I Really Need My Domain Set Up

Spent most of the morning attempting to get some mid-level blogs set up. I've reserved accounts with both tumblr and Posterous, and have yet to start using either. My goal is to set up a personal one - random pics, fun stuff, life - and a work one - reference, links, research, etc. Problem is, I don't know which option is the best long term, so I'm attempting to set up all, use Posterous primarily, and have it update everything else.

But get this, I can't have two Posterous sites update the same twitter (@roblevin), and @authenticimpostor is too many characters to have on twitter, so I'd need to create another name... But tumblr lets me update one twitter from two sites.

Why am I doing this again?

Bad enough I have a blog that's been in place of setting up a real website for almost a year, but I've made zero progress on the logo (Bernard did a sketch of my nipple, so technically that's some progress), hosting, and site design. So why would I want to create two more medium blogs?

1) I want to have a place I can dump photos from my life (twitpic style), quotes, and other stuff. I don't think that necessarily has a place on either a full-on blog like this, or on a business site once I get it fully up and running (beyond this blog).

2) I want to keep things separate. A work tab and a personal tab. Sure, I could use tags, but that adds a whole other wrinkle.

3) I have an inflated sense of self-importance.

4) I apparently never want to get anything done ever again, so's I can help the Internet. It would be so lost without my love and nurturing.

If I was smart I would either a) abandon this foolish endeavor altogether or b) just use tumblr which has way better themes and customization. But the nagging suspicion that Posterous is better, and newer, will gnaw at me.

If anyone is reading this (I'm looking at you, KODY CHAMBERLAIN), I could really use some help setting up my domain (www.AuthenticImpostor.com). I don't have hosting right now, just the domain registered and pointing here at the blogger blog. I need hosting and to do design a fully-functional site. If anyone wants to help me get my pro site up and running (ideally for trade, as money isn't something I'm familiar with), please get in touch at authenticimpostor AT gmail DOT com.

This has been yet another waste of time and cry for help presented by the Internets.

TGIM - Weddings

Though people may be down on the concept of marriage (despite divorce rates declining in large part to a bad economy), in my experience people still seem to dig weddings. Having been to two of them in the past 5 days I can safely say that I'm still of this opinion.

From the walk of a bride down the aisle to the exchanging of vows, to the kiss or the cake cutting, most people find something to like about weddings. They are an expression not only of love, which can become hackneyed thanks to marketing and Hollywood, but also of devotion. And that's really the big thing for me. It's two people, against all odds, deciding that this is it. This is the pair that's going to take on the world until they die.

And that's kind of awesome.

Congratulations to all who got married this weekend, and may your lives be filled with as much joy and happiness as your wedding days were.

Writing Rules + David Lapham

David Lapham is a hell of a writer and a pretty damn good artist. If you've never read Stray Bullets, you're really missing out on some fantastic crime fiction. I had the pleasure of working on an arc of The Darkness that he wrote at Top Cow a few years back. I was low man on the totem pole at the time, so all you can really compliment or trash me for is the lettering placements. All me, baby!

Yesterday was a day filled with a lot of reading, a lot of notes, and me reminding myself of a couple of writing rules. I posted the following writing maxims on my twitter:

Certain writing rules can never be stated enough: "Action is character." "Show, don't tell."

I thought I was just doing my thing, stating the obvious. They're such basic rules that it's really hard to find fault with them. But that's the novice in me speaking (out loud, on the Internet, forever). As much as I like to think of myself as a pretty good writer, I've got miles to go before I proverbially sleep, and there's ALWAYS room for improvement. I've got a ton to learn.

David, having written or written and drawn more books than I've edited (I'm guessing) chimed in with the following advice, and he is absolutely right.

While they essentially say the same thing I like the first and not so much the second saying. The second is dicey for two reasons. One is space. For practical purposes sometimes shit needs to be told to conserve panels or time. Second and more importantly. Characters have dialogue and in good writing every word of dialogue is telling.

So there you go. It's late and I won't remember any of this in the morning. G'night.

TGIM - Checking Things Off

I've got a loaded first couple days to this week, and I spent most of last week getting my work life reorganized with the help of Things, my favorite To-Do list program for Macs. All my projects, areas, and day-to-day stuff is in there. I'm way more efficient when I choose to use it, which is weird because every few months I fall off the map and get behind. Plus, there's that 8 million days overdue date on my screenplay...

Woke up this morning, worked out, then hit the email. Lots to get through, and a number of things to do before I headed in to a meeting at 3pm. Tracking your goals and tasks not only helps them get done, but gives you a sense of accomplishment as well. When I have trouble prioritizing, I also drag events around and put them in the order I know I can tackle them best.

Most efficiency experts recommend a few things when it comes to To-Do Lists:

1) Always make your list the night before, that way you can begin to organize your day around completing tasks, not reacting to new challenges

2) Accomplish your most difficult task first, that way you start your day with a feeling of accomplishment.

3) Limit yourself. Rather than listing everything you have to do, focus on two or three major things.

While note based on GTD necessarily, Things has some similar organizational elements that help me out. You can create things that are actionable now (Today), soon (Next), repeated tasks (Scheduled), Someday, or put them in a general Inbox for quick jotting. The better you master these and incorporate into your own workflow, the more beneficial the program and its lists become.

Definitely check out the program if you're on a Mac. I really need to get the iPhone version to keep everything synced up. But I got a lot done today, and I'll do more before I sleep. Never a dull moment in the endless morass that is freelance.

TGIM - Union Night

Today wasn't a great day for me, but it ended well. And I owe that largely to some solid football games and the fine folks over at Union Entertainment. They're a talent management and production entity focused largely on video games, and had a big hand in helping bring The Darkness to life as a game. Once a month they sponsor an industry mixer night featuring talents from video games, comics, and film. Free beer and wine, good people, and a chance to get paid. What could be wrong with that?

Usually I go and do a bit of networking, hob nob with some of my favorite Busby's folk (it's home for about the last year), and hang out with some of my favorite cats like Mel Caylo and Filip Sablik. Tonight, everyone bailed on me. They all had stuff to do, so I'd need to take advantage of the mixer aspect of it all if I didn't want to be the anti-social guy in the corner.

I ended up having a really good night, meeting some cool and interesting people, and washing off the leftovers of a somewhat dismal day. And hey, I have at least two people I need to follow up with tomorrow about some potential projects. Win win win.

Let's make this week a good one, shall we.

TGIM(T?) - Staycation

I didn't make much in the way of plans for Labor Day weekend. I'm not really a vacations or holidays kind of guy. But after three weeks of busting ass and feeling like I was just spinning my wheels knee deep in mud, I needed a break. I decided I would do as close to nothing as possible.

But what is nothing you ask?

Sleeping in, watching movies and Futurama, eating out, barbecue in Malibu then watching the tide come in at night, lots of laughing, eating way too much all-you-can-eat Mongolian BBQ, seeing (500) Days of Summer a second time, coloring books, a barbecue in Hollywood, love burgers, good friends, quality time, and never enough Mel Caylo.

I slipped up and did a little work (an hour on the phone with Bryan Hill) mid-day yesterday, followed by a flurry of emails and notes last night around midnight. But hey, it's the closest I've had to a vacation since I graduated from college. That 5 days in the UK don't count, because I was there for a convention and working every minute I was in a hotel room.

I can't think of a better way to have spent the last 3+ days. I'm refreshed, creatively inspired, and ready to kick ass for the rest of 2009. Lots of things on my mind, going to put as many of those into action as I can. Expect more regular blogging, as I plan to start my days either finishing pitches or getting in a groove by writing entries here.

I've Said It Before, I'll Say It Again...

I'm a big efficiency guy. Not that I'm the most efficient person, but I'm far from inefficient. In fact, the reason I'm able to waste as much time and procrastinate as much as I do is because when I'm actually working I am highly efficient.

I get distracted by the Internet, TV, twitter, and my own inability to focus. I'm no different than anyone else. But the more I spend my days organized around meetings and phone calls (which are not entirely useless, but often planned poorly and even more often without an agenda), I just want to take people to school.

Here's a good place to start:

The Book

The Author

Get with the program, world. We can do better, even if it takes us more than 4 hours per week to do it.

Additional resources:

Getting Things Done

43 Folders

The Wire - Pitch Bible, Scripts

Those that talk to me for any length of time about various creative endeavors know that I love crime/noir, and the deeper that conversation goes, the more likely I am to invoke The Wire as the greatest thing since sliced bread. I was having kind of a shitty day since I got out of bed, but then I found this...

The Wire Bible

Someone has taken the time to scan in the original 79 page pitch document David Simon sent to HBO. I haven't read it yet, but I'm sure there's all kinds of brilliance contained within. And hey, if you don't like pitch bibles, there are also 3 scripts.

God bless America, and the Internet!