who wants every good person I know to have success, mainly because I believe that if you help, inspire, encourage, and give of yourself to others, you get paid in spades. I think I learned that when I was a high school student at Loyola High in LA. Men for Others was our motto and I never forgot it.

Competition in this biz is a way of life, and you can't avoid it. But I really wish there was a better way. I sure would sleep a lot better if there was.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Welcome Back, Tia!

I see my girl Tia is back! I'll answer your comments later today or tomorrow. Who else is reading the blog? It's always hard for me to know. If you're reading, send me a quick hey.

Back working on the book. My white board says that I'm to be at 35,000 words by the end of the month. Nine days, and fifteen thousand words. I'm writing right now, and I still have Iconoculture stuff to do, so we'll see. I have to average about one thousand words a day to get this book done, so time to get back working. Now that I know what Iconoculture is going to take to get done, I'm starting to feel an equilibrium. I can do this, because I always knew this, like Brutus.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

NBC...done...

The indestructible Powerbook G4 became destructible two days ago. The hard drive crashed, so it was a nervous trip to my boys at Mac 911 in Santa Monica. Been going there forever and they give you great personal service. So, with a new 120GB hard drive, new DVD (that had crapped out about two weeks ago) and a general clean up, the G Money is good to go. Oh, there was one issue. One of my NBC scenes was adios, so I had to ask my boys to see if they'd kept a copy. One had, thank god. Speaking of the NBC scenes...

I sent them in today. After vetting them with three of my UCLA screenwriting comrades, along with Hal's comments, I made changes that I think made them work. Scenes out of context are hard to do, but I think I did it without making them pure exposition. We'll see.

Just finished my expense report for the Minneapolis trip. OH, I FORGOT! Now, sit down. Hold on to your seat, because you won't believe it. I FINALLY received my check from Savoy magazine. No, seriously. I have to give Hermene one bit of credit. She did send it on September 5th, but it was sent to my old address. But ya nevah know when you spend a year and a half waiting to get paid. But three cheers for being a PRO-ACTIVE and aggressive writer!

Things to do:

I need to write about two thousand words on the book.
I have about three more observations left and two trend articles for Iconoculture. I'll do those tonight.
Kensington wants me to do an update of The Divine Nine. We'll see.
I meet with Ted Frank from NBC next week, and I need to schedule my appointment with Johnathan Rodger at TV One. I'm trying to coordinate the upcoming school schedule, with my need to go to NYC, blah, blah, blah.
I lecture at San Jose State next week.
Working on the characters and plot of Secrets & Lies.

One of the good things is that a lot of my schedule will be knocked out one by one, freeing me a lot.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Observations from Oakland...



Langston showing me his "Hulk" face...You don't want to make him angry...

Flew all day from Minneapolis and landed just in time to meet the wife and son at his parent/teacher conference. I'm VERY cognizant of how important it is for me to be at my son's events. There will be no therapy sessions for Langston because Dad never cared enough to be there. No siree. Not the kid. Also, no one will ever say that Langston's dad wasn't around. It's especially important for little black boys to understand that it is the norm and not the unusual for his father to be at every event and involved. And I'm happy to say that tons of fathers were at St. B's last night.

So I chilled at the crib for about twelve hours before having to head out to LAX for a trip to Oakland. Southwest, which never really lets me down, was an hour late. So that meant I was about thirty minutes late for my meeting with Donna, the head of the AA unit at Iconoculture. The crackberry was decharged, so a warning call was out, which just makes a bad sit even worse. But Donna was MAD cool. We had a great convo and I think this brother and that sister can make a great partnership because we know what the hell we're doing. And NEVER let black folks who are experts get the opportunity to shine. We'll break records kid.

So right now, I'm chilling in the Oakland Airport Holiday Inn Express, and you know, I really do feel a bit smarter. I'm a "Gold Priority Club" member, which just means I spend way too much time on the road, and so they gave me one of their newer rooms. At first, I thought, whoopee. But when I rolled into the room, it looked like a legit suite. Two flat screen televisions, one over the bed and another at the "living room". Just the perfect place for me to write. And write I will do tonight and tomorrow.

On the immediate agenda is to finish my NBC Showcase scenes. They're due on September 20th, and after having received notes from a few folks, I'm ready to make some changes. I'll do that tomorrow during the day. I have an interview for the book later Saturday night. Speaking of books...

Had a bit of conflict with Kensington that I initiated. Can't really go into it, but there needed to be some bell ringing at the publishing house and I'm not sure anyone was listening before I took a hammer and started banging that bell. Anyway, Manie did a good job repping me in this, which makes me respect him even more. He may not have agreed with my strategy (which he didn't) but he still did his job. But at the end, I feel a LOT better about the control I have as it pertains to writing books.

One last observation...Mike Epps just ain't funny. Seriously. He just ain't. And sometimes I think the divide in the black community can be determined by those who think he's hilarious and those who thinks he's a hack who relies on saying "nigga" to get a laugh. Maybe it's just me...

Takin' it back to the '80s...I'm Audi 5000!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

In the land of the Purple Rain...

Hey all,

Been kicking it Minneapolis for the last couple of days. Flew into Prince's city on 9/11. LAX and the plane were so empty, I could have thrown a football down the length of the aisle seats and never hit anyone. But we did have a treat in first class. Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul were in first class. The wife knows Randy and says he's mad cool, and he was when I introduced myself.

The training was surprisingly pleasant. The people friendly, and Iconoculture has a product that I can TOTALLY get with. Basically, it's a wholistic versus quantitative approach to marketing. I think I talked about how author Daniel Pink said the MFA degree is the new MBA degree. Iconoculture is a perfect example. I get started on writing articles in the next day or so.

TheYack.com is closer to beta. The non-functional design is up, so you can take a look at it. Just don't click on anything.

My Raiders got blown. Manchester United beat Celtic (yeah!). Cal plays Portland State on Saturday.

I fly out tomorrow and then fly into Oakland on Friday.

...To my boy Phil, congrats on the twins!

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Got Some Stuff Done...

Cal won today, which is the most important thing. But other than that, I wrote the treatment for Secrets & Lives, the pilot script I'm writing for Krystal, the USC producer. I figured I'd knock that out asap because I'm flying to Minneapolis on Monday for training. I'll fly out of there on Thursday, and then fly up to Oakland on Friday for another Iconoculture meeting. While in Oakland, I'm going to take care of some book business.

Next on the agenda: Finish filling out the benefits forms.

Tomorrow: I'm on the fundraising committee for my Fraternity, so we have a brief meeting. I'm also meeting with the programmer for my TheYack.com site. I'm not very happy with his lack of updates, but all is well if he gets it done right and on time.

The Book: I will write about a good thousand words tomorrow, just to get my oil going. During the week, I will split time between gathering info for Iconoculture during the day, and writing on the book during the night.

Starting my movie watching again: Watched Being John Malkovich again, but this time as a screenwriter. Charlie Kaufman is brilliant. But I think folks know that.

Friday, September 08, 2006

The Wonders of Red Bull...

I'd never drank Red Bull before this week, but it really does give you that spark. I know I'm years behind, but damn, the drink is the bomb. Now, can I just come down from it???? LOL

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Sleepy...

I'm sleepy, but I have a bunch of things to do.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Officially Full of Projects...

This morning, I went to the gym. Yeah. I got on the Lifecycle, and only lasted thirty minutes. Boo. But, it was a start.

I had my first day at Iconoculture, and I've got to say, folks are mad cool. Really. From the head down. There's a ton of company terminology and methodology to learn, and I'm going to spend time this week getting it down.

On the book front, I accepted my editor's offer to extend my deadline to December 14th. You know how in the movies, fireworks go off when good news happens? Well, that's what happened when I received her email. Now, I can plot out my interviews over the next few months, versus trying to cram them into a month and a half.

Lastly, I've picked up my last writing project for the year. Krystal, the sister in USC's Stark program, and I are going to collaborate on a television pilot. She will use this pilot as her thesis. Hopefully, as we both graduate from our respective universities, we'll have sold it to a money bags network. Bully for us!

But that's all for the year. I was going to take the Kevin Smith class, but that will take too much time. This quarter, I'll take my 434 and one critical studies class (I think the documentary course). I'll do the same thing in the winter quarter, and then flow out of UCLA with another 434.

For the year: Iconoculture, 434s, the book, and this pilot. Each requires a part of my brain, and steady concentration. But I got up today with my game face on. I like that. Keeping me busy keeps me focused.

Monday, September 04, 2006

NBC Scripts...

No work on the book this weekend, but I did write two drafts of the two scenes I'm submitting to NBC showcase. I sent them out to my boys for notes, and I'll polish them this week.

Tomorrow, I have an Iconoculture welcome call at 9am, so I'm getting up early and going to the gym. The gym, that thing I've neglected as I've consumed boxes of Breyers Ice Cream bars. Not very good. Not gained a bunch of weight, just feel lumpy.

For Iconoculture, I'm continuing to set up my list of experts. Bought about seventy dollars worth of black magazines, and I'll soon be on their comp list. I have to fill out all of the employee docs and fax them into the company. I need to continue to send emails to NABJ members about receiving their articles.

As for the book, I'll write another two thousand words tomorrow. I'm pretty focused now, and I don't think I'll have a problem writing a lot more regular. I still have some interviews to do, but I should be around 60,000 by the end of the month. The original deadline was October 15th, but my editor should get back to me about a new deadline.

Manie will be taking care of some business at Kensington, so that should be interesting.

At UCLA, I'm on the 1st year orientation party committee. Nothing much, but I have to get pizzas, beer, etc. On the stress level, this is a one.

Cal got blasted, spoiling my football weekend.

TheYack.com is ten days from beta launch.

Received more information about the Kevin Smith class. Even at this late date, it's still pretty vague. We have to submit an audition paper by this Friday. I'll take one of my scenes and turn it in. It's also one of the few, if only, class where we have to give up our rights. At UCLA, we keep the rights to our works, unlike USC if I'm correct. So this has caused a bit of a tizzy among students.

Need to schedule trips to both Oakland for Iconoculture and NYC for the book.

I've very, very, glad that I wrote the story for my fall 434 script. That's one thing I don't have to think about.

I have a full day tomorrow, but what's really cool is that I like that. Keeps me focused. I also like that as I finish my projects throughout the year, my load lightens. By the time I graduate, I should only have Iconoculture, my Masters degree, and loads of time to write whatever project I want to write, be it more books or screenplays.

Friday, September 01, 2006

Come a Long Way Baby...

As September begins, school is back on the horizon, and so I think it's a good thing to say where I am, and what I have to do.


1. Took job as African American editorial strategist, Iconoculture. I start next Tuesday.
2. Money Shot (Non-Fiction) due October 15th, however editor says I can have more time if I want.
3. Untitled Fiction: More Later...
4. Invited to write three scenes for NBC Diversity Showcase: Due September 20th
5. School begins September 28th. Along with my 434, I think I'll take a doc class
6. TheYack.com: Beta on September 15th


I have to take a couple of trips this month. I need to fly to Oakland to meet with my Iconoculture supervisor, and then I need to roll to NYC.

As the year goes on, my writing load will actually lessen. Money Shot will be around 75% done by the end of the month. So that will drop off soon. Untitled fiction is waiting for edit, so that will drop off. After that, I will only have two consistent writing assignments: My Iconoculture work and my quarterly script. And then, after graduation, the scripts will drop off. Slaveryland will be added to the schedule at some point, but that's about 40% done already. For 2007, the only question will be what I will choose as my next non-fiction book proposal, and where my television/film writing career is heading. I may have a write for hire gig for a script Krystal from USC is developing. So, we'll see.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

It's Official...

It's a official, y'all. I'm the African American Strategist for Iconoculture. Basically, my job is to observe trends within the African American community, so businesses can create strategies to better approach their African American clientele. It is the best of both worlds for me, as I get to write to my heart's content, while I scratch my business itch by studying the African American consumer. Remember what I said about disappointment creating new opportunities (re: NBC/NAACP Fellowship)? Well, here's proof.

I'm ready to go, and although my official start date is on September 5th, I'm already beginning to work.

Taking a meeting...

The little boy was dressed in his smart Catholic uniform for his first day of school. My son is absolutely wonderful, and smart as a whip. HOWEVER, he's been lip syncing part of the prayers, and at a Catholic school, that's a no-no. I can't have that, since that makes me look bad. So it's ten Hail Mary's a day for him.

Today, I had a great meeting with a sister who goes to the USC film school. She's in the Stark producing program, and I think we really vibed. As I write or develop projects, I look for producers in the UCLA program that I can work with. At UCLA, I have two, and now I have a person at USC. She really likes Men of their Times, and thinks with some tweaks, it can sell. I was very impressed.

With the job beginning on next Monday, I'm changing my schedule a tad. From now on, I'm going to bed at 1am, versus my mad early morning hours. I'll start my day at 7am. Six hours of sleep and I feel like I'm on vacation.

The background check is done,and the reference check will be done tomorrow. I have a conversation with the CEO of the company tomorrow morning. After everything is finished, I will then start contacting my contacts. I've got a BILLION contacts in my roladex, so it's going to take a bit.

Added about 500 words to the book. I think I'm going to average about 1000-1500 for the rest of the time. On the weekends, I'll do a little bit of editing to make sure this thing makes sense.

For the NBC scenes, I've taken a script I'd already written, and mined it for a good scene. A little craftwork, and it'll be good to go. My other scene will be created from Bestseller, while the third scene will be a dramatic one from MOTTs. I'll finish them, send them out to my boys for critical notes, and then re-write them. No muss, no fuss.

After a few stumbles, TheYack.com continues to develop. I will see a draft tomorrow morning.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

In My Head...

He's John Basedow...he's gonna show you how...to reach your potential...and to turn your...whole life around! Fitness Made Simple!

John Basedow is either making a gazillion dollars or he just wants to indoctrinate us into his mullet and muscles cult. I just don't know.

Making progress on the book. Just wrote about 1500 words, and I'm not even done. It's 1:17am, my normal writing time, and I feel footloose and fancy free. I think I may write about one thousand more words, and then relax on Sunday.

I've been invited to write two new comedic scenes for an NBC Diversity Showcase, so I'm thinking about a few different situations. They're not due until late September, so I can write them at my leisure.

As for UCLA, I'm a mentor for three eager first year students, and I talked to one of my mentees two days ago. I think it's difficult to explain what you get out of UCLA until you actually experience it, because then your goals will become very clear. Does that make sense? Anyway, I tried to give her some good advice.

Yesterday I talked with one of my frat brothers about applying to the producer program. He will excel, but I think he's not sure about spending two years in school. I made the pitch, but I'll have him talk to a couple of producers in the program.

Next week, I'm going to talk to my agent about my fiction project at Kensington. Can't say now, but I want a few changes. More later.

The new job is doing their background check. That should be done next week. My background is pretty sterling, so no worries. My start date is Sept. 5th. I'm itching to start.

Manchester United has won three out of three to begin the season, Arsenal has only one point, and Chelsea has already lost a game. I know that doesn't mean crap to most of you, but believe me, it makes me as happy as watching the Lakers win by forty.

The little boy goes to school on Monday, and of course the ole Catholic school changed the uniform, crest, and everything else, so it's a whole new wardrobe. Thanks St. B's!

No chocolate. No exercise. But still lost three pounds to 214lbs.

Been going over my daily schedule. With the new job, I need to keep my schedule nice and tight. I think I'll get up at 6am when the wife does, and head to the gym for a good hour workout. That gets you up and ready for the day. After that, I'll break the day up with research, writing and then class. For the job, I have to use my contact to find things, and I literally have about one thousand of them. So as soon as I get the okay, I'm going to start calling them and telling them what I'm doing. That will be a part of my schedule. And instead of staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning, I'm going to go to bed at 1am. I only need five hours of sleep a night, and I can get a lot of rest in on the weekends.

More later...

Friday, August 25, 2006

Slaveryland...

I opened Slaveryland for the first time in a while. I started writing it over a year ago, and then put it up because of my other fiction/non fiction work, but I read it and although it's not finished, it's pretty damn good. And with the current controversy around Mark Burnett's decision to divide teams by race, Slaveryland moves from an absurdist piece to one rooted in reality, which is mad strange. But that's why writers are tasked with writing about things that are absurd. You never know when the absurd will turn into the everyday normal. So getting it's own progress bar once again is Slaveryland. It's an extreme low priority compared to my other projects, but it'll be the next fiction manuscript I submit.

Good News...

Hey all,

Good news! I accepted a formal offer from the company today. The only thing left is for them to talk to my references, which is a formality, and then I start on September 5th. I'm ready to go. Once everything is official, I'll tell you who I'm now working for.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

No Writing Last Night...

Last night, I decided to rest. But today, two thousand more.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Back on schedule...

Said two thousand words, and did two thousand words. It's 3:45am right now, and I'm going to stop. But feel another two thousand for tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Iraq=Quagmire...

Can we say that our president is insane, and that Iraq is a quagmire? I mean, Jesus, one hundred Iraqis are dying each day and we keep on keeping on. So frustrating. And I swear that our current administration doesn't care.

Two Thousand Words...

I'm going to write about two thousand words today.

Big Day Tomorrow...

After four interviews, a writing sample, and a credit check, I have a conference call with company executives where my sample will be grilled. Sort of like having to defend a thesis, I imagine. I look forward to it.

Hey, have you ever learned something simple, but so damn helpful, that you wonder how you survived before you learned it? I got my dreadlocks washed at Heroik Entertainment in Leimert Park by my boy Akeem. He had has locks tied in a way that kept them off the back of his neck. Now, I've been trying FOREVER to get them off my neck, particularly when it's touching 100 degrees in LA. My locks go to the middle of my back, which is cool and all, but when it's hot, my neck feels like it's on fire. So he showed me a tie up that works, and daggumit, I can't stop putting my locks up. I'se free y'all.

Writing tonight? Still thinking about it. No chocolate today, but I made a delicious batch of chicken chili for the fam. I may play a bit of dominoes, and then open up Money Shot. If I feel like writing, I will. If not, I'll give myself the night off.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

An Addict...

Maybe it was all of those Pepperidge Farms Soft Baked Milk Chocolate Cookies I bought at 2 for $5? Maybe it was that bag of Doritos? I don't know, but whatever it was, I think I've had my fill. 217lbs and feeling fat. No, make that hot and fat, and there's nothing worse than that. My chocolate has been helping me write, at least that's what my brain has said, but the old waist band is beginning to stretch. So it's cold turkey once again. Back to eating healthy Kashi bars and eight bottles of Dasani water. The gym, a place I haven't visited this month, has an appointment with me. The goal this time? Purge the taste of that evil chocolate from my mouth, eat nothing by chicken for the next few months, avoid carbs like the plague, get back on the situp/pushup regiment, and go to the gym for 45 minutes of Lifecycle per day, at least three days a week. I HAVE to do this because in two weeks, the danger period of my life begins. That's the start of football season and the delicious foods and drinks associated with it. So goodbye bad munchies, and hello healthy food. In reality, it's really not that bad. I think I only stop eating healthy when I get bored, and this time, it probably won't happen until the winter. 210lbs, here I come.

Listening to...

Inglewood's own Jazzyfatnastees...Underrated and underappreciated.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Pandora.com

Go there. My boy from film school, Dan Johnstone gave me the word about six months ago, and it's the bomb. Do.it.now.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Today...

I think I'm going to get a massage. There's a place in Brentwood, right around the corner from UCLA, called the Massage Place, and are the best. I played soccer again last night, and I feel stiff. My wind is getting a bit better, but damn, I still can't get used to the fact that I'm not 21 years old, or even 30. A brotha is getting wore out.

I had my pen ultimate interview with the company I hope to work for. Again, things went great. So now, I only have an hour conference about a writing sample. That's on Tuesday. Hopefully, things will be settled after that.

On the writing front, I have a bunch of stuff ahead of me. So I will write tonight, through the morning, and through Saturday. I think I'll stop on Sunday and take the fam out for Mexican food.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Another Photo from the Way Back...

One of my frat brothers sent me this photo. It's my sands Marty Smith (smiling) and me (pontificating), after we just finished running our annual stepshow. A beer or two may have been consumed. Caption not my own, but of course, it's quite true. lol

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Car Trouble...

Nothing better than driving the Jeep up to the Dodger stadium parking lot, and then smelling acrid smoke. And then having the Jeep stop in its tracks...with about one thousand cars behind me.

Took the little boy to the Dodgers/Giants game last night, but we didn't see one minute of the game. Had to call Triple AAA and get the Jeep towed to the Jeep dealership. Hopefully, it's something minor, but I think my clutch is fried. So that's a chunk out of the old budget.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Miss Snark...

Is the best damn blog on the book industry in the world. Seriously. Miss Snark is a literary agent and she, like most agents including my own, is blunt and straight to the point. I suggest ANYONE interested in writing a book click on the link to the right.

More writing tonight. Word count to be updated soon.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Joe Had To Go...

It was a happy day yesterday, as Joe Lieberman was defeated in Connecticut. To often, he's been out for himself, and I don't care what people say, his public love fest with George Bush hurt the Democratic Party. Too often, he presented himself as a person who would take the sting out of Democratic criticisms of George Bush, and for that, Joe Had Ta Go.

Now, Democrats are starting to get away from the Democratic Leadership Council's Republican-lite philosophy and are starting to gain a backbone. And I for one will continue contributing to candidates who show a backbone. It does me no good to elect Democrats who are too scared to believe in anything. And I think Lamont's win got the attention of the Democrats who've been so insulated in DC that they don't understand the pulse of the country. The Republicans are pulling out the same old crap about cutting and running, but as my Texas grandfather used to say, that dog don't hunt anymore.

Phase One of the Killer App...

Phase one of my killer app for authors and book lovers is underway. In about five weeks, it will be complete, and I promise you, it will be the talk of the nation. Seriously. That's all I'll say.

Today, I've been writing. I haven't updated the word count, but I will at the end of the night. The goal, get to 15,000 by Friday, and 20,000 by Monday. Not a problem.

Sorry I haven't Blogged...

Took the son to a Dodger game two days ago. Looked over my Money Shot notes. It's 2:30am and I'm not writing right now, but the idea is to write about five thousand words between tomorrow and Friday, and then roll with about five thousand over the weekend. By next Monday, I should be at 20,000, which would be a good point to be.

Tomorrow, I have to talk to a few people that I've been trying to interview for months. One is that porn talent scout I meant to interview. I left a message, but nothing.

It's all coming together, but I think I'm just in the writer's blah mode. I was talking to my friend and fellow writer Eric Dickey, and he was saying he's in the same place. Can't fight it, just gotta go with it.

Still don't know what's happening with my manuscript at Kensington.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Reading...

I'm reading the 48 Laws of Power, and in this modern version of Machiavelli's The Prince, you really see how ruthless one must be to gain power. I guess that's why it appeals to a lot of hip hop artists, who are attracted to its principles. With anything, you have to make a decision whether the ends justify the means. But it's a great read.

It's 2am...

It's 2am and I haven't started writing yet. I've been watching a Discovery Channel documentary on three sistas who are video dancers. They all live in Toronto and each comes from a different circumstance. One is a single mother on welfare, another is in college, while another has danced since childhood. Each thinks that being in hip hop videos will make them stars, so they chase their dreams, sometimes working for nothing. It's obvious that these women are being exploited, and you might even think they're delusional thinking that they'll find fame as video dancers, but that would be wrong.

Everyone has to have a dream, something to get themselves up in the morning. The sista who puts on too much makeup and too little clothes, has a dream. It's just whether you understand the best way to make your dreams come true. What saddens me is that people get on their dream path without preparation, so they are doomed to fail. It doesn't matter how rich or poor you are, or how educated you are, if you don't have an informed plan, then you will either fail or spin in circles. And that's why one of the dancers ended up still dreaming, another deciding to travel the world, and another on tour with Missy Elliott. Guess which one had an informed plan?

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Had a great time...

The wife and I went to my friend Dana's fortieth birthday (any brothas out there looking to meet a sweet and good looking sista, holla at me and I'll forward your info to her) and had a ball. Her fam is from New Orleans, so they second lined around the club. Hadn't seen that since my boy Rob and I would spend summers down in the Westbank eating gumbo, fried fish, crawfish, drinking Jack and playing golf while fighting red ants. Much fun had by all.

We found a babysitter in our neighbors daughter. She just has to be the sweetest thing on earth and did a great job. Langston was in bed, and on time. She's about to make a LOT of cash babysitting.

Time to get back to work. This weekend, I think I'm going to try to get to the 15,000 word mark.

Friday, August 04, 2006

I'm Rollin' Y'all...

It's 1:47am, I'm well rested, and I feel like my groove is back. I'm in Chapter Three of Money Shot. So far, I'm written about 700 words, but I think I can hit the 10,000 word mark by the end of the night. That means I'll be one eight done, and over a bit of a hump. I'm still on schedule, but can't have anymore lapses.

On another front, Johnathan Rodgers from TV One emailed me today. To say that Mr. Rodgers is a role model for any black man thinking about working in television is an understatement. He ran the Discovery Channel and put it on the map, and then became the CEO of TV One, BET's rival. He said there may be a possibility to work together and so I'll keep an eye on that. Remember what I said about keeping your head up for more opportunities?

Wrote a little bit on Bestseller. Not much because Money Shot has been flowing. Time to get back writing.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Today's Output..

Only about four hundred words today, but no sweat. Tomorrow, I'm going to contact one of the porn talent agencies and see if I can interview a few of their women clients. I'm looking for a woman who's about to start her first scene.

Good news on the NBC/NAACP scene. Even though I didn't get the fellowship, the fellow from NBC said that he wanted to meet with me after he got back from vacation. That's TREMENDOUSLY generous of him, and I'll meet with him in two weeks. See? Never get down because something doesn't go your way. Keep plugging away. I know this is cliche, but it takes many, many hammer strokes on marble to make a sculpture.

I need to see what's happening with my fiction project at Kensington. With Karen gone, they're going to assign another editor to it. When I last talked to Karen, she'd said that I'd receive the manuscript back with her notes around this time. Obviously, things have changed. So I'll call Manie.

It's 2:44am, and I think I'm going to write a little bit more on Bestseller. I SOOOOOOO have a better grasp of what I'm doing now. I've had a full year of watching movies (which I don't normally do) and the light bulb has come on in so many areas. Begining my 434 script now does a bunch of things. One, I'm going to do twenty units so that I can coast in the winter with only my 434 left to graduate. After that, I can figure out if I want to pay for my Spring quarter or just prep for book releases.

But I can also relax by writing Bestseller now. The ten weeks is pretty stressful, so why not see how it works when the stress is off? Lastly, I can use the 434 time to rewrite the script according to my 434 teacher's instructions.

Another thing. Kevin Smith (Clerks, Jersey Girl, et al) is teaching a podcast type of class this quarter. I applied and my writing partners in the program (Phil, Simon, Dave, etc) have applied too. This is going to be a good class.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Finished for the Night...

I did about one thousand words tonight. Not bad. Again, if I do about one thousand words a day, I'll be cool. I'm almost done with chapter 2, which is a sex scene. All of this is really a rough draft. If it gets to close so that I'm not able to turn in a polished manuscript by October 15th, then I'll ask for a few more days. Maybe to November 1st or 15th? Usually folks build that in anyway.

Also, if anyone wants an autographed copy of The Divine Nine: hard or soft cover, let me know. Or is you'd like a copy of Friends With Benefits, holla. My publisher just sent me a couple of boxes. The Divine Nine hard are $33 plus about $5 shipping, with the soft being $17 with $5 shipping. Friends is $14 with $5 shipping.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Ah...Fiddlesticks...

Well, I didn't get the NBC/NAACP Fellowship. My boy Yule got it, and honestly, I can't complain. He's a good brotha and a great writer. It's disappointing, but if I've learned one thing in the past is that I still need to keep my eyes open and ready for the next opportunity. I'm a great believer that when something doesn't go the way you want, another opportunity is right there waiting for you. Call me an optimist, but that's how I stay sharp. And that has guided my career so far.

Anyway, getting sick is a great weight loss program. I'm currently 213lbs, and feeling like shit. But I'm light as hell. I had a craving for smothered steak, garlic and butter rice, and french cut green beans, and damned if I didn't make slap ya momma good smothered steak, garlic and butter rice, and french cut green beans. Boy, that felt good.

Alright, time to write more porn tonight. I'm back on the word count, and I'm going to stay up late. The goal tonight: 3000 words to get the count to 10,000.

NBC/NAACP Fellowship Interview...

I had my NBC/NAACP Fellowship interview yesterday, and my cold was still going strong. The interview was held at the NAACP offices on Wilshire, the same building where my frat brother Brian Dunn works. He's a partner in Johnnie Cochran's law firm.

The interview went well I think. I met with Ted Frank from NBC and Vic Bullock from the NAACP. If I get the fellowship, Frank would be sort of a mentor at NBC, and I would work on social issues as it pertained to Hollywood via the NAACP. Also, I would be able to work on the production side of the Image Awards. That appeals to me because I envision myself as being a writer/producer.

They said that they'd make a decision soon, so that's cool. I need to figure out my schedule for next year. Likely, I'm going to take about twenty units for the Fall, and then only eight for the winter. That will complete my degree requirements, and I can spend the Spring promoting Money Shot. And speaking of Money Shot...

I'm spending the week with Lexington, beginning this morning...Time to get my ass in gear.

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Signing at the Alpha Convention...

If there's one thing I can never complain about, it's the support my Fraternity Brothers have given me. Brothers have seriously purchased my Divine Nine and Friends With Benefits two or three times, and my hand nearly cramped from selling so many books at the Alpha Convention. The sinuses still are bumping, but I forced myself to get up and relax a bit last night. Went to a couple of suites and partook in some orange juice, cold water, and then when I was feeling better, a bit of Merlot. Got in a few games on the domino table, couldn't get a good hand all night, and generally had a great time with the Brothers. I was pretty mellow by the time I'd gotten back to the hotel room, which was about 4am.

So now, it's rolling out to BWI and on home. I miss my beautiful wife and son, which I always do. BTW, it's always great to see Black men at the convention who are not the subject of either Bill Cosby's rants, or some social scientist's theory of black pathology. We're the ones who work hard, love our wives, love and raise our children, worry about expenses, and hope to make a contribution to society as best we can. It pumps me up to see so many positive brothers, all with college educations, fellowshipping. And to know that there are nine organizations filled with black men and women like this, well, it warms my heart.

I need something to eat, something other than a burger.

Tomorrow, I have an interview for the NBC/NAACP Fellowship. After that, I'm going to set up my Money Shot schedule. So look for MASSIVE amounts of progress on the book when it comes to word count. When I'm not writing, I tend to miss writing. And for the past week, I haven't written anything, and now I feel like writing everything. So I don't think I have anything to worry about when it comes to my deadline in about seventy five days.

Man, Karen leaving Kensington is pretty discomforting. She's really been a great friend, and bought my first three books, so it's going to be weird working with a new editor at that house, particularly at this point. I only have her Kensington email addy, so I can't really get in contact with her, but I'd LOVE to know what was the dealio. She created the black book line at Kensington (Dafina), so her move to Warner is a coup for Warner.

All right, hope all are well. I met a number of you at my convention, and it was great to know that you're all reading. More later!

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Karen Thomas...

Well, I just read that my editor at Kensington Books, Karen Thomas, has left the publishing house. It would have been nice to have received an email from someone about this. I read it on my girl Felicia's blog (The Back List on my list of websites on the sidebar). If I hadn't felt so f*ed up, I probably would have found out last week.

I wonder what this means for my book? I was supposed to receive the manuscript back from Karen around today. According to Kensington, they are looking for a replacement, and the rumor is that Karen is going to Warner. So that puts me in a bit of limbo. I have a signed contract, but a new editor. I hate uncertainty, but c'est la vie.

Karen has edited and purchased three of my books, and I hope to work with her in the future. Plus, she's mad cool and I consider her a friend.

Can't Shake This Cold...

I just can't shake this cold. I signed a TON of books these last two days, but right after that, I continue to look like shit. My boys have fled the coop, and it was good seeing them, even though I had to stumble over them each morning. The convention has been a success, and I've seen a bunch of people who I've only known via my various listserves. Tonight, I think I'm going to go out to this old school party at a club called Bohemian. After that, relax and max.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Today...

I feel like shit. Got in at 2am the other night, and then began signing books at 10am. Was on my feet until 7:30pm, with hay fever and a sore throat. I feel like shit. Everybody else rolled out to continue to drink and I decided to hit the hotel room and chill for the evening. Three of my frat are crashing in my room. That's fine, but there's nothing like drunk folks coming into your room in the middle of the night while you're sober. You don't get the joke that they're getting, and no one will shut up. Ever. I'm tired and feel like shit. I've gotta get up at 8am and sign until around 1pm. I'm conventioned out. It's been great and fun, but I'm did, done, did.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

DC...

Hey all,

Flew into Baltimore a couple of day ago, with the intention of driving to NYC, but ended up feeling like death. You know how you wake up and know that you'll have to sleep the whole day? That was my day. So I didn't get to see my agent and editors. I'll have to do it later.

Now I'm in Washington DC, and our convention is simply great. Everyday, I'm seeing brothers I haven't seen in twenty years, and there are THOUSANDS. I'll post pics later.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Going To My Convention...

In a couple of days, I head out to the East Coast to celebrate the 100th Centennial Convention for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. I have been an Alpha for twenty one years, and so this is going to be great. A frat brother of mine thought he'd send me a picture to show changes.

This is me now: A 40 year old who's in pretty good shape.



But here I am in 1988: I'm ridiculously skinny, with a ridiculous look on my face. And look at that fade! It is TIGHT! To the far left is my sands Marty Smith, and in the middle is my boy Rouvaun Walker. Boy, we were skinny!



And here I am with my frat brother Anthony Williams. We are in the halls of Sproul Hall, sitting in for something, I can't remember what. Might be divesting from South Africa, or it could be the amount of black students at Berkeley.



I don't know if anyone is interested, but I'm going to upload pictures from the convention to the blog.

Not Bad...

It's about 2:30am and it's too damn hot. I mean I'm chilling in my boxers and I feel like a Florida slave workin' in the midday sun. Every fan in the house is on 11, and yet, nothing. And look, if you have locks, especially locks as long as mine, they make you about twenty degrees hotter. I still haven't mastered the art of tying my locks in a pile, so the back of my neck just radiates heat. Oh well.

Not a bad writing night. About five hundred more words. Lex and I have made arrangements for August. My frat has a contact with Heather Hunter, so we'll see where that leads. Momentum is back on my side.

Continuing to work on the BESTSELLER story. Jockying between the spare script brain and the descriptive book side is no treat.

Info on the Savoy magazine saga. It looks like after a year, I'm about to get paid. I have been promised that a check will go out next Wednesday. When I receive it, I will of course run to the bank as soon as possible in order to make sure it's not made of rubber. But our national nightmare is almost over. Viva La Writers!

Prepping for East Coast trip. Packing for Fraternity conventions are no easy tasks. You have your suits, your club clothes, your casual clothes, etc. And then you end up buying a ton of paraphenalia. Basically, seven days of clothes. For women, this may be normal. For guys, this is a chore.

BTW, if anyone is in DC from July 26th to July 30th, holla at me during the Alpha convention. It will be great to see you.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Creative Juices Rolling...

I feel it again. I think I was just burnt from writing in school, but I feel my second wind. I'm remembering why I liked this book, and it's flowing again. Six hundred words so far tonight, and it's about 1:05am. I'm going to keep going, not pushing, but just going.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Bestseller...

I'm working on the story of my next script, BESTSELLER. I've figured out what happens up until Page 30, the first act, and now I'm working on the second act.

A quick synopsis of BESTSELLER: It's about a woman who goes on her final book tour. That's all I can say. But I can say that it's my first comedy.

I feel I have my Money Shot mojo back. I'm going to work on it later tonight, and I'm pretty enthused. Rarely do I have periods when I'm unmotivated, but the past month was one of them. But I'm going to make some headway tonight. No word count guarantees, but I think I can get to around 10,000 words.

For some reason, I have this feeling that I'm going to write while on the East Coast. Something just tells me that one or two times, I will find myself writing versus doing everything else I could be doing. We'll see.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Watch out now...

Uh oh, I feel like I'm back y'all. I'm writing and it doesn't feel forced. We'll see what I get done by the end of the night.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Day 89...Nothing...

I got nothing. But I'm going to look at what I've written so far and do a bit of editing. Also, my editor says that I should be able to add photos.

Monday, July 17, 2006

90 Days...Until Manuscript Due

Okay, while I'm not going to worry about writing goals for the next week, I DO need to realize that there are officially 90 days until Money Shot is due at Thunder's Mouth. This is a rather peculiar position for me because I've never before found myself pressing on a book. But I am pressing a bit. However, there is still plenty of time.

I think I'm pressing because I'm not done interviewing everyone I need for the book. Grad school kind of fucked that up. But not all is lost. What I will do is simply spend as long as I need in August conducting the rest of my interviews. Once those are done, and I can look at my table of contents and KNOW that I don't need anymore information, then I'll finish writing everything. Thank God that UCLA doesn't start until the end of September. My agenda would have been real weak without that extra month.

In reality, school doesn't begin until the first of October, since we have to pitch during that time. And my next script, BESTSELLER, is almost fully fleshed out as a story. I HAVE been working on that.

The only fly in the ointment with my plan is the fact that Kensington is going to send me back my novel. This will have notes from my editor, so I'll have to fix whatever she finds wrong with that. But this may be a good thing. This summer, I've become lazy and soft. I wake up, complain that it's hot, and sit my ass back on the couch, doing nothing. Having a big, fat manuscript full of red slashes where Karen finds stuff that doesn't make sense will jolt me back into writing mode.

On another front, it looks like I just might get paid by Savoy. Nothing certain until I get the check, take it to the bank, see if it bounces or clears, but good sources tell me that it just may happen. We'll see.

I need to finish up preparing for NY and my national convention. I think I'm going to drive to NYC from Baltimore, and then drive back to Baltimore. I'm signing at the Alpha National Convention from 10am to 2pm each day, and I want to be well rested because I'm basically going to be awake 24 hours a day. I'm going to try those anti-hangover pills and see if they work.

My NBC interview is scheduled for the 31st. I turned in my Sloan script. Also, one of our screenwriting students held a party at her house. She's sweet as can be, and her house is the BOMB. Lastly, we gathered with some friends at Aunt Kizzy's Back Porch restaurant. The food was only so-so, but the conversation was fun. We try to gather with our friends each month, so it's all good.

Sorry that I haven't been such a consistent writer, but this is a reality. Every writer goes through a period where they don't feel inspired, energetic, or imaginative. Professional writers gut it out though, and that's what I'm going to do.

BTW, after I get back from the East Coast, I'm going to be a bit more specific about what I've done to move Money Shot forward. That will help too.

Still Got Nothin'

Still haven't written anything. Been about a week now. It's just too damn hot. Regardless, I'm not going to put any word count goals on this week. If I write something before heading to the East Coast, then cool. If not, then August will be hella busy.

HoodieTees.com is rolling along. I'm going to start sending out press releases soon.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Relaxing and Maxing...

I had my shave today and I think it changed my life. Seriously, as my seven year old says. I walked into The Shave of Beverly Hills, thinking that this was going to be disappointing, after all of the build up, but NO. Look, I'm not saying that a man should pay $65 for a shave everyday, but if you want to feel just a bit better about yourself, this is the lick.

They lean you back...oh I can't describe it. It's just good. The brotha holding the straight edge simply removed every hair follicle on my face (except for the 'stache, goatee, and soul patch lol). The trim of the mustache and goatee? Perfect. The wife can't stop staring. The cheeks are so smooth that I can't stop touching it. No razor burn. No nicks or cuts. Look, if you want to get the best shave ever, go. Seriously.

On the writing front, I'm just relaxing. I'm not going to stress, cause I've been stressing way too much lately. It'll get done. I'm getting ready to go to my Frat convention, and I'll probably dine on a diet of Makers Mark and water for seven days. After that, I'll get back on Money Shot.

Oh, after I get back from DC, I have an interview with NBC and the NAACP for their fellowship. All of the other finalists will meet when I'm on the East Coast, so it's cool that they set up a time for me.

On another front, an agent had his assistant read Men Of Their Times, and the assistant liked it. The agent is going to read the script, and if he likes it, he's going to float my name for a project that is already fully financed. That, in an understatement, would be cool. But cart is running WAY before the horse. We'll see how it rolls.

My face feels sooooo good...

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

One Other Thing...

My option project fell apart. My subject is a REALLY sweet person and I think she has a great story, but there were a lot of red flags. One, she is really committed to writing a book about her life and she thinks there would be a conflict between my script and her book. I tried to explain as much as possible that bios are hard, if not impossible to sell, especially if you don't have a hook. Anyone in the publishing industry will tell you that it's even hard for celebs to sell a bio. But I've learned one thing about writers and books. I can't and won't discourage anyone from writing their book, regardless of the odds. That's simply not fair.

But I think she was getting bad advice from her advisors who were all afraid that my option would hinder her opportunity to sell her manuscript. The manuscript is not done and I explained that even if it were done today and sold today, it would still take two years to come to market. However, if I wrote a script and she finished her book, AND the script sold, she could have an agent shop the manuscript with the added note that a script about her life was already sold, she would come to the publishers with a bit of clout. Now, she's just in the same pile as all of the other people with inspirational stories. But c'est la vie. Maybe later?

So I'm on to the story I was going to write for the Fall before the option project. It's called BESTSELLER, and I think it's a winner. But then, I believe all my stories are winners, or I wouldn't do it. LOL

Tomorrow...

My day started off great. My mom brought the munchkin home, so all is well. The fish tank, which has been leaking profusely for the past month, finally reached critical mass. So it was remove the fish, empty the tank, and carry that smelly, leaky, heavy ass tank back across town to the pet store. I was ready for battle with owner, until he showed me why the tank was leaking. The filters were filthy. I simply needed to change them. That really made me eat a bit of humble pie. So two hours later, with hands that smell like fish (and will for weeks), the problem was finally solved.

Met with my boy MK, who is just DOING it! He is making a documentary that will be as important as any I've seen about the African American community. I just can't tell you what it's about. But he, and a few other UCLA students, are ripping their project.

Tomorrow, like Scarlett famously proclaimed, is another day. I'm going to wake up, head to the gym in order to get back on the weight loss track (I'm rolling 218lbs now. That's about six pounds over what I reached when I was pretty dedicated). But, about seven days on the lifecycle and good eating should kill that.

After going to the gym, it'll be a back to the crib to shower and then all day at the Westwood Novel (where I met MK today. That was a damn good Strawberry Lemonade.) I think I'll spend at least six hours there writing Money Shot. If that works, then I'll rinse and repeat the rest of the week.

BTW, got a bit of info about the NBC/NAACP Fellowship. An NBC rep and NAACP rep will be interviewing us on July 24th. Only prob: I fly out to the East Coast that day. Bummer. But they're going to reschedule me later when I get back. After that, we'll find out who gets the fellowship.

HoodieTees.com is a HIT! In just two days, I'm getting about two sales per hour. Nothing like waking up to sales. I sent out the first batch of tees, and as I was writing this post, I just got two more orders. Soon, I'm going to add about fifty more designs to the site.

What I'm listening to now? KRS-One: Step Into A World

Monday, July 10, 2006

The Best Laid Plans...

Well, somehow the Lex shoot fell through. So that was a bummer. But on the bright side, my little boy comes back tomorrow morning! I miss his little voice, and is drive to beat me at everything from arm wrestling to running.

Today, I got some more bad news. One of my best friends in the world, Sean, just told me that his father is terminally sick. That's just devastating because his father is truly a great man. One of the best brain surgeons in the country and one of the few African American. You really don't know what to say when you're told things like that, except that you'll be there for them.

Tomorrow, I'm going to blow off and then go to Coffee Bean and work on Wednesday. If that works, then I'll go to Coffee Bean on Thursday and Friday too.

Lawrence

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Goals Not Met...

I've completely missed my writing goals this weekend. I'll get to 10,000, but no where near the 15,000 I'd planned for myself. So it's time to change locations. Tomorrow, I'm on the Lex shoot, but on Tuesday, I'm going to the local Coffee Bean and stay there for about eight hours. I usually denigrate writers who write in public as preeners, but I'm going to take the dip. Also, I may need a dose of chocolate. If I can get to 25,000 to 30,000 next week, I would feel better about myself.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Phone Calls...

When I'm writing, I don't take phone calls and I don't call anyone. But I constantly get folks who can't understand that. Just this month, I've had about ten different people ask me questions, but insisted that I had to call them. When I tell them to send me the question via email, they freak, as though my work is some hobby and therefore I should have plenty of time for them. It ain't. It's hard enough for me to write a book with a looming deadline, but to interrupt whatever concentration I have with a long convo (meaning that the convos always last over an hour) about your idea for a book, just gets on my nerve. And I'm a cat who rarely gets mad or aggrevated. But this is getting me ticked. Anyway...

I'm back to writing tonight. It's 11pm and I think I'm going to write through the night. I had a very nice (and very expensive) dinner with the wife. She had a taste for steak, so we went to Ruth Chris in Beverly Hills. Didn't know that a steak could cost that much. Either way, I had the greatest company, and I got to say a quick hello to Billy Bob Thornton, who passed us on his way out. Ah, the perks of living in La-La land. Rubbin' elbows with the stahhs!

Hoodie Tees Is Up...

Hey all,

HoodieTees.com is up and running. We have a couple of editing tweaks left to do, but if you're interested in getting a t-shirt and supporting my upcoming projects, feel free to grab a shirt. Thanks!

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Money Shot Update...

I'm pretty much done with the rough draft of Chapter One of Money Shot. It's not tight by any means, but it'll do for now. I really wanted to just introduce Lex in this chapter, and I think it works well. By the time I finish tonight, I'll be around 5000 words.

Tomorrow: Send out Kensington Contract in the morning mail.
Saturday: Write all day. Get the word count to about 10,000
Sunday: Write all day: Get the word count to about 15,000
Monday: Go to Lexington porn shoot all day.
Tuesday: Contact porn stars I've haven't approached and start doing telephone interviews. I tend to hate telephone interviews and I'd rather do them in person, but time is of the essence. I have about ninety days until this manuscript is due.
Wednesday: Write all day: Get the word count to about 20,000
Thursday: Contact Anita, my editor, about getting a work for hire contract. I think I want my boy Jeff to take artistic photos of the porn stars for the book. I need to get her permission because I don't think I had photos in the book proposal, and I don't want to pay for the photos and can't use them.
Friday: Write all day and get the word count to 25,000.
Saturday: Rest

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Grinding...

So after the Dallas trip, and then shooting off bottle rockets at my boy Tony's house (New Mexico is fireworks heaven when you live in safe and boring fireworks California. I bought about $100 worth of fireworks in New Mexico, brought them back to Cali and I still have a ton left.) it's time to get back to work. But I really don't feel like it. What I feel like doing is laying on the floor, watching television, and then falling asleep. But I need to get to about 10,000 words by Friday, and then 15,000 by the end of the weekend. Langston will be back next week, so I need to take advantage of the time. One thing that is putting a crimp into my work is the heat during the day. No matter how much I want to, I just can't write when it's sweltering. But I write at night mostly, so I have no excuse. Oh hell, I'm just feeling damn lazy and I don't want to admit it.

On other fronts, MK is almost done with the t-shirt site. It looks really nice and in a week or so, I'll be sending out press releases about it. I need to write them now (generally you try to give reporters about a ten day lead on your press release.)

I need to send the Kensington contract back to my agent Manie. It's in my best interest to do so since I don't get paid my advance until it gets back to them. But like always, I lag.

In a little more than three weeks, I head out to the East Coast for a mix of biz and fun. So I'm trying to prep for that.

This summer is FLYING by, but one nice thing is that UCLA doesn't start until the first of October. BTW, on that front, I think I'm going to take about twenty units in the Fall. One reason: There are a lot of classes I want to take then. Two, with twenty units, I'll only have a 434 left in the winter for graduation. Now, if I get the ABC Fellowship (which begins in January), I'd be pretty free. And third, I can then make a decision about taking more classes in the Spring, going on lectures, or prepping for the book releases. Or all three.

On Money Shot, I've emailed Lex because I need to follow him for a couple of days next week. I also need to contact a few hip hop artists that are dabbling in porn. Ice T is my first target, but there are plenty of others. Getting back to my Money Shot goals, I really should be at 40,000 words by July 24th.

Sorry about the rambling nature of this post, but that's pretty much where I am this evening.

Just Because I'm Bored...

Whatever happened to...UTFO? Bonus: What does UTFO stand for?

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

2880 Miles...

We took off for Dallas last Thursday. It took about twenty hours to get there, and we covered about 1440 miles. Moms, sis, et al were doing great, and my son was happy because all of his cousins were there. Being an only child, he tends to be a loner from time to time, needing his own space, but for the next two weeks, he'll have to share. I think he'll be okay. As my wife and I were driving back (bloated by the crappy food we ate on the road. I gained WAY too much weight.), I wondered if sending your kids to the relatives down South is an African American tradition, or just an American tradition. I never went to camp as a kid, but I did go South for long summer days. I wonder. Anyway, we're back in Westwood, just in time for July 4th. The little boy won't be back until July 12th or so, so I need to get some work done on the book. But right now, I'm going to hit the gym in a couple of hours and see if I can burn off some of this MickeyDs, DelTaco, Whataburgers, out of my system.