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Don’t Put Limitations on Yourself: Inspiration to Achieve the Goals You Set for Yourself
* Writer and director James Cameron (Titantic, Avatar, and the Terminator) says it best at the end of his Ted Talk on Ted.com: Don’t put limitations on yourself; other people will do that for you. I typically show this Ted Talk to my university feature writing students each fall after they read a piece about the iconic director. We discuss the profile article, the writing style, the use of feature techniques, and then we talk about James Cameron—as he is portrayed in the article. You see, when you read an article about someone, it’s from that one person’s perspective. And sometimes, he or she doesn’t get all the details, facts,…
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Thick Skin
This week in classes we’ve talked a lot about the craft of writing…what goes into it, what makes a good piece, what makes a good novel. One thing I’ve learned in life, love, and writing is that we have to have thick skin. If we can’t take criticism well—either to heed it or let it roll off our backs—we’re not going to enjoy being in the writing world. We’re not going to enjoy the beauty of putting something out for public consumption. I’ve been to many different types of book talks, and the truth is, not everyone is going to love everything we write. I chalk it up to the…
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“Failure Is An Option, But Fear Is Not.”
* * * I was struck by the quote above that reads: “Failure is an option, but fear is not.” Those eight words were spoken by director James Cameron during a 20-minute brilliant talk on Ted. Cameron’s reputation as a hard-nosed, determined, and often crass director leaves him open to criticism. Critics love to hate him. I happen to find the man compelling. Dana Goodyear’s profile piece on him entitled, “James Cameron: Man of Extremes,” is a solid profile of a man who understand the word perseverance. He does not take no for an answer. Within the article, Goodyear quotes him as saying, “If you set your goals ridiculously…
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Why I Can’t See “Titanic” in 3D
Dear Readers, So it’s here: “Titanic” in 3D. It’s been 15 years since we’ve seen the film on the big screen, and now it’s back as that mogul James Cameron tries to lure film buffs to return to theatres to see it in a new way. The James Cameron 3D way. I’ve discussed “Titanic” with many of my friends and students. It typically goes like this. “Professor Verni, don’t you want to see ‘Titanic’ in 3D?” “No.” “Why not?” they ask. “You’re a romantic. It’s one of the great love stories in the movies.” This is certainly true, but apparently, they don’t know me well enough to understand how I…
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Lessons from “The Holiday” and James Cameron: Find Some Gumption
I could watch “The Holiday” over and over, and it’s not just to see charming Jude Law in action. Nancy Meyers’s adorable flick became a rom-com favorite of mine because I especially love the relationship between Arthur Abbott (Eli Wallach), a retired Hollywood screenwriter, and Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet), a British journalist on holiday in L.A. How sweet and special is this relationship? And what lessons can we learn from it? I’m allowing this movie relationship to influence a short story I’m currently writing (the first part of it I posted a few weeks ago) that involves a nurturing relationship between a younger woman and an older woman. My two…
