Posts made in July, 2012
Day 207: Fully Dilated!
Day 207. No, I didn’t write a word on the script today. I didn’t even pretend to be doing “research.” I just spent the day on Twitter motivating other people to create from what they have. Man I love Twitter! (follow @fromwhatyouhave) Yes, I know. I need to work on that “practice what you preach” thing. I did look into getting the new Final Draft software. I have Final Draft but it’s like a decade old. It won’t load onto my new laptop and I can’t even get an upgrade for it it’s so ancient—I have to get the latest version. My decrepit Final Draft does still work on my old iMac (a relic itself from 2003) and even though I was writing away on it this past April...
Read MoreDay 206: Procrastination is making me wait!
Day 206. “I never put off till tomorrow what I can possibly do – the day after.” ―Oscar Wilde “Procrastinate now, don’t put it off.” ―Ellen DeGeneres “I Can’t think about that right now. If I do, I’ll go crazy. I’ll think about that tomorrow.” ―Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind “If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.” ―Rita Mae Brown “The thing all writers do best is find ways to avoid writing.” ―Alan Dean Foster Until tomorrow, create from what you have…tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. Kelli Joan Bennett is a filmmaker, actress, writer, entrepreneur, advocate for creative thinking...
Read MoreDay 205: Hey Jack Kerouac
Day 205. On The Road – The Original Scroll was broken into “books,” one right after the other. Book four was the final trip across the country—this time from New York City through the heart of America and straight down to Mexico. “…off we went across the street into Mexico on soft feet. … Behind us lay the whole continent of America and everything Neal and I had previously known about life and life on the road. We had finally found the magic land at the end of the road and we never dreamed of the extent of the magic.” The ride was beautiful and wild and vivid and chock full of drugs and whores and mythical white horses until apparently Lucien Carr’s dog...
Read MoreDay 204: Will I ever get off the road?
Day 204. The prose in On The Road The Original Scroll is intense. It comes at you in long, endless sentences not unlike open highway. It rarely catches its breath. Neal Cassady exhausts me with his restless energy, his incessant movement, his utter lack of grounding. Jack’s devotion to Neal and going mad and getting his kicks back and forth across the country driven by a seemingly inexhaustible urge to find what he’s looking for yet having no idea what he’s forgotten drives me mad. It also makes me nostalgic for the decade I was on the road searching literally and figuratively—in my 20s—first from Missouri to California then regular road trips all over the...
Read MoreDay 203: Reading’s Role
Day 203. Here’s what’s currently on my nightstand to read: On the Road the Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac – I’ve been reading this one for awhile now—it’s research, or so I claim. I’m half way through. Apparently, once I’m done reading it, I’ll miraculously know my character Geoffrey, pop a benny and bang out the rest of my script in five days on a single scroll. While I was Learning to Become God by Roxana Jones – I discovered and connected with Roxana via Twitter. On the back cover it reads: “Based on a true story, author Roxana Jones narrates conversations with her friend Sybil Vaughan, who is on her deathbed, waiting to rest in peace…” Sounds powerful....
Read MoreDay 202: PO Box Day!
Day 202. Every two weeks I visit my PO Box. I pace myself because I don’t want to be disappointed that the box will not contain any dreams. Today, I was not let down! Four new, wonderful dreams for the Declare Your Dream Experimental Motivation Project arrived! Such joy! Beautiful, motivating dreams. The new dreamers have been welcomed, their dreams prayed for and released to the Universe, and placed in the sacred space to be held. We are a growing community of dream creators. Oh that makes me so happy! Go see the new dreams and get motivated to declare yours! Click here: www.See-A-Dream.com Until tomorrow, create from what you have…four new...
Read MoreDay 201: That’s none.
Day 201. Stripes. One of my all time favs. In the first act of the film, Bill Murray’s character tells Harold Ramis’s character that he’s going to enlist in the army. Bill Murray sets out to do some push-ups to show his military potential. He slowly gets down on the floor and lies there. Harold Ramis says, “That’s none.” Well, that’s how I feel about my movies right now. I’m in my seventh month of my yearlong experiment in prolific creativity and, well, that’s none. I have not one film in the can yet or even close to being in pre-production! In fact, somehow, all three projects have magically lined up to be in almost the exact same stage: script rewrites. ...
Read MoreDay 200: “Dirty Joan Baez”
Day 200. The actor’s joke in Hollywood is when they ask if you can do something, you say yes! I’ve never adhered to that personally. If I can’t ice skate, I’m not going to audition for an ice skater. Well, my manager called me tonight and said, “I have an audition for you.” “Great!” “It’s straight to producers for the Showtime series Shameless.” “Even better! Love that show,” I said. “You’ll be playing a dirty Joan Baez…whatever that means…singing to a group of kids with cancer.” “Cool. I’m in.” And then the rest of the story came out, “Well, I kinda missed something important in the breakdown. You also need to play the guitar. In fact, it...
Read MoreDay 199: Mad to Live
Day 199: “I shambled after as usual as I’ve been doing all my life after people that interest me, because the only people that interest me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing…but burn, burn, burn like roman candles across the night.” –Jack Kerouac, from On The Road, The Original Scroll I’m mad to live—to create. What are you mad to live for? Until tomorrow, create from what you have…what you’re mad to live for. Kelli Joan Bennett is a filmmaker, actress, writer, entrepreneur, advocate for creative thinking and Founder and...
Read MoreDay 198: Documentary Days of Summer
Day 198. Dan the Amazing Editor Man sent back four scenes! Producing Partner has had his ass in my former seat for the last five weeks editing his butt off. Things are moving forward on the documentary! Woo hoo! Apparently, Dan has two new junior editors—Josh and Tyler—helping him edit pieces. Which is amazing but we’re still going to have to have a “come to Jesus” talk with the whole team later this week—myself and Producing Partner included. The summer is evaporating before our eyes. It will be over before we know it. Well, it’ll be over in seven weeks to be exact. We must step up our game! I’m probably going to have to get back on...
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