03Aug, 2010

Let Story Guide You Pt. 1 – Would the Hero Say That?

Posted by Don
73

In movies, the bad guy has to display he is the bad guy through actions. It won’t do to have a subtitle come on the screen that says “this is the bad guy.” A cliche, yet effective methodology is to have the bad guy belittle somebody who is weaker, poorer of less fortunate. A bad guy will belittle a servant, a waiter, a spouse or child. The reason screenwriters write these scenes is because, eventually, the bad guy is going to get killed, and they can’t let anybody in the audience feel sorry for them when this happens. They have to establish how bad the bad guy really is. In real life, the bad guy doesn’t always get killed off, but that doesn’t change the fact we don’t like him. And ultimately, bad guys get what they deserve. They end up alone, or worse, surrounded and yet lonely. They may take advantage of people but the world doesn’t run on money or fame, it runs on love, and when you take advantage of people, you end up without love. The other problem with real life is it’s hard to tell whether or not you are the bad guy. We all [...]

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27Jul, 2010

Andrew Peterson’s Counting Stars, A Review

Posted by Don
54

For years I’ve been listening to a kid from Nashville named Andrew Peterson. You’re likely to have been listening to him too. He’s the one with the voice as smooth as a cello, and the story-telling intuition of Garrison Keillor (Andrew is also an accomplished novelist). These days, musicians are releasing what should be a record of b-sides with one or two decent songs. I don’t blame them. There’s not much of a commercial reason to stick a bunch of hits on one album. But Counting Stars is not such a release. From the first track, I stopped working and turned it up and leaned back in my chair. It felt like a record I’d heard before, something immediately familiar. It’s the record you are searching for for a long night-drive in the country. It will make you want to cut the roof off your car so you can see the stars. And if you’re driving with friends, forget talking. You’ll just feel together. Tracks to pay attention to: Many Roads, World Traveler, You Came So Close and Dancing in the Minefields Many Roads is a sly smile against cynicism. It’s Andrews way of saying some things are miraculous, mysterious, [...]

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26Jul, 2010

Lucy’s Blog Pt. 6 – Building and Defending a Love Fort

Posted by Don
63

My dog Lucy has been covering the blog for me lately, as I’ve been preoccupied trying to get some lint out of my belly button. It tickles so much but I can’t get it all out. Anyway, here’s her blog today. I’ll be back tomorrow reviewing Andrew Peterson’s new record, Counting Stars. It’s a lovely record that makes you want to cut the top off your car and go driving at night through the hills. But for now, here’s some thoughts from Goose: So Don and I have a good thing going. It’s just us up here in the condo, though it seems like we have somebody in the guest room every night. I like when we have guests but I wanted to say something about why I bark so loud when they first come to the door. I wanted to say why I run to the door and shout when I hear their suitcases rolling down the decking toward our door. I want to say why I keep barking even when Don pulls on my collar and tells me their name. I even growl sometimes but that’s not a bad thing in my opinion. I don’t bark for long [...]

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15Jul, 2010

Win a Trip for Two to Portland for the Living a Better Story Seminar

Posted by Don
526

You and a friend can win a trip to Portland for the Living a Better Story Seminar. Simply write a blog entry telling us about the kind of story you want to live and how you think the seminar might help. Then submit a link to that blog entry in the comments on this page and you are officially entered. Here’s a video with some more info, then the details of the contest are spelled out below. It looks like the conference is going to sell out, so if you want to come, register as well and if you win we will pick up the cost of your registration, hotel and airfare. Otherwise you might not get in. Good luck! Living a Better Story Blog Contest from Donald Miller on Vimeo. You and a friend can win a trip to Portland Oregon for the Living a Better Story Seminar being held September 26th and 27th. CONTEST RULES 1. Write a blog telling us about the kind of story you want to live. It might help to read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years to better understand what this means. The story doesn’t have to be a life story, it [...]

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01Jul, 2010

Toy Story 3: What We Can Learn From a Great Story Pt. 3 of 3

Posted by Don
71

I’ve spent the last two days blogging about a movie that, in my opinion, is nearly perfect. I can’t overstate how well this movie is written. And what I’m not saying is that Toy Story 3 is my favorite movie, because it isn’t, or that it’s even in my top ten, I’d have to think about that for a while. What it is, however, is the best-written screenplay to come down the pipe in many years. And of course it has much to teach about life, leadership and the very nature of our existence. So I’ll wrap up this series with a list of things we can learn from the movie. Feel free to keep the list going in the comments. A great story, and a great life, must be clear. Now of course Toy Story is a movie and life is life. Life will never be as clear as a film (unless it’s a poorly written film) but to the degree we can clarify our objectives and define our antagonist, life begins to feel more meaningful. Great stories are about love. Now this one is tough to execute, but life works best when we defend love. This means we [...]

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