WRITERS WRITE

I often get asked, via social networks, if I have any advice for aspiring writers.  

This is what I know:

My path to writing was incredibly circuitous, so I wouldn't recommend my career approach.  It took me a long time to find my voice and realize that my need for expression could be expedited through a keyboard.  I had a dozen careers before I landed on The Shield and as a result I was a generation older than most of my peers.  I think those "wasted years" (and by wasted, I mean, I was literally fucking wasted) fueled my need for success.  I've always felt like I've had to "catch up" to everyone else.  Truth is, I still feel that way.  I'm not one of those writers who can feel good about the success of others.  When I read about a writer getting a gig or an award that I covet, I burn with envy.  That burn fuels my desire to win, to produce, to take action.  And I do.  Which brings me to my first and most important piece of advice -- writers write.  

Every loser douchebag in this town has a screenplay in their back seat.  Or an "amazing idea" for a movie or TV show they want to share.  If you want to be a writer, don't worry about selling your shit, that will happen.  If you are a writer, you write.  Every fucking day.  You generate a body of work like any artist.  Screenplays, TV specs, pilots, etc.  If you are good, if you have a voice, you'll work.  Trust me, the industry needs original voices.  A substantial percentage of working writers in this town are hacks who keep failing upwards.  They bounce from show to show after one season and for some reason showrunners keep hiring them.  Why?  I'm not sure.  I think we get lazy and seduced by credits instead of looking for an original voice.  I know I'm guilty of it.  Although my last three hires on SOA have been uncredited writers with more diverse voices.  And my show is better as a result of it.

My second piece of advice is to stop reading the trades to find out "what's selling".  That's creative death.  If your writer friends or agents are encouraging you to write the next Inception, Lost or Modern Family, tell them to go fuck themselves.  Write what excites your imagination not your wallet.  Find something that inspires you, that makes you feel something, that pushes your primal buttons.  This process will lead you to the discovery of your instinctual themes -- the emotional motifs that identify you as a human being and an artist.  A few of my themes are redemption, fatherhood and the identification of manhood.  These are the emotional pulls that fuel my need to create and guide my creative choices.  Find yours.

My last piece of advice is to stop buying ridiculous fucking books that teach you "how to write".  Most are written by writers who couldn't get a job.  If you want to learn how to write screenplays, read great screenplays.  If you wanna learn how to write television, read TV scripts from shows you admire.  

Those are a few random thoughts off the top of my head.  I hope it helps.  And no, I will not read your spec Sons of Anarchy. 

GLOBED

First, let me say that I'm still quite shocked by the win.  Of course I felt Katey was deserving of the award, but I held zero expectation that her talent would be recognized.  I think that was obvious if anyone saw the telecast, I was fucking stunned.  And I was equally as surprised and happy to see Boardwalk Empire and Buscemi get the gold as well.

It's interesting that almost every article on Katey's win also mentioned my past remarks about the Golden Globes and the Emmy's.  Reviewers wondering (and hoping) if the win would fly in the face of my heated point of view.  First of all, my beef with the Globes last season had nothing to do with the HFPA members or their process, it was simply a heated outburst about being snubbed.  I do that occasionally.  Clearly my comments didn't affect foreign press member's opinion of Katey or the show.  Who knows, maybe my vitriolic response in some small, insidious, subconscious way helped motivated them to look beyond the obvious.  Most likely they were just too busy or too smart to read my blog.

As far as the Emmy's... I'm sorry Solberg, my opinion remains the same.  It's an award driven by popularity, familiarity and buzz.  I've said this before -- most Academy members are too busy to invest the time to actually watch shows and make fair and accurate decisions about what television programs are truly superior.  Instead they vote for shows they themselves watch (popularity), shows they or their friends work on (familiarity), or shows that everyone else has said is terrific (buzz).  I still feel it's a broad and inaccurate process that inspires tired, lazy and blind decisions.  This is not to say that shows and talent that win don't deserve it, I'm just suggesting that it's a pretty much a crap shoot.  That's why the day after the award nominations are announced there is more coverage about the absurd snubs than the actual nominees.  

And no, it will never change.  Nor do I have any constructive input to help.  So yes, I'm just fucking beefing.  Sometimes I feel like my service to the industry is to say the things that others are thinking but have too much self-control and self-respect to say out loud.  I'm not sure if I'm proud of that.  Probably not.

In my mind, the Television Critics Association Award is still the most accurate judge of quality (which I clearly do not expect to be nominated for this year).  The TCA's are voted on by people whose job is to watch, analyze and review the quality of television.  My only beef with the TCA's is that I wish they had more categories.

Will SOA get any Emmy love this year?  Who knows, perhaps Katey's Globe win may generate enough buzz to land her on the ballot.  Most likely my fellow sheep will wander into the same pasture and eat the tall, familiar grass.  Then like clockwork, expunge the same old shit.  But after Sunday night, I must admit, I hold out a small remote hope that perhaps, this year, there will be fecal enlightenment.

RED & BLUE

Yesterday was my little girl's fourth birthday so Katey and I took her to Disneyland.  As I walked around the happiest place on earth, I watched people.  Mickey draws folks from all walks of life.  It really is a great place to observe a cross-section of these United States.  Then I saw the flag over downtown Disney flying at half-mast and was reminded of the tragedy in Tuscon.  I began watching people in a different light, wondering about their beliefs and values.  Were they conservatives?  Where do they land on Roe v. Wade?  Do they attend church?  Then I reflected on all the folks I've met (via social networks and in person) through Sons of Anarchy over the past few years.  They are average citizens with average struggles.  They are Christians.  They are Jews.  They are agnostic.  They are Republicans.  They are Democrats.  They are Independents.  They are apolitical.  They are all decent, hard-working people brought together by a simple television show.

I've had this idea brewing in my head for awhile and now seems like the right time to explore it.  It's a simple idea, exploiting a basic function of our civilization -- communication.  It's called Red and Blue.  The basic concept is this: We go to cities throughout the country, some in Republican states, some in Democratic states.  We sit down with a panel of Liberal citizens and Conservative citizens and we just talk.  A moderator conducts an open forum that allows civilized, respectful communication between men and women with different beliefs and similar struggles.  So it's not just about debating our differences, but also engaging in discussion about how we are all the same.  This is real talk, about real issues, not hyperbolic buzz points that the media and politicians say are the issues.

I believe that the biased media (both left and right) is creating this great divide in this country.  That the conflict between citizens is not as great as we are led to believe; it is clearly being exploited to expedite an agenda.  That exploitation fuels events like the ones in Tuscon this week.  I'm not saying it made him pull the trigger, but it helped connect the distorted dots in his mind.  I applaud Jon Stewart for his attempt to out those extremities with his Rally to Restore Sanity.  If we, the people, leave it up to the media and the politicos to determine how we are divided, that division will grow and it will continue to generate more drama, more hate, more pain and more death.

Yes, I'm a bombastic liberal Hollywood writer who makes a lot of money, but this is not about my agenda or any one's agenda.  I put this pitch out here because I have no desire to profit from this concept and I am looking for people of the same mind.  Producers, production company, talent and networks who would be willing to forgo their fees for the greater good.  Other than the cost of production and airtime, no one should profit from this experiment.  When money and power are extracted from the equation, esteem is the driving motivator.  This could be an extremely esteemable act.  I am looking for people who are willing to put principles before personalities and help us heal.

I'm not sure what happens now.  This post may die on the vine and I'll just put it in my ever-growing "ridiculous idea" folder.  But if industry people (producers, talent, union-sanctioned production companies, networks) are legitimately interesting in helping me make this a reality for no pay, no career-advancement, no glory, then they can contact my reps at ICM and we will begin the process.  If you are not someone in the parenthetical category above, you can simply reply to this blog post.

I'm not delusional.  I don't think a project like this can change the tide of ill-will, but I think anything that generates awareness is a start.

And yes, Small World is still the most terrifying ride ever created.

I'M NOT YOUR DARLING, ASSHOLE

So, I have this habit.  Not sure if I picked up from my dad or if it's a Jersey thing, but I always tag a greeting or engage a conversation with a slang term of endearment.  If you're a guy, it's always, "Hey man, how are you, brother?" or "Missed you, buddy." or "That's awesome, pal!".  I do the same thing with women.  "Hey, sweetheart, how are you?" or "Love you, darling." or "All good, baby, I'll handle it."  

I used to give my father shit because he'd do it to my friends all the time.  Then, when I was in my twenties, I started doing the same thing and I realized it's because, like my dad, I'm great with faces, really bad with names.

I'm not saying it's a good thing and I understand how it could seem demeaning, but it comes from a place of candor and warmth.  I did catch shit from a cop once when I called her, "honey", and in grad school, I got lectured by a Nation of Islam member for referring to him as, "brother", but for the most part, I navigate through my day with little or no recourse to this practice. 

Then today.  I was coming from boxing and walking to my car in an underground parking garage.  As I was opening my door, someone called out, "Excuse me".  I turned and saw a forty-something, very slender woman pointing to a white towel on the ground.  "Is this yours?"  It was.  It slipped off my neck coming down the stairs.  "Yeah, it is."  I jogged over, picked it up and as she turned to head up the stairs, I expressed my appreciation, "Thanks, darling".  She stopped in her tracks and turned.  The look on her face was a mix of puzzlement and rage.  Then she elaborated, "What did you call me?"  The energy shift was so extreme I couldn't quite figure out what was going on.  I followed her query with my own, "Excuse me, I'm sorry --"  She cut me off with a blunt clarification, "I'm not your darling, asshole."  It took a moment for it to crystallize, then I realized what I said.  But she was up the stairs before I could apologize.  I called out, "Sorry... it's a bad habit..."  Somewhere from the top of the steps I heard her mumble, "Fuck you, Ronny Killer." I'm sure that's not what she said, but that's what it sounded like... 

I'm truly sorry I offended Ms. Towelfinder and I'm sure my choice of nickname affected her on a very personal level.  But quite honestly, I also know this event will have no impact on me.  I'm too old, too set in my ways to begin major upheavals in my vernacular.  So to all of you reading this: Baby, Sweetheart, Darling, Honey, Doll, Lovey, Brother, Buddy, Man, Pal, I mean no disrespect, most likely, I just don't know your name or I've forgotten it.  

And after this mea culpa and qualification, if you are still offended... Fuck you, Ronny Killer.