A Boy Should Know How To Tie A Tie by Antwone Fisher

Author:Antwone Fisher
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2010-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

COMMAND AND CONTROL: DEVELOPING A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE

Returning to the metaphor of a book and its cover, we’ve spent some time discussing the cover to the book that is your life—that outward appearance that people will evaluate and judge you by when they first meet you. Are you clean and presentable with well-groomed hair? Are your clothes clean, stylish, and well pressed? Then your cover is good to go. Let’s return now to the inside of the book that is you—the pages and chapters that make up your life. For a book to be good, it needs a good plot and a good character. These are the themes we’ll explore in the next two chapters.

First, how aware are you of what the pages of your life or day-to-day routine look like? And do you know what might be happening in your life three chapters from now? Where are you headed? Second, in the following chapter, I take a look at the main character in the book that is your life: you. How do you establish an identity that satisfies you and will allow you to achieve all of your dreams? And if you find that you are not happy with who you are, how do you go about overhauling your character in a constructive way? I frequently speak in front of groups about my life experiences and the most common question afterward is how I not only made it out of the ghetto but actually found a successful career as a screenwriter. There are other questions, too. Why did I want to be a writer? When did my dream of becoming a writer first form in my mind? How did I “make it” in Hollywood? What do I most enjoy about writing? I’ve already answered some of those questions, but I am fully aware of how unlikely it is that I would be doing what I do today. In some sense, I’m a good candidate to be a writer. I’ve had varied and colorful experiences from which I can draw. I was always a keen observer, prone to introspection. And I have some talent as a visual artist that I can utilize as a writer.

On the other hand, I never had the kind of formal training or education that many writers have. To be self-educated in any field is to be called an autodidact. Many people without access to schools or formal education become autodidacts by teaching themselves through reading. Because I am dyslexic, reading is a time-consuming and laborious project for me and I’m not nearly as well-read as I’d like to be. If I were, let’s say, a novelist instead of a screenwriter, that might be a problem. But I write screenplays—movies are my thing, and I love going to see them. I have been able to educate myself in the world of films by watching and learning. I mostly try to enjoy films when I watch them and leave my professional perspective at the door.

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