It's simple, in that complicated sort of way...

Where To Look

About this time last year I was sitting out past the waves on my surfboard in Costa Rica. Water temperatures were in the low 80's and the coming dusk had that cool feel the beach gets after the humidity dissipates. The sun was sinking into the water. The waves were good. The usually clear water had grown a murky gray.

In 1995, the National Writers Union American Writers Survey profiled the lives of freelance writers working across a variety of genres. The Wellesley College faculty took a poll of 1,143 writers working in journalism, academe, corporate or non-profit institutions, small press magazines, technical fields, as well as fiction and non-fiction books. They found that "writer's income fell far below those of their equally educated peers."

In short, Survey SAYS!:

• Of the 61% of writers working full time, only 16% of freelance writers earn more than $30K per year
• Writers frequently cross genre lines, working in an average of 4.6 writing fields
• Over half of writers must work outside "the fields of prose and verse" for income
• Experienced writers work long hours yet their median income totals $4K a year

Howard A. Rodman serves on the Board of Directors for the Writers Guild of America. He is also a professor of screen and television writing at the University of Southern California and has written "Savage Grace" and "Joe Gould's Secret". In October of 2007, he wrote an article in the Los Angeles Times about the coming writer's strike.

Rodman acknowledged his fear of a strike, even going so far to say that it was the last thing he wanted. But he admitted there was, in his opinion, a need for it. Median income of screen and television writers from guild-covered employment was $5K a year, "in part because half our members don't work in any given year."

The same article states that, "each studio or network cited $500M or a year in online revenue," of which writers only see a fraction of royalties. Much like the structure being negotiated around DVD sales. At the time of Rodman's article, writers, directors and actors received 20 cents combined for a DVD sale. The manufacturers of box and packaging for the shiny little discs got 50 cents.

It's kind of hard to feel bad for the movie and television studios. Time Warner's revenues for 2006 were over $44 billion.

So what does this have to do with sitting on a surfboard in Costa Rica?

In December 2005, Grubby Clark of Clark Foam unexpectedly shut his doors. Clark Foam's numbers vary, but the company allegedly supplied about 90% of the surfing world the polyurethane blanks they needed to shape new boards. Panic was immediate. Instead of people going out of business, however, a revolution took place.

New composites of blanks were now much more marketable, because shaper's were out of options. They had to come up with alternatives or lose their livelihood. The result was what amounted to an explosion of new techniques, material and creativity overnight. Purists cried foul, but what choice did the surfing world have? It was either adapt or die. It's strange, surfing is about being in a constant state of flux, and even the surfing industry had a hard time coming to terms with change.

In Costa Rica I was sitting on a SurfTech surfboard, one of the newer, much more durable blanks. Again, purists rail that the nature of a SurfTech gives the rider less flex in the make-up of the board and can take away from performance. I wasn't trying to get on the WQS (surfing's minor league) so the purists were missing the point. They were focusing on the wrong details.

I was sitting in the ocean, doing what I love to do and watching the sun set. I had spent the day surfing, learning and living. A new day was right around the corner with new challenges. Because I wasn't concentrating on results, because I was just surfing, I found something remarkable: peace.

What's the point?

Keep doing what you love and the money will come. And sometimes things look like they're going to fall apart before they get better. It's simple, in that complicated sort of way. If you aren't appreciating the sunset, then you might need to re-evaluate your lifestyle. You could be missing It.

Life On The Edge Addendum

In a classic case of lazy research it seems I may have jumped the gun on labeling Abernathy's Scuba Adventures as a reputable institution or as the Groh incident being the first time the company has lost a diver.

www.cdnn.info/news/safety/s060706.html describes the loss of a Utah tourist under Scuba Adventures' watch and www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=34670105189 speaks of a letter sent out last year warning Abernathy and oufits like his to stop what they were doing before somebody got killed. In the comments portion of the Underwater Times article a diver speaks of Abernathy's seeming ineptness at handling a few things.

Maybe Abernathy and his company have some more explaining to do than I initially thought. I still don't believe Groh was "stupid", but maybe he should have calculated his risks a little better. His mistake cost him his life, I'm sure nobody's more upset than he is.

Life On The Edge

The edge. The razor's edge. On the cutting edge. Out on a limb. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. All that stuff.

Life on the edge is precarious. That's what denotes an "edge". You can't have an edge if there is no definitive stopping point. The edge of a cliff, the edge of a knife, the edge of sanity all arrive at a point where they cease to exist and something else starts. A something we should be wary of, careful of, or protect ourselves against.

When one chooses to live their life on the edge (of whatever) and they get hurt or get killed it is usually punctuated by public outcries of, "Duh", "They deserved it", or "I told you so". Society is unforgiving to the objects and circumstances they view as stupid, especially in the vacuous, faceless morass of Web 2.0 where you can be an undeniable dick if you wish and not risk getting punched in the face for your antagonistic opinion.

On Sunday, 49 year-old Markus Groh, a lawyer from Austria, was on a commercial shark dive fifty miles off the coast of Fort Lauderdale. Jim Abernathy's Scuba Adventures sells diving trips that let divers come "face-to-face" with hammerheads and tiger sharks. For the best results, Scuba Adventures "will be 'chumming' the water with fish and fish parts. Consequently, there will be food in the water at the same time as the divers." The charter operation asks divers to, "please be aware that these are not 'cage' dives, they are open water experiences."

Markus Groh was bitten on the leg by a shark species as yet unidentified. The Scuba Adventures crew immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard. Groh was airlifted to a hospital where he subsequently died.

Comment boards following the online news post on AOL were full of duh's, I told you so's, and stupid's. I didn't get too far into these comment threads (I can't or my faith in humanity will continue to erode and I don't have much left anymore) but I'm sure the "his family should sue" was not far off.

As a guy who flirts with the edge, I have a different opinion.

I've jumped out of a plane. I've stood on the edge of cliff, without ropes or guardrails, and nothing separated me and 8,000 feet to the ground but air. I've hit Class V rapids on a guided white water rafting expedition. I've almost drowned surfing. I play rugby and practice MMA when I get the time. I've fed wild crocodiles a frozen chicken tied to a rope, hanging off a bridge in Costa Rica in the black of night.

Every experience where I've done something "stupid" I've had a more visceral and memorable experience than I ever got reading a book, watching tv, commenting on a blog or sitting on the sidelines.

Now, I'm not saying that one should go out and do whatever strikes their fancy. I'm saying there is a difference between a calculated risk and sheer stupidity. Popping wheelies on a motorcycle at 100 mph down a city street is stupid. Being a trained freestyle motocross rider and doing a back flip off a 30 foot jump in a sanctioned event is a calculated risk. Jumping out of a plane without any parachute training is stupid. Jumping out of a plane on a tandem jump with a professional guide is a calculated risk. Surfing 40 foot faces without any experience or the ability to hold your breath for very long is stupid. Putting in the hours of training, experience and knowledge before dropping in is a calculated risk.

You get the picture.

When you take a calculated risk you are still running a risk. But look at it this way for a second, Jim Abernathy's Scuba Adventures has been in business since 1994. Jim Abernathy has 30 years of underwater experience, is a USCG licensed 100-ton boat captain and is a qualified PADI, NAVI, IANTD, Scuba and Nitrox Instructor. His pictures and videos have been seen on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, CNN and Animal Planet. This is the first time someone has been killed on one of his dives.

Around 34,000 people die in auto accidents in the U.S. alone each year. Is driving stupid? Or is it a calculated risk? Do Americans even view driving in such terms anymore or is it as simple as getting in the car and turning a key?

I've had close calls. I've had injuries. I don't want to die doing something stupid or even performing a calculated risk. But there's worse ways to go... like sitting on the sidelines and watching others live life, posting snide, unsympathetic comments and being, in general, an armchair jackass while some people in society actually try to get the most they can out of life in a responsible fashion.

Councilor Groh was almost fifty years old, not some inexperienced kid being somewhere at sometime and having to pay the ultimate price for their misstep. He took a calculated risk with a reputable company. He was made completely aware of the situation he was putting himself into and paid to go anyway. He played by the rules for his adventure but if it were completely safe then it wouldn't be a risk. There is no adventure without risk.

The edge isn't for everyone. But who says living a long life means you get all you can out of it? It will be interesting to see how this series of events unfolds for sharks, Scuba Adventures and the Groh family. I can only hope media speculation and public outcry stays objective, but such hopes are, most likely, "stupid".

What is more sad? To die risking something or to never have taken a risk at all? I guess the answer is probably simple, in that complicated sort of way.

In June, 2006, one of the largest hammerhead sharks on record was caught off the coast off Florida and turned over to the Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota. The shark was 14 feet long, weighed 1280 lbs and its hammer was 3 feet across. To give you a complete perspective; the shark's liver weighed as much as two bags of quick-dry cement.

"Experts believe [hammerhead] populations are depleted due to fishing pressure and habitat loss." This particular shark was merely days away from giving birth to 55 pups. One fish caught killed 56 sharks... and very few people seem to think that's "stupid".

My Mom Is A Published Author

You might think that with all the books in the bookstore, all the magazines on the magazine racks, all the shitty movies that came from shitty scripts, that being published is easy.

It's not. In fact, the last I read somewhere, about 2% of writers in the world actually get published. Even less than that can make a living writing. So, getting published, you see, is no small feat. (I have no idea why so many books and movies suck ass. My theory is, somebody owes somebody a favor or two out there.)

I make my living as a writer. It's not as easy as it sounds, but I love it. I spend all day inside my head spitting out all sorts of ideas and vernacular in all sorts of mediums. There is many a pen in my ink well with which I scribble out my dribble to the world. But it can get lonely up there in my own head. It can get disturbing. It can get scary.

A lot of people start writing, realize how hard it is and quit. It takes confidence to keep going when nobody's buying what you're selling. It takes balls to put part of your soul out there for people to pick over and critique. I guess you could say my mom has balls. Really big balls.

For years my mom has struggled to find her voice on paper. She knew she could do it, all she needed was the trial and error of experience to find her rhythm. I thought she was going to quit on her dream many times. It gets hard to keep going when nobody seems to listen.

I mean hell, she'd put herself through nursing school after I was born, went back to school in her forties after retiring from nursing to learn computers, taught computers in school and then tried to be a writer in her 50's. What did she have to prove to anybody?

Nothing. She just had to prove it to herself. As with all things, whether she knows it or not, she just had to prove she could do it. And with all long struggles, the satisfaction that goes along with achievement is as much relief as grand experience. "I did it. Fuckin' A. The view's nice. What's that up there though? More dreams to climb? Okay."

It's always a pleasure to succeed. But success is born from those countless times we failed and learned from our mistakes more than anything else. If the road to your dream is paved with gold, then you aren't dreaming big enough. It's the rocky paths where the others hesitate to tread that offer the best views. It's just a matter of having the confidence and the fortitude to see yourself through the rough patches to get where you want to go.

At least, that's what I believe. Which has put me in some pretty heavy predicaments more than a few times. Yet, I'm still here.

Enjoy the view, mom. I'm proud of you. I love you. Life is simple, in that complicated sort of way; you gotta earn it to really appreciate it.

You can buy the book, Station Shorts by MWC Writers at http://books.lulu.com/content/1710161 All proceeds go to Amnesty International.

Hello? Is There Anybody Out There? Just Nod If You Can Hear Me...

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far (I mean really, really freakin' far, people!) away...

I've got some issues this week, which I may or may not go into at a later date. Let's just say things can be better and things can be a helluva lot worse. I fully realize that even in my trials and tribulations I am uniquely blessed with the life I lead. Besides, whining is for babies. (Which is usually what I tell my oldest nephew when he starts with the pouts and foot stomps. To my little man's credit he usually shapes up right away.)

As I began my day today, the coffee slowly beginning to penetrate my newly awakened mind the way a woodpecker might slowly begin to make it's new home... and with just as much hammering noise, I read this in the news:

"Astronomers use a gravitational anomaly that creates a natural magnifying lens to catch a glimpse of celestial objects 13 billion light years away. Scientists say the galaxy known as A1689-zD1 may have been one of the first to form 700 million years after The Big Bang."

Now, let's analyze this fantastic piece of information a bit further, shall we? Oh, come on... did you really think we wouldn't? Let's start from the back and work forward.

The Big Bang Theory is an extrapolation of how the world began. It's like the Book of Genesis in the Bible only based in scientific reality and hardcore believers don't think you're doomed to Hell if you want to go in another direction with your thoughts. It basically says that a huge explosion (which could be from a god if you wished, I suppose) began the universe around 14 billion years ago. As matter cooled, they began to form stars. The gravitational pull of stars attracted more stars and soon every star in the neighborhood had made it's own little town called a galaxy.

It is estimated that there could be anywhere from 200 billion to 500 billion town/galaxies in the known universe. It is also estimated that there are 100 billion to 200 billion stars in just our own town/galaxy, The Milky Way. Now, that is an unfathomable amount of stars in the universe, and the universe is still mostly made up of the dark matter of emptiness! Are you getting impressed yet, gang? Our solar system is merely a street corner, and to call it even that is generous.

The galaxy, cleverly and with great imagination named A1689-zD1 by scientists and known to laymen as "that really, really far fucker" was formed 700 million years after the big bang and is 13 billion light years away. That means it took 13 billion years for the light (which travels at 186,000 miles  per second) of -zD1 to reach earth. Earth is only around 4.5 billion years old. It was believed to have been hospitable around 4 billion years and didn't see life until 200 million years after that. (Then the dinosaurs came, died and made oil for us to fight over.) Thirteen billion years? Is that galaxy even alive today?

Scientists used a gravitational anomaly and the Hubble telescope to find this baby. They actually used the gravitational force of another galaxy to bend light and act as a magnifying glass to see -zD1. Which means there are some incredibly smart nerds out there and we're still just scratching the surface.

What's my point, besides the fact that all of this is so freakin' amazingly huge? My point is to keep things simple. It's not that complicated out there. We deal with our issues, just keep the larger issues in perspective: Our problems are only as big as we let them become.

And we're never as big as we think we are.

Whistle While You Work...

Did you ever have a job you just keep shelving? You know, that thing or things you fully understand you have to get done by a certain date and even though that date is quickly approaching, you haven't started your project yet? I wonder what meaning lies behind procrastination.

Now, if I was feeling industrious at the moment I would look up procrastination in some psych book or website and draw the correlations I need from there. But, if I was feeling industrious at the moment, I wouldn't be procrastinating the work I do to get paid. So, I will look at the subject of procrastination with the vagaries and self-centeredness of my perception and see what I discover. I'm not saying I'm right. You can correct me if I'm wrong.

Procrastination is a lack of discipline. I know I need to get my work done. I know those that hired me need me to get my work done. I know I will get my work done. But the time I've set aside at the moment to get my work done has found me with little drive and inspiration. I used to be scared of an empty well, now I know it simply comes with a job of being a writer. When your job is to create all the time, sometimes you're going to come up with zilch or force words that aren't there and write shit.

So, is it, in this particular case, a lack of discipline or just an occupational derivative?

I forget where I once read it (I just know that I can't take credit for it) but somebody, somewhere once said that, as a writer, it's nice to have several projects going on at the same time; when you get stuck on one, you can move on to the next one and come back later. Indeed. I don't know if the same theory holds true for painters, sculptors, web designers, chefs, musicians- whoever makes it their job to create- but for me, having several projects keeps my mind busy. Keeps me inspired.

Is procrastination merely a lack of inspiration then? I don't think so. It's also laziness in some cases. I know I could be working on the projects I need to oversee right now, but I'd rather be punching the keys here... there's a lot less pressure on this blog; I think because the expectations are so low! Nevertheless, inspiration is a key aspect to creativity. I have slowly learned that by challenging my environment and my perspective constantly I am never short on ideas. Reading, travel, art, even a few television programs or theater plays, make my creative life much more vast and useful.

How much does expectation and pressure play into procrastination? There is expectations of me to perform the task I acquired. I put pressure on myself to do so by the deadline date. I always meet my deadlines. So, if the job gets done, and the job gets done right, what difference does procrastination really make?

Well, it means you get a blog post before I get to work, I get a little inspired as the twang of creativity vibrates through my bones and my client is happy with the results.

Life is never just results, life is how you come to those conclusions. Procrastination isn't something to be feared, but acknowledged as a necessity from time to time. Which is pretty simple, in that complicated sort of way.

Now stop reading this blog and get back to work.

I'm A Material Girl Living In A Material World

To be honest I'm not a material girl. I'm not even a girl. But I always liked the song and ever since I was a teenager (and Madonna first made an album) I've had a thing for Madonna. (Come on... what guy didn't back then?) However, I seem to be digressing and this is only the first paragraph.

The point arises, in the midst of prepubescent fantasy, that today, as a thirtysomething, I have finally entered the material world. I've begun to go corporate. I've cut my hair. Yesterday I bought business attire... and it took forever to find a store (Banana Republic) that didn't sell garments which reminded me of timeshare salesmen, pretentious college kids overindulging in dad's credit card or stuffy customer service associates.  (If I had to present myself differently to the material world, I was at least going to do it with some class and a sprinkling of verve.)

Gone are the days of long hair, untucked polo shirts, cargo shorts and flip flops... at least to business meetings. I'm entering a world where people judge you by your pen (mine's a Bic) and your watch (a Nixon that can take a beating and looks like it has: I'm still holding on to the roots of simplicity and functionality). I am not afraid. I am not upset. I am not forlorn. I am excited.

I used to think I should be judged on my talents alone. "People have seen my writing, they know I can write, that's why they're talking to me." But the number one rule in copywriting is "know thy prospect". If I were my client, would I want to hire me if I showed up at the door looking like I just got off the beach? (Sometimes I had...) I had come to the conclusion that if I conducted myself with a bit more professionalism I would get more work.

That's all this material world is; a blanket of professionalism. I need to walk around presentable so that I can present my case effectively. I am taken more seriously if I dress more serious than casual. Who knew? I have come to accept what I used to abhor so that I can work with the greatest influence I can muster in the realm I have chosen. Doesn't every, single creative outlet have some sort of parameter(s) anyway? I must work in my medium fully if I am to fully use it.

Now, it might be sad that we as a society have to judge people by their clothes before we fully intend to hear what they have to say. After all, assholes (from my obvious shopping and worldly experience) can wear business attire too. But don't we have to make a mark on the system before we can alter the system? I have to get in the door before I can see what's going on beyond it; wearing nicer clothes lets people know I'm not a creep, kook or burglar. They open the door.

So far I look "nicer" and still workout, play rugby, surf and stay pretty much the same guy. I'm just, as of late, getting a lot more work. We trust the doctor wearing the white lab coat more than the doctor in his gardening attire. Presentation is simple in that complicated sort of way.

Besides, I'm still not in a tie. Yet. Now if I could just feel like a virgin again...