My Motivational Program That Will Help You Attain Your Goals

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Need to lose weight? Need to stop smoking? Need to stop going whoop-ass on the coworkers with a stapler or cause a 50 car pileup on the interstate pulling a road rage incident? Need to stop reading comic books and downloading illegal movies at work and get stuff done before the boss cans your ass?

These and many goals can be attained if you follow my simple motivational program that I just created and is working perfectly.

It's called the DON'T DO THAT method.

Feel the need to stop by Burger King on way home from the Chinese food buffet and add in a couple more Whoppers and a large fry -- repeat the mantra "don't do that, don't do that, don't do that"

Having a stressful day and find yourself grabbing for the Du Maurier Extra Light and snapping off the filter for a full suck -- repeat the mantra "don't do that, don't do that, don't do that"

Spent your entire morning perusing Heidi Montag enlargement surgery before and after pics instead of typing up that report for Mister Mooney -- repeat the mantra "don't do that, don't do that, don't do that"

Now, insert your favourite "bad" thing to do into one of those sentences, heck list them all out -- but end that sentence with "repeat the mantra "don't do that, don't do that, don't do that"

I make a joke, yes, but if you stop and think about it -- it works. Your mind is a powerful weapon that can be used for destruction or construction. What would you rather harness its energy for?

If you keep repeating to yourself "don't do that" every time you find yourself stumbling into an old habit or come face to face with your nemesis addiction/craving you will teach your brain (like Pavlov's dogs) to overpower the attraction to it.

It won't happen right away but will after time once you condition your brain to think a new way, rewire to tell yourself to just NOT DO IT. Eventually you'll be able to blow off those "bad" things as smooth and effortless as water off a duck's butt.

Try it. Prove me wrong.

Guy walks into a doctor's office and raises his arm straight up. "Doc, it hurts when I do this" Doc looks at him and says --

"Don't do that"

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Script Doctor Eric's Pro Screenplay Notes

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I was working on a character driven drama screenplay (with comedic touches of course) and sensed there was something missing from it. After being so close to it on several intense rewrites, I realized I needed a second opinion on it. And a third. And a fourth, to hopefully tell me what gaping hole I forgot to fill -- or what mountain I needed to chop down to a stubby bump. So I sent the "first draft" out into the world of my trusted readers -- you know, the ones that will pull no punches in honest criticism and feel no guilt about whacking my literary balls with a hickory stick.

This all happened after last year's Nicholl Fellowshipdeadline, so there was no threat of me rushing to jam in the suggestions & changes and maim several innocent bystanders milling about the post office as I elbow my way to the counter in order to beat the postmark contest deadline.

No, I gathered up all the critiques, suggestions & questions, made note of the ones that were common -- that now hit me as visually obvious as that red coat in Schindler's list -- and put the script away.

I pulled the damn thing out of the drawer as soon as I started reading the press about this year's Nicholl Fellowship ceremony, and damnit, it made me realize I think that old script has a fighting chance for the 2010 contest if I fix it up.

Now, this is where my story actually begins, and if I was a better screenwriter, I probably would have axxed that whole lead-in and began right here on the rewrite. But I'm not. Yet.

Which means I wanted a professional script coverage person to take a close look at my screenplay and pick it apart like it was a frog in biology class. From a good word of mouth from fellow writers on Facebook, Twitter, message boards and emails, I chose SCRIPT DOCTOR ERIC.

I sent it to him knowing full well a season would probably come and go before he got around to reading it, and then just my luck he would comment back "It's good. Needs work, but keep trying."

Nope. Within a few days I got three pages of highly detailed script notes back focusing on the entire story. He actually took the time to read the entire script! And the way he does his notes is so refreshing. He lists the good, the bad, and the ugly, but does it in a style that is not insulting or condescending. He breaks it down into problem areas, strengths & weaknesses, dialogue do's and don'ts, suggestions to cut stuff out or move it around, ideas for enhancing characters -- I mean, a total frigging critique of the whole enchilada baby!

Was it worth it? Hell yeah! Every penny, because he confirmed a lot of stuff to me and raised a ton of questions that forces me to inject myself directly into the story and find the answers. And if the answers aren't there, to put them in when I do my rewrite.

Check out his BLOG where he lists several coverage services. Script Doctor Eric gets Moviquill's stamp of approval.

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Help Me Bring Screenwriter William Martell To Boston

The inestimable action movie screenwriter William Martell (he of 19 produced films) happens to conduct a 2-day seminar/instructional type event on the art of screenwriting -- something near and dear to my heart -- and something I would love to attend.

But he needs confirmed bodies (I think 20 of them) to make it worth his while to hop the red eye from LAX to Logan.

That's where you come in, my fellow Princes of prose, Script Kings of New England... can we drum up enough interest around here to get him in?

If you are interested, check out his web site which explains it all (along with a ton of other good stuff) and also his regularly updated blog, and let him know you want him to come to Bruins, Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots territory...

Or let me know myself

Canada Is Going To Hell In A Handbasket...

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What will make the better screen story, Obama and his battle with Hilary and his subsequent war with McCain, only to patch it up with Hilary again

OR

Canada electing a Prime Minister, then having the opposing parties combine to form a Coalition government to overthrow him?

It's frigging anarchy, I tell ya...

Received an offer on the table for a pro-read of one of my scripts so will be taking advantage of that shortly. Also, added a couple of pros to my Facebook page with hopes that they pan out to be friends as well as peers -- just as long as they are legit. Had a little issue with "Robert Downey, Jr" as I do not think that was him...

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*Movie: The Driver (Walter Hill does getaway driver)

*Music: Guns N Roses "Chinese Democracy" (not bad, but 17 year wait?)

*Book: some pages research in My Guatanamo Diary

I Partook In Cyber Monday...

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I braved the web malls and did some Cybering today (no, I wasn't downloading foot porn from Mistress Helga) but rather I did some holiday shopping from the comforts of my home office.

Three gifts for the Mrs knocked off with no salestax and free shipping.

I was going to buy local, but when you consider that my choices (and her "hints") were all found in national chain stores, does it really matter if my cash goes into a cyber-bank somewhere deep in the Linux vaults inside a mountain in Colorado or if it first stops in a Boston bank, then gets electronically sent to a bank somewhere in the vaults inside a mountain in Colorado?

Now I am picking away at a few rewrite pages of a "car chase" thriller as a warmup.

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*Movie: Three Kings

*Music: White Stripes

*Book: yep, more Tony pages