A Writer Writes... Again!

I haven't had much to write about since I last posted over three years now.  I only had one follower. (Thank you Laura!) It didn't seem like I was reaching as many folks as I'd hope I would when I decided to blog. Except something happened today that inspired me to want to write a post after all these years.  First I should say that in addition to turning half a century this year, I managed to write a novel.  I finished my first novel on Halloween of this year.  I got the idea to do it from reading this book called NO PLOT, NO PROBLEM by Chris Baty.  

In a nutshell, Baty goes into detail how you can make time to write a novel of 50k words in 30 days with the correct time managment.  If you're doing the math, that is roughly 1,667 words a day.  Baty is also one of the founders of National Novel Writer's Month (aka NaNoWriMo) that occurs yearly during the month of November.  I decided that I would participate this year (more on that later). 

I should say that there are some works of literature that are roughly 50k words - THE GREAT GATSBY, HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, BRAVE NEW WORLD* - just to name a few.  Now I'm not saying I'm anywhere near to being as talented a writer as Fitzgerald, Adams or Huxley have been.  But I like to think that after reading many books (ever since I learned how to read over forty-five years ago) I did pick up a few things here and there.  Not to mention that fact that I have written a screenplay for a feature film ten years ago.  Plus you don't get to be my age and not gain some wisdom from years of life experience.  Hopefully with practice I can become a better writer eventually.

To prepare for writing a novel this month, I read tons of books on writing structure, format, style. etc.  I even went over notes from previous creative writing courses that I took when I was in college.  Then I decided to write a "practice" novel during the month of September of this year.  My goal was this: I just wanted to see if I could discipline myself enough to put in the time to actually write something and stick to it.  Baty's book is perfect for busy folks who have grueling work schedules, children to raise, full-time students, whatever: busy people.  It's crafting the proper time management that can be applied to ANY situation.  Since I'm currently not working (it gets harder to find employment after turning 50-years-old even with a new media degree in Filmmaking and Multimedia, I have found out the hard way: "Over qualified" really means "you're too old bitch!").  So I needless to say, I have some time on my hands lately. It's also quite therapeutic mentally, I find.

Anyway, writing the 50k words in 30 days was a breeze for me.  In fact I passed the 50k word count on the 25th day. Some days I was on fire writing pages and pages of text; while some days I was lucky if I could come up with two decent paragraphs.  But I persevered and kept on going until the 30 days of September was over. That being said, my 50k words didn't exactly make up a cohesive novel.  To tell the story I wanted to tell, I used the month of October to add an additional 50k words and voilà: My first novel.  Something that I can now check off of my bucket list.

So now that that was done, the hardest part is finding a publisher who would be interested in reading it, let alone decide to publish it.  You'd think that living in New York City, where  some of the biggest publishing houses on the country are located, this would be easy.  I can tell you it's not.  It's all about who you know.  And even though I did temp work in the mid '80's for Simon & Schuster, I regret now that I never bothered to cultivate any professional relationships with anyone over there.  My loss, I can assure you.  

But in the meantime, I am now working on my second novel for the NaNoWriMo contest.  Today I passed the 37,000 word count on this the 22nd say of the contest.  (It's a sequel.  I think I might try and write a trilogy like Stieg Larsson or Suzanne Collins.   I only hope that I live long enough to see them published unlike the late Larsson.)  As long as I'm writing everyday, I feel like that half of the battle is already won.  One of my favorite novels that I've read since the last time I posted here was Sara Gruen's WATER FOR ELEPHANTS.  When I found out it was one of the published novels that she wrote for the NaNoWriMo, it was incredibly inspiring to me to want to compete and write for the contest. Even if doesn't get published, at least I can say "I did it", right?  

Which brings me to why I decided to post on my blog again.  Today someone I've known for many, many years now.  Someone I that I've always consider a friend, said to me: "What's the point of writing if nobody will publish it?"  How's that for words of encouragement? With friends like that... but I digress.

I'm not going to let this person (whom shall remain nameless here) nor anyone else for that matter, stop me from creating stories and writing as much as I want until I can't do it anymore.  Even if they remain on my laptop long after I'm dead and gone, at least I know that I actually accomplished writing a novel or two or three.  In the meantime, it has also encouraged me to continue putting this blog out into the universe.  Even if I only have one follower, than at least I've reach someone out there.

So, I'm putting this out into the universe with the hope that there may be a publisher who would be interested in reading what I've written.  Feel free to forward this posting to your friends, family, colleagues, anybody, I don't care.  You never know: maybe somebody out there in the world knows somebody, who knows somebody, who knows somebody, who knows somebody...you get the picture.  If you decide that this isn't something you want to forward to anyone, that's fine too.  Instead smile at a stranger or say a kind word to somebody you pass everyday but never spoken with.  A little act of kindness may not seem like much to you, but it sure couldn't hurt anyone to put some positive energy into the universe, could it?  (This is where I would put an emoticon of a smiling face if I figure out how to do that here or if this was a video this would be the part where I would say "Thompson Out!" and drop the microphone on the floor and exit the frame stage right.)     

*According to Wikipedia, so take it with grain of salt. You know what I'm talking about here. 

The Wendy Williams Show & Crazy Aunt Mildred!

Wendy Williams just read my letter on her show this morning!

Last week I was home and a get a phone call from someone at THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW telling me that they are going to read my letter and show a photo that I sent them. The photo I took one day a few months back while walking down 14th Street. Once I saw I this image, I knew I just had to take a photo of this.

Now if you aren't a regular view of Wendy (and I don't know why you wouldn't be), here is a little backstory: Its no secret that Wendy Williams wears wigs on her show. She even has a wig-stand that she calls "Shakeetha". Shakeetha even has a backstory: she's 25yo, she only dates ballers, likes the clubs, etc. She even has been going on a city-by-city tour to visit viewers. Ok, back to my photo: I'm walking down 14th Street in NYC and in the window of a wig shop I spot "Shakeetha's Crazy Aunt Mildred" and I know I just have to share this image with Wendy Williams viewers! So here it is if you missed it!

Also tonight on Dancing With The Stars one couple will be eliminated. Last night Wendy and her dance partner Tony Dovolani did a "Quick Step" and it was a great comeback from last weeks low scores! They did an AMAZING job! I hope you had the chance to vote for them? I had never been into DWTS before. I started watching it last season when Margaret Cho was on it, but after she got eliminated. I stopped watching. This season it's really exciting! Just like Celebrity Apprentice this year is really good too! I'm rooting for Wendy to bring home the Mirrored Ball! GO WENDY!! Thanks again for introducing "Crazy Aunt Mildred" to America! Now could someone get back to me about getting tickets for a taping?

Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark! 2-1/2 Hours of my life I WILL NEVER GET BACK!!!

BE WARNED: No Spoilers (because, for the life of me, I wouldn't know were to begin).

I just got back from the theater after watching the new Broadway musical SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK. Officially it's still in previews and has been set to open on March 15th. What is there not to like when it has so much going for it?:

• It has music by one of my favorite bands in the world (U2 - Bono and The Edge)!
• It's directed by one of the most visionary directors on Broadway today - Julie Taymor! (Who directed Broadway's "THE LION KING" and films like "ACROSS THE UNIVERSE", "FRIDA" and "TITUS")
• It's one of most popular superheroes ever created by Stan Lee!
• A theatre that has been renovated to accommodate lots of stunts at the expense of $63 million!

What could go wrong? A HELLUVA LOT - THATS WHAT! First I must say I read the early reviews (all bad) and thought to myself "they are a bunch of haters!" Boy, was I ever wrong!

Two weeks ago I went with my friend Douglas (who was on visiting from Africa) to see the musical THE LION KING! Now I sometimes think of myself as a jaded New Yorker and nothing ever "Wows" me these days. But I stand corrected. This was the first time I have seen this show. Yes, I know, it's been running on Broadway for over a decade now - but I never got around to seeing it (plus it is NEVER up at TKTS). I must say, I was blown away! The imagery and staging was so simplistic that I really felt like I was there in the bush in Africa! Now THAT is a show you MUST SEE if you are visiting NYC! (Also Avenue Q - but that's another story)

So I was really looking forward to see the Spider-Man musical! I don't think it's giving anything away by saying Peter Parker aka Spider-Man has the hots for Mary Jane Watson. If you haven't seen the Sam Raimi films (Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and uh, Spider-Man 3) with Tobey Maguire then you must be living under a rock. One of the plot twist that made the films quite entertaining was the love triangle/friendship between said couple and Harry Osborn (James Franco). I can't tell you what was on stage tonight at the Foxwoods Theatre except to say it was A HOT MESS!

The very things that may have endeared you with the films, is the exact opposite in the musical. I really, really, really wanted to like this show. But it was so confusing! A "Greek chorus" and a mythical creature both telling the story? WTF? The very fact that the time of the piece was jumping all over the place was most annoying. It dawned on me midway through the first act: maybe all the IN-YOUR-FACE theatrics is there to put you off that the plot is totally lame (i.e. nonexistent)! I had the absolute best seats tonight (center orchestra) but that didn't make up for the fact that the show was like a bad accident you just wanted to be over with! There was a little boy (about 10-years old) sitting next to me with his mother. During the middle of the second act I heard him say to his mother, "When is this gonna be over?" That's exactly what I was wondering!

Someone once told me that "The Olive Garden" was Italian food for people who don't know really good Italian food! That is to say, when you live in New York City (or the outer-boroughs) why would you settle for a chain restaurant, when there are tons of really great Italian restaurants around? Thats how I feel about Spider-Man! Once you get over all the bells and whistles, you realize you could've watch the DVDs (Including the abysmal Spider-Man 3) instead!

Now I will say that the art direction was PHENOMENAL! Some of the costumes were very "cutting edge". The choreography was exceptionally good! Matthew James Thomas and Jennifer Damiano, as Peter/Spider-man and Mary Jane Watson, both had great vocals! However, such elements as these do not mean a hill of beans if the story sucks!

Unless they rework this entire show, I doubt that it will ever open. If it does open, in the present incarnation, it won't be open for very long! If you are visiting New York City or if you live here and want to see a really good show: AVOID "SPIDER-MAN:TURN OFF THE DARK" LIKE THE PLAGUE!

The Good and The Bad

Two Issues!

1) Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE to read. I always have a book on me. I just got a nook eReader from Barnes & Noble - but thats another story for another time. So I recently began collecting the leather-bound classic collections of authors that can be purchased from Barnes & Noble! They are great books for any collector. They are beautiful books with ribbon bookmarks and gold or silver binding. At last count I believe I have 19 volumes total. If they sell more than that, then I haven't found it yet. Some of the titles include, The complete works of William Shakespeare, Complete works of Edgar Allan Poe, C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, 7 novels by H. G. Wells (all in one volume), etc. They also have contemporary novelists like Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, Gregory Maguire's Wicked and Son of a Witch, and Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and The Lost World.

I sent a letter to Barnes & Noble to suggest other authors they may want to add in the future. Here is some of the letter that I sent snail mail and emailed to the corporate headquarters:

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to express my appreciation for a your company releasing the Barnes & Noble Leather-bound Classics!

I've have ordered online or purchased in store the complete 19 volumes. I hope I did? Although I never would have thought of Gregory Maguire and Michael Crichton as classic authors, I guess some day future audiences, will view their work as classics.

My question to you is: do you anticipate releasing even more author collections in the near future? If so, can I suggest some authors that would be a great addition to my wonderful collection? How about considering these authors next time around:

• Mark Twain
• D. H. Lawrence
• Oscar Wilde
• E. M. Forster
• Geoffrey Chaucer
• L. Frank Baum
• Ernest Hemingway
• F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Zora Neale Hurston
• James Baldwin
• Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• Truman Capote
• Maya Angelou
• John Steinbeck
• Willa Cather
• Joseph Conrad
• Toni Morrison
• William Faulkner
• Edith Wharton
• P. G. Wodehouse
• George Orwell
• Virginia Woolf
• Philip Roth
• Stephen King
• Raymond Carver
• John Irving
• Evelyn Waugh
• Annie Proulx
• Henry James
• Marcel Proust
• Raymond Chandler
• Ray Bradbury
• Walter Mosley
• Amy Tan
• Ian Fleming
• Patricia Highsmith
• Charles Bukowski
• James A. Michener

Leather-bound collections by these authors would be a great addition to anyone who wishes to cultivate a well-rounded library. You may want to forward this to the office that makes such decisions.

I'm sure that if you're like me, you can think of some more authors that should be on this list that you'd like to see in a leather-bound collection on your bookshelf. Suggestions? If you are like me and would like to see more of these books, drop them a letter like I did:

Barnes & Noble, Inc.

122 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10011

2) I also like to watch films. Good, bad, whatever! I have been a member of Netflix for many years now. Recently I had a problem with a DVD that I kept getting in the mail broken or cracked, thus rendering my visual experience: unwatchable!

Something should have told me that maybe this isn't meant to be. Now with Netflix, you can't just send them an email and if you call it's never a person picking up. So instead I wrote a review of the film. Here it is:

Review of YOU ONLY DIE ONCE: I have yet to see this film. That's not to say that I haven't ordered it. In fact I ordered it 3 times and EVERY SHIPMENT has been cracked or broken. I guess I should have read the reviews before I put this film on my queue, but I always like the underdog and wanted to judge for myself. After the 3rd broken DVD was delivered to me, I figured somebody was trying to tell me something! It must be bad when Netflix doesn't even bother to make this film available for streaming instantly. Oh, well maybe it's just isn't meant to be.

Okay, thats enough for now. Cheers!

Why Billy Can't Sleep?

Yesterday I finally came to the realization that what is meant when they say "you can pick your nose, you can pick you ass, but you can't pick the family your born into!" Because believe me if I could pick my own family, I would be an only child or maybe I'd like to have a brother. Either way I guess I'm stuck with what I got even if I never say another word to my mother's other child again, I can be a happy man! Let's put it this way, if my sister was on fire, I wouldn't piss on that bitch! I have had it!

We had a difference of opinions on certain thing and I have since washed my hands of all the ugliness that it entails. Some people are just so narcissistic that it just doesn't warrant continuing any relationship with them at all. But I digress....

I'm writing this post at 2:45am because I can't sleep. I recently found out, after participating in a sleep study, that I have sleep apnea. This is a disorder that cause me to stop breathing in my sleep. Needless to say, it can be deadly. My doctor prescribed a CPAP machine to help me with my sleep apnea. This contraption looks sorta like a elephant trunk connected to a small box. This will not only correct me from breathing interruptions during the night but it will guarantee that I will never have any romantic life in my bedroom. It's hideous and I wish there was some other way... oh well!

Haven't posted in a while. Saw "The Social Network", "True Grit", "Black Swan" (did anyone catch the sketch on SNL with Jim Carrey? - TOO FUNNY), and "The Kids Are Alright" recently! Excellent performances in all these films and I recommend them to anybody. Oh, I also saw "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow, Part 1". I quite enjoyed it even though there were some truly frightening scenes in it! By far, I think it's the best of the franchise. I eagerly await part 2!

I finally got around to reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Its my first eBook that I downloaded on my nook reader that Santa gave me for Christmas! Pretty good so far...

Okay, I'm going to sleep now. My sleeping pill is starting to kick in! Oh, one more thing: never take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night!

I'm Back! Has it really been a year?

It's been over a year since my last posts! I've been going through a lot of life changes but I'm well now. So much has happened in a year's time. Where to begin? Okay here goes: BP Oil spill in the Gulf! Those poor animals and the people whose lives depend on the tourist! My heart is goes out to you!

True Blood-LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! Who won American Idol this year? Who cares! Adam Lambert ROCKS that's all I know! LOST went off the air! As well as 24, The Tyra Banks Show, ER, Law & Order (the original one).

Ricky Martin came out! Good for him! But really, was that REALLY that much of a surprise? I love you RICKY! iPhone, iPad, iPod, iCARUMBA! But if Steve Jobs wants to send me a iPad I am totally okay with that! The world has gone iCRAZY! Wendy is still going strong (even though she is on hiatus until the new fall season starts! Still love you WENDY my Bewigged Goddess!

Movies: The Hurt Locker was the best movie last year that so few people saw. I did see it on DVD and I can understand the hoopla! I loved The Princess & the Frog, but found PRECIOUS very disturbing! Great performances though!

Food: Did somebody say SHAKE SHACK!? (Madison Square Park for NYers, Times Square 8th Ave @ 44th for tourist) I had my first Shake Shack burger and nearly came! It was the best burger I've had in a long time! And yes it's even better than my former favorite The Little Burger Joint (inside the Parker Meridian Hotel on 57th Street) I still love my cupcakes! Billy's (9th Ave at 21st street) (of course!).

Books: I've read many books since the last time I posted I cant think of anything that sticks out that much besides Michael E. Schiefelbein's VAMPIRE series (Vampire Vow, Vampire Thrall, Vampire Transgression, Vampire Maker). VERY SEXY!!!! Why doesn't somebody make a series about these Vamps? Oh, that's right, it's not for tweens but for adults! Believe it or not the only vampire novel I read prior to these was the Bram Stoker. Another book I recommend is Rodney Lofton's No More Tomorrows: Two Lives, Two Stories, One Love! It hit me like a ton of bricks!

I hate using the computers at the public library. Right now I'm on my laptop. Two weeks ago I was in the library on the computer and this guy next to me was surfing the web watching porn! I don't even want to know what he was doing under the jacket draped over his lap! That's not the place for that kind of nonsense! I complained to security but they said that they could do nothing about it because they can't block websites! Funny, but when I was going to school, the IT dept did just that! What has gotten into people?

Music: did I already talk about that? Loved Soldier of Love (SADE) and BlackSummer's Night (Maxwell), The Fame Monster (Lady Gaga) and The Element of Freedom (Alicia Keys)!

Nuf said!

DL, Albee, and the Knife

It's been a roller coaster this month and especially difficult when it comes to having access to the Internet.

What did I do this month:

Oh yeah, I saw "The DL Chronicles" on DVD: really good storytelling and acting and it was a lot better than any of the other shows that come on the HERE! Network. I also when to a screening of this new film called "Hamlet 2": It was HILARIOUS! It opens in August. Put it on your must see list! It was an intelligent comedy.

Read a couple of good books: Twice As Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path to Power by Marcus Mabry and Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin.

At the center I shot a conversation with one of the greatest living American playwrights: Edward Albee. It was for a future segment. Also shot a conversation with author Michael Cunningham. I happen to be reading his last novel, Specimen Days (think "The Hours" except instead of Virginia Woolf it's Walt Whitman). It was an okay shoot, but I'm glad my friend Julie Ann was there to make sure that it started on time, otherwise, I'd still be there.

Oh, I'm graduating from school on May 2. Did I mention I'm graduating WITH HONORS? I'm very excited but now I just want to finish and get my BFA. Check out my Amazon wish list for gifts suggestions. BTW, got an extension on my thesis film. Talk about drama! Thank you Dean LeMelle!!!! OXOXOX

I go "under the knife" on May 5. Many of you know, but for those of you who don't know what it's all about, I will just say that I will be okay and it's a necessary surgery, but not life threatening. After which I will have time to recover because I think I may have just been fired from my gig at The Center. But I'm still trying to wrap my head around that as I sit here and type. I'm at school now writing this entry and wondering what my next move will be. Oh wait, I see my friend Michael Armstrong (he must be here to pick up his cap and gown too).

Okay, gotta run until next time.

The Saga Continues

Life has been crazy. In addition to turning another year older (I'm 44 yrs young), I've been filming a lot at The Center. It's been interesting with very eclectic subject matters ranging from a leather fetish fashion show, to an art exhibition for nudist. If you hit the link above you can see some of my latest work. I especially proud of the NY City Comptroller William C. Thompson (no relation) segment that I both taped and edited for the program. I even had the opportunity to tape an interview with a new Oscar winner, Cynthia Wade. She came to the Center to talk about winning an Oscar a few weeks ago for best documentary short subject called "Freeheld: The Laurel Hester Story" If you haven't had a chance to see this documentary it will be shown in the summer on cable.

In addition to all that the thesis film has been sort of postponed until I can take care of some recent medical things that have to get taken care of. However, I haven't given up on filming the piece because I desperately want to get it into film festivals before the summer.

P.S. I think as I am about to graduate I will turn my blog focus on my film and video projects POST FILM SCHOOL from now on. It's been really interesting so far and I would imagine as I continue to gain more professional experience it will only get more interesting as the year moves on.