The Road

The Road

For the past few weeks, I’ve been so busy working on a screenplay for a movie that started shooting this week, (Hooray! FINALLY right?) that I haven’t updated my blog which is a shame because I’ve had a lot to say. It’s been quite some time since I’ve given you guys a real update on where I’ve been on this journey and where I’m going so, here we go.

The Film

For years, I’ve been aching to put together an independent film but unlike a novel, which is something I can do solo, movie-making requires a dedicated team. A few weeks ago, one of my younger brothers approached me about writing a screenplay so we could put together an independent movie so, I wrote a new screenplay and now we’re shooting a movie.  We were supposed to start filming last Sunday but there was a problem with the location so we shot in a completely different location on Tuesday. I’m glad that we didn’t let that set-back bring the movement to a complete halt. I’m not in the habit if giving up anyway. Otherwise, I might have stopped moving forward with my writing career a long time ago. On Tuesday, when we filmed the opening scene, it went better than I hoped it would so, we’re off to a great start.

The Love

On Wednesday, I woke up tired and not particularly inspired. Book sales were good at least but, I floated through the early part of the morning on autopilot. To be honest, that day wasn’t really much different from the past five Wednesdays until one link that I was tagged in changed my whole day. For years, ever since I released my first novel, “Water Flows Under Doors,” the struggle has always been the fight to get recognition for the work I’ve been putting in. I can’t lie, at times I’ve felt myself sinking in the quicksand of frustration because of that. I don’t follow trends in terms of what’s selling and my style is unique in ways that often made me wonder if maybe, I might be doomed to remain relatively unknown in spite of how good my books might be, if only readers knew about them. All the same, even if that was to be my fate, I refused to compromise my creativity to chase easy money. I write what I want, with my own voice and if that meant chasing the hard sales, I was always fine with that. Still, it’s always disheartening to literally bleed ink onto your pages but not get the recognition on the scale that you believe you could, if only more people even knew about you. So, on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, when I followed the link that took me to a beautiful write-up showing love and showcasing great, black male authors, my heart soared when I saw my name on the list with legends who inspired me to pursue a full-time writing career. I can’t even explain how it felt to be on a list with Michael Baisden, Omar Tyree, Walter Mosley and Eric Jerome Dickey. It was a kid from Brooklyn’s dream come true to see my novel, “Death in the City” among the covers of books that are bestsellers and considered classics. I know that somewhere, my grandmothers are smiling and thinking, “Look at you son, listed as one of the 11 black, male authors who belong on everyone’s bookshelf.”

CLICK THIS LINK to read the article.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, I plan to keep pushing in spite of the bullshit that often tries to get in the way. I’ve been at this for a while so it’s too late to turn back now, and even if that was an option, I wouldn’t want to. You see, when it comes to your dreams, you can never let your faith falter or waiver enough to make you give up. The dream is YOURS so cherish it. It is precious so always treat it as such. All of the sacrifices you will HAVE TO make will be worth it. Just remember nothing amazing EVER happens in comfort zones. Just because you’re not rich does not mean that you’re not successful. How many people ever REALLY pursue the things they’ve always wanted to do? If you have, you’re a WINNER, even if you’re still struggling and don’t have millions in the bank. It doesn’t matter who doesn’t believe in what you’re doing as long as YOU believe in you. The reality is, most people don’t respect the struggle. In fact, they look down on it, pass judgment and often project THEIR doubts about your potential onto you, constantly killing your vibe. Brush that off and keep going with irrational confidence if that’s what it takes. (That’s what the fuck I do.) Success is viewed through different lenses and some folks won’t believe in you until you have whatever material things THEY think successful people should possess. But, understand that it’s not up to them to decide whether or not you’ve “made it” or not. Set your own goals and then SMASH them. I KNOW what I’m going to be. I already KNOW what I’m going to achieve.

Like I always say…just watch what I do NEXT! 

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