This morning I had my second interview with the subject of a screenplay I want to write. She’s a woman who wanted to open a pole-dancing fitness studio in a small town in Pennsylvania. She filed all the permits, which were initially accepted, but then, just as she was about to have her final building … Read more
I think I’ve made an unconscious but very deliberate decision to blow off most of the things I should be doing today. Things like looking high and low for a lost paycheck (I’ll probably still do that), gathering and copying a dozen different documents required for a loan application to refinance my little condo (maybe … Read more
November is National Novel Writing Month (really, who makes these things up?). To Nanowrimo or not to nanowrimo, that has been the question. Do I really need one more thing to write? Clearly not. Will I ever get anything done without artificially created deadlines? Also doubtful. So, the challenge is to write 50,000 words in … Read more
In advance of my JATH show reading last night, I spent much of yesterday with the feelings of depression and futility that come of stress for me. Normally I would not feel too much stress prior to a reading, because I actually LOVE to read out loud, and feel fairly confident in my skills…but for … Read more
A little tired this morning, about to start writing on something where I need to figure out some stuff about a couple of characters still. Thinking about the phrase “give the problem to the character.” This is not exactly what the person who said it meant–but I’m thinking of trying to incorporate this feeling, of … Read more
In less than a month I’m going to be reading of an essay at The Lounge theatre in Hollywood as part of a charity benefit my friend Jeff puts together each year. The essay I’m doing is about Buddhism and Spiders, called “Fear and Loathing in the Sacred Circle.” I read a version of it … Read more
Yeah, okay. It’s not really an opportunity so much as a favor to me.Colorado Review just sent me my essay “Luck, Statistics, Magic,” all laid out as it will appear in their upcoming issue. Exciting! They want me to look it over and send it back with any changes by Sept. 20. It looks pretty … Read more
Over time, I’ve been narrowing my own sense of what this blog is—and as I’ve probably alluded to a few times, it’s pretty much just about the world as I experience it, and my experiencing of the world. That seems pretty simple, and so in general I’ve maintained (to myself if not publicly) the idea … Read more
Right now, I’m reading Kind of Blue by Ashley Kahn. It’s about the making of the Miles Davis album of the same name, but, in the first chapter at least, it’s about the making of Miles Davis as a fully formed artist and leader of other musicians. I’m reading the book for class, and didn’t … Read more
PERSONAL ASSISTANT POSITIONS Personal assistant for experienced showrunner living/working in Weho. Simple duties: errands, grocery shopping, light phones. $500 a week, 5 days a week, fairly flexible hours. Showrunner will not read your writing. Send resumes to xxxxxxt@gmail.com. To Whom It May Concern: I am writing in response to your advertisement on the UTA job … Read more