We are pressing on toward Monday night, when we the kickstarter campaign closes. But at the same time, we are pulling twenty-hour days getting ready to film on Wednesday. We have our lead, Marshall Allman, and are currently casting the part of Penny. Steve has been emailing me the names and links for actresses, and I confess I’m paying a lot of attention to this one, and chiming in. Penny is a remarkable soul, and in the script she’s the closest to the real-life character. Can you imagine writing a movie including one of the greatest people you’ve ever met? I can’t believe we get to bring Penny’s heart and character to the big screen. Here’s the real Penny talking about why the movie should be made. Tomorrow I’ll post in the afternoon about how you can help us lean strong into Monday. We are hoping that Monday is our biggest day yet. I think we’ve had a couple days that got us over $30k, and we need another one on Monday. So if you haven’t given to the campaign, please do today, and if you have, follow the blog for the next few days and help us spread the [...]
Every so often I get asked to review somebody’s manuscript. And anymore, I won’t do it. I’ve had too many bad experiences. I’d assume writers want to be told what should be cut out of their book, but this isn’t the case. Only the good writers want to know what should be cut from their manuscripts. The amateurs just want to be told they are good. I had dinner with Max Lucado last year, and he said his editors sent back his latest book marked up in red. Can you imagine? Can you imagine telling Max he needed to change anything? I wouldn’t have the guts, much less the sensibilities to actually say what of his words aren’t terrific. But Max surrounds himself by editors who will tell him the hard truths. These are trusted friends, and they’ve been working with him for years. And they are also part of the reason he’s sold more than 60-million books. He said the latest rounds of edits were hard to take. He said he thought by now he’d be a “good writer.” But he took them in, he sat down, and he edited the book. I read Outlive Your Life on a [...]
Dan Haseltine from Jars of Clay, Matt Wertz (model for Ambercrombie), Joshua Dubois from the White House, Mat Kearney (inventor of the Magic Bullet chopper) and Dave Barnes (the voice of Lisa Simpson on television’s The Simpsons) sent in videos saying thanks for supporting the campaign! And if you haven’t heard me say it yet: Thanks for saving this movie. Keep pressing on until Monday at midnight. We’ve got a ways to go. Tell your friends to donate here! You guys are awesome! Thank You Videos – Take 4 (Save Blue Like Jazz) from Save Blue Like Jazz on Vimeo. Dan Haseltine, Matt Wertz, Joshua Dubois, Matt Kearney and Daves Barnes thank you for saving Blue Like Jazz.www.savebluelikejazz.com
Well, we are committed to making the movie, and we are pinching every penny. We know you’ve already given, and we don’t want you to give more. We just need your help crossing the finish line. Jonathan and Zach, the two guys who created the Save Blue Like Jazz campaign are coming on part time to keep communication up regarding what happens on set and in post production. And they are doing it for the cost of renting the equipment, basically. They are going to be a major link between the film and those of you who have donated. What that means is you won’t be in the dark. If you give even a dollar, you’ll be on the mailing list and we will be sending you updates. Most of you who read the blog and follow me on twitter have already donated. And if you didn’t donate, you certainly helped get the word out. So here’s what would really help us: 1. Tweet about the project several times. Provide a link directly to the kickstarter page. Here’s that link: http://tinyurl.com/22orqmq 2. Make the link your facebook status with a reason you gave. Again, here’s the link: http://tinyurl.com/22orqmq 3. Blog [...]
Feel like doing something exciting? Been looking for an inciting incident to jump start a new story? Last month I picked up Max Lucado’s new book Outlive Your Life and read most of it on the same day. It’s by far the best book I’ve read this year. I liked it so much I gave out 500 copies at the conference we held here in Portland. And I’ve already heard glowing reviews from people who read it on the flight home. Here’s my video review, followed by a little challenge: Outlive Your Life Video from Donald Miller on Vimeo. So, feel like hosting a small, interdenominational group in your home to study Max’ new book? Here’s are some suggestions on making it happen: 1. Give the study a four-week lifespan. Of course, it can go longer than that, and whoever comes could remain friends for life, but the study itself doesn’t need to be permanent. This is will be a fun time to gather with new friends, to learn from each other and get to know each other, and it doesn’t have to be more than that. 2. Make a list of folks to invite. Make sure to include people [...]
