Fat

I need to get fit. I've gained about 20 pounds in the last few months - probably because of all the free snacking time and heightened sit-down-edness that I'm experiencing at the moment.

This week I have been working out daily and regulating what I eat by only eating two fistfulls of food every two hours. Of course I'm trying to regulate what type of food as well, I've been leaning towards the natural fruits, veggies and grains. I'm also tracking my calories on the iPhone app Lose It!

My goal is to get below 180 lbs by the end of July. This would make me very much happy.

Encouragement and good job's are well in order as I progress. Wish me luck!

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FORGETTING - A Sci-Fi Novella

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT:

I am publishing a book online.  It is free to read via Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.  The book will be released one chapter a week.  By following/liking/RSS-ing the book in any of these formats you will be able to keep up with the story each week.  It will run from the beginning of March to the end of May, with a special e-book release on June 15th (with extra goodies and a visually pleasing format).  You will also be able to get the book on iBooks, Kindle, Nook and other readers June 15th.

FORGETTING written by Eric John Anderson
A Sci-Fi Novella via Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr

The first chapter will be unveiled this week over the three platforms, here are the links:
http://twitter.com/#!/ForgettingBook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Forgetting/152901354764063#!/pages/Forgetting/152901354764063http://forgettingbook.tumblr.com/

The first portion of the book is online now, get linked up right away and enjoy!

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Oscarfied

Last night was a Hollywood first for me. Through my wife's work, I was able to attend the 2011 Academy Awards. Actually, I didn't attend; I was in the press room.  And I didn't just sit around and watch, I had to work.

Tiffany was asked to work the Oscars again this year (she's done it twice before).  Basically the job is to hand out radios for the press as well as pass around microphones for a few of them to ask the winners questions.

Basically we were stuck in this ballroom adjacent to the Kodak Theater for ten hours.  We had a great view of the members of the press.  The winners would come in periodically during the show and we would scramble around to get the microphones to the press people that were given a chance to ask the winners a question.  And yes, there were several stupid questions.

Tiffany and I against a non-copy-written image

(seriously, we couldn't take pictures in the press room)

 Believe it or not, this is the first time I've ever worn a tux.

It's not all that fun.

 The food - my one and only payment for working (Tiffany was paid)

It was a pretty crazy night.  Nothing too amazing happened, just a lot of hurried madness.

A few really fun things did happened:

• When the press were asking Melissa Leo questions I had to walk in front of her (like two feet away) and crouch down awkwardly.  I didn't mind - she's still got it!
• Christian Bale was openly candid with the press - much more than I had expected.  The best jokes of the evening came from his self-deprecating humor.
• One press woman asked Natalie Portman why she wasn't wearing Dior (apparently she's the face for that designer), then also asked about the designer that made anti-semitic remarks.  The moderator avoided this by interrupting "we're going to move on to the next question."
• I saw Trent Reznor.  Seriously guys - Trent Reznor!!
• Everyone of the winners looked exactly like they do on the screen.  Some of them were smaller and shorter than I thought (except the Australian bloke who won best animated short, he is truly that short.)
• The food was seriously awesome.   Well worth the free labor.
• Being that close to the winners made me feel extremely excited to meet and talk with them, but of course there's no chance I could do that in the venue and situation I was in.  It also really made me want to try harder to make it there some day as a guest and possibly nominee.  This is why I do what I do!  To dress up in funny clothes and pat myself and others on the back.  It's about recognition of your talents and abilities.  It's about getting to know others who share your love and enthusiasm for the business of making movies.  It's about partying and having a good time because you worked hard all year.

Would I do it again?  Probably not unless Tiffany wanted me to.  I would however take an invite to the show in a heartbeat (nudge nudge).

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Dungeon Crawlers

My buddy Spencer is a pretty talented cartoonist.  Ever since I've known him he's been able to draw funny doodles and such.  Especially during class!

His latest opus has been the Dungeon Crawlers Comic.  IT IS BRILLIANT!

I advise you all to go and RSS the blog right away: http://dungeoncrawlerscomic.blogspot.com/

I'm proud that he has been able to create this comic and keep it going week to week.  It's especially difficult when you're working full time and trying to do something creative.  Hopefully someday he can quit and work on this sort of thing full time.  Something like Joel Watson and his HijiNKS ENSUE webcomic.  (Seriously, check out his cool explanation of "The Experiment" on his website.  It's very inspiring.)

Mostly I'm just excited for Spencer to get some recognition for his work.  That's what it's all about.  That's why we create (it's why I write).  We want others to share in the joy, humor, excitement of what is on the page.

Best of luck to you Spencer and all that you do with this blog.  I am a fan.

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Writer Levels

I've been thinking lately about where I stand in my writing.  Then I realized I shouldn't compare.
But I did think of something that may be of use to you writers out there.  It's a basic Writer Level comparison chart.  Well it's not really a chart, but it's a list of levels that could easily be made in to a chart.  But I don't have the time.  Either way, the information is there.

The basic levels for writers that we use in Television are:

• Baby
• Staff Writer
• Story Editor
• Executive Story Editor
• Co-Producer
• Producer
• Co-Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
• Showrunner

Consulting Producers are thrown in there sometimes as well.  The consultants are usually higher level than producer, but they don't want to give away profits on the show like an EP.

Features don't have a level system like this, but they do have increasing levels of pay depending on how much you made on your last writing job and how much the studio believes your work is worth.

I thought of a few levels myself, some that can help paint a better picture of how the work and dedication that goes into becoming a full-time TV or Film writer can pay off.  Here they are:

• Novice Writer: Anyone from those just starting out to those who have written a great deal but haven't been staffed on a show or been given a professional writing job.  No this does not include Independent films unless you win awards and/or get wide distribution for the film.
• Beginning Writer: You've landed a staff writer position or you've sold a spec screenplay.  You have officially been put on the map as a writer worth your business.  You can now continue to work your way up the ladder.
• Intermediate Writer: You have been on staff for a while, maybe you're a Producer (TV only) by now.  You have a few pilots or features in the works that you're trying to sell around town.  You know the game and it doesn't surprise you.  Writers at this level have been known to secure Blind Script Deals or feature writing assignments.
• Advanced Writer: You've sold one or more pilots.  You may have even had your pilot go to series.  One of your features has made it all the way to the theaters and you have retained credit (believe it or not, this is a very hard thing to do).  People now recognize you as a writer by trade and you might be hassled by novices after a Q&A sometime.
• Expert Writer: You have been a showrunner, you have had several features made, you are an officially recognized (by IMDb and others) writer.  Congratulations.  Now good luck getting your next project off the ground (because your neighbors cousin just made millions selling his stupid YouTube channel to MTV).

It seems that an individual can jump from Novice to higher levels depending on success, but this is a very hard thing to do.  Everything in this town is about popularity.  It's just the way it is.

Maybe you can talk to your neighbor's cousin for a job on his YouTube show?

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