Pay the Writer! And all creatives...

Hi Everyone,

I just accepted Robert's invitation to join The Crooked Table. Thanks for the invite Robert.

My name is Ryan and I'm a freelance visual journalist (photographer) here in Tampa. I'm also in grad school at USF with several folks on this blog. If interested, some of my work can be seen at www.ryankmorris.com. The website needs a lot of updating, but for now, it is what it is.

So I wanted to share a video with you. Please watch it! The link will be at the end of this post.

Trying to make it as a "professional" freelancer in any field is a challenge! What we want to do is be creative and maintain the passion for whatever it is that drives us--be it writing or photography, or any other creative endeavor. But, the creating part is only a small fraction of the process. It might be the most difficult, but it certainly isn't the most important. If you want to eat, pay rent, and be able to afford to have the time to spend writing, you have realize that you're running a business!

As an individual, you are still a business. And as a writer making yourself available and your work to others, you impact your colleagues and their ability to earn a living doing what they love too.

I have lots to say on this topic of feeling like and acting like a professional. And the fear it takes to start negotiating with people that want to use you. But,it is a must to learn to value your time and your work in order to continue to doing what you love. Computers, cars, cell phones, condos and everything else we need and use to enable us to write or shoot costs money and it has to come from somewhere. So why not have it come from the people or companies that rely on us and want to use our work or services?

I hope this post starts a discussion and I don't intend for it to be a tirade, but this video really speaks to me and I wanted to share it. Plus it makes me laugh like crazy! Look at the comments too.

So here goes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE

Thanks again for the invitation!
-Ryan

Films for Writers: Stranger Than Fiction

As a writer, I consider myself principally a storyteller. Whether the tale is one of fiction or non-fiction, everything I write aims to describe or convey some message, even when it's an advertorial on a lanscaping service. I think writers are inherently drawn to storytelling. We're fascinated by human nature, by the interactions between people, and we aim to capture that essence into our work, whatever our current project may be.

Since a very young age, I was attracted to storytelling. However, in addition to the written word, one of my biggest passions was (and still is) film. While Hollywood nowadays seems content with peddling the same old recycled bundle of cliches, brilliant storytelling still exists in today's cinematic landscape, and when it's truly acheived, the results can be exhibilirating and very inspiring, especially for writers

Personally, films are a great source of inspiration for me, and in keeping with the Table's "for writers by writers" tone, I have decided to institute an ongoing segment called Films for Writers, in which contributors can select a film which they feel will provide us writers with a sense of inspiration or which contributes some incisive commentary on the writing process (I'm sure Adaptation will turn up at some point...).

For the first entry in this series, I would like to place the spotlight on one of my favorite writing-related films: the unlikely gem Stranger Than Fiction. Directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland), this brilliant comedy/drama stars Will Ferrell in a rare escape from his usual Ron Burgundy/Ricky Bobby schtick.

In a shockingly heartfelt and believeable performance, Ferrell plays tax auditor Harold Crick who one day discovers that a woman is narrating his every action, as he says, "accurately...and with a better vocabulary." As it turns out, this mysterious narrator is best-selling novelist Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), who is stricken with writer's block as she attempts to find a way to kill off the protagonist of her latest novel, a protagonist named... Harold Crick. When Harold discovers, via the voice in his head, that he is marked for death, he seeks out the help of Dr. Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) and tries desperately to thwart his own demise.

As a writer, I naturally connected to the very premise of this film, and it never fails to deliver on the promise it exhibits in the opening scenes. First-time screenwriter Zach Helm's ingenious script touches on numerous themes that will undoubtedly be familiar to many viewers, especially us writers. The film sets out to tell a wholly original and clever portrait of a man seizing his destiny rather than idling watching the days fall off the calender, and on that note, it succeeds remarkably. The film makes a rather explicit case for the carpe diem approach to life and addresses the interconnectedness that surrounds us but that we rarely (or never) see. Every moment, every action, as the laws of physics say, has a reaction. As in the film, every instance is a vital part of life and should be paid attention to... and cherished. And therein lies the film's greatest strength. In addtion to simply telling Harold's story, Stranger Than Fiction weaves in layers of subtext.

Kay's dilemma with writer's block is clearly a common environment for writers, and the film's idea that her writing has a direct effect on the real world (for example, her power over Harold's life) is certainly food for thought. As the driving force behind the film's plot, Kay's struggle ultimately must decide the film's ending. In a strange way, the film is a cinematic representation of her still-in-progress novel. We, the viewers, become just as invested in this character as his creator, and the film's final statement regarding Harold's fate is a fitting conclusion, one that simultaneously reaffirms and disregards the entire writing process.

In short, Stranger Than Fiction shines as one of the very best films of 2006. While all lovers of a smart, moving story are sure to be pleased, writers are certain to appreciate the film's literary connections and will be particularly inspired by its outstanding finale. After seeing the film for the first time, I left the theater unbelievably charged and inspired. Hopefully, your response will be the same.






Have any of you seen this film? Feel free to comment on my selection.

Also, I'd love to hear your suggestions on other films to include in Films for Writers. Ask me to be a contributor and perhaps you can even cover it yourself!

Shoot me some comments, people!

-Rob

Spotlight Scene: Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Dr. Jules Hilbert: I've devised a test. How exciting is that? Composed of 23 questions which I think might help uncover more truths about this narrator. Now Howard... Harold, these may seem silly but your candor is paramount.

Harold Crick: Ok.

Dr. Jules Hilbert: So. We know it's a woman's voice. The story involves your death. It's modern. It's in English and I'm assuming the author has a cursory knowledge of the city.

Harold Crick: Sure.

Dr. Jules Hilbert: O.k., good. Question one. Has anyone recently left any gifts outside your home? Anything. Gum, money, a large wooden horse.

Harold Crick: I'm sorry?

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Just answer the question.

Harold Crick: No.

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Do you find yourself inclined to solve murder mysteries in large luxurious homes to which you, let me finish, to which you may or may not have been invited?

Harold Crick: No. No, no, no.

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Alright. On a scale of one to ten, what would you consider the likelihood you might be assassinated?

Harold Crick: Assassinated?

Dr. Jules Hilbert: One being very unlikely ten being expecting it around every corner.

Harold Crick: I have no idea.

Dr. Jules Hilbert: O.k. let me rephrase. [takes a deep breath] Are you the king of anything? Harold Crick: Like what?

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Anything. King of the lanes at the local bowling alley.

Harold Crick: King of the lanes?

Dr. Jules Hilbert: King of the lanes, king of the trolls...

Harold Crick: King of the Trolls?

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Yes, uh uh uh a clandestine land found underneath your floor boards.

Harold Crick: No.

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Huh?

Harold Crick: No. That's ridiculous.

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Agreed. Let's start with ridiculous and move backwards. Now, was any part of you at one time part of something else?

Harold Crick: Like do I have someone else's arms?

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Well is it possible at one time that you were made of stone, wood, lye, varied corpse parts? Or, earth made holy by rabbinical elders?

Harold Crick: No. Look, look. I'm sorry, but what do these questions have to do with anything?

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Nothing. The only way to find out what story you're in is to determine what stories you're not in. Odd as it may seem, I've just ruled out half of Greek literature, seven fairy tales, ten Chinese fables, and determined conclusively that you are not King Hamlet, Scout Finch, Miss Marple, Frankenstein's Monster, or a golem. Hmm? Aren't you relieved to know you're not a golem?

Harold Crick: Yes. I am relieved to know that I am not a golem.

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Good. Do you have magical powers?

Stranger Than Fiction is available now on DVD.