My Blog

Note to some kid.

Fri, 6 Apr 2012 12:32:37 -0400

So I got this comment from a guy, and I tried to respond to his life questions, but his email was no longer active (never mind that he posted a year ago!) I thought I’d re-post it and see if “Fidele” could see it this way. Also I bet some other kids were dealing with the same crap (I know I was) and I already typed the whole thing up, so...

fidele
hey, brent
            i love the CARTER books not just because they're funny because they teach us, me in particular a valuable lesson about accepting yourself and that all the screw ups that happen in life are for a reason. i just finished my freshman year at john f. kennedy H.S in silver spring, MD even though i did football, track and basketball. i'm having a hard time getting accepted by everybody(girls in particular), but everybody really even teachers. apparently you have to get in some sort of big fight so everybody can notice you. but im a chill students but i still get very good grades. my only friend is my technology teacher ms. taylor boone. all my friends got girls except me. this is way harder than i thought it'll be and it's not getting easier, feels like im walking by myself. i've read both of your books and theygave me hope, by since transfering from one county to another life isn't so great. i try to talk my parents about this times but they just don't get it. so what you think.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 - 09:24 AM

And this would be my response:

Fidele:
Sorry it took so long to respond. I kinda suck at this. Thanks for the praise, man. I’m more than stoked that you like my books and feel that they’ve taught you something. FYI: The third book, “Carter’s Unfocused One-Track Mind” is coming out in August, 2012. It was supposed to have been April, but, as I said, “I suck.”

With regard to your “issues,” I bet they’ve changed since you posted, because that’s what problems do, but I’ll try to address them. All I’ve got is the same blah-blah people have been telling you your whole life, and what I try to give Carter in the books (that you’ve already picked up on, and communicated beautifully BTW) but maybe reading it from me will let you hear it in a different way.
You’ve got to be patient, and figure out who you are! And then try to be that person... that’s it! Easy! The other crap will figure itself out. Success and girls “happen” when you’re worried about other things. *Quality girls don’t care about looks or money or cars or clothes or sports or any of that. They seem to care about honesty mostly. And they want to care about YOU. If you are interested in stuff, you are instantly “interesting!” Get into your life, man. Pay attention to what’s going on around you, figure out what you love and go after that. You don’t have to be great at it; if it makes you happy keep doing it. Identify what sucks in your life and try to change it and if you can’t change it… get away from that thing, person or detail.
It can’t just be about moving forward or chasing your tail, though. You’ve got to stop for second and think… really think about what is important and what you want and who you want to be, not only right now as a high school kid, but as a person. Meditate, pray, turn everything off and focus… get away from everybody and everything for an hour, try to get your mind to stop racing. Try to get your brain to zero for a few minutes and then go up from there. Once you’ve got some ideas, visualize the best way to achieve those ends. What ever makes the most sense to you, that’s what you should do!  “What if you make the wrong decisions and waste a bunch of time?”… so what? It’s going to change a hundred times, and you are on the journey whether you’re just watching it go by or kicking ass.
I’m trying to kick ass. I want to help people and make them laugh a little. Some people think I’m a D-bag. Do you think I care? Of course I do. It sucks, but I can't control what other people think, I can only control what I think. So I'm working on it too, but I am working on it and there is a huge difference between wishing or thinking about doing something and actually doing it.
Let me know if this makes any sense.  Hopefully it won’t take as long to get back to you next time.
Best,
Brent

Where and how I write.

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:08:13 -0400

So this is my office at the ARTS INCUBATOR OF KANSAS CITY. It’s on the second floor of an old warehouse that’s been chopped into 50 working artist studios. Painters, sculptures, jewelers, furniture makers, photographers, printers and writers all creating awesome stuff. It’s hot ass hell in the summer and cold as a well-digger’s upper-crack in winter but it’s always inspirational.

If the space reminds you of a high school In-School-Suspension (ISS) room… it should! All I’m missing is bitchy lady sitting in there threatening me with violence or detention from time to time. “Mr. Crawford! Are you on the internet?”
“I am doing research!”
“I’ve read your books! Just type and spell check!”

My senior year at Shawnee Mission North, I was in I.S.S, a lot. Mostly because of an unjust tardiness policy that favored kids without Attention Deficit Disorder. I was a C+ to D- student, doing just enough to get by and little more. But with the revelation of I.S.S. I found myself on the honor-role for the first time since kindergarten (all “S’s,” baby!). I realized that I was not (that) stupid. I actually understood the material if I was isolated and allowed to focus on it for a few minutes without somebody making a fart noise, wise crack, or a hot bootied girl sharpening her pencil or a bird flying past the window and landing on a tree and flapping it’s wings before tweeting, “Hey Space Cadet!? Should you really have been looking at me for the last three minutes?” Those plywood cubicles quarantined my imagination and channeled my imagination onto the page.

I was invited to take a class called A.R.T. (Advanced Repertory Theatre) at the end of my junior year. The most creative kids in my school were in this group. We basically wrote produced and performed in an S.N.L. type variety/skit show a few times a year. The shows always had (and still have) a huge following and I wanted the class of ‘93 to be great. I had so many ideas for skits, but I never wrote them down. The fist time I had I.S.S. I finally did. I did not do any homework (shocker) but I wrote eight complete skits in eight hours. That day flew by and I had sooo much fun. I couldn’t wait until “Saturday School” so I could do some rewrites! I presented the skits to the class and they were blown away. Seven of the eight sketches made it into the fall show. The members of A.R.T. were not surprised that I’d come up with these ideas… they were shocked that I’d actually written them down… and made copies (thanks after-school-detention!).

Those classes changed my life… both A.R.T. and I.S.S. I found that I loved to write and perform, but I needed to block out all distractions in order to produce good work. It’s not easy to block the world out, and people are often offended by my way of working, but I can’t do it any other way. I love that people can do to five things at once, but I can do only one thing at a time, well. I can try to do a few things, but the result is pure crap.

The ARTS INCUBATOR is dripping with inspiration and creativity, but my studio is designed for focused work. There is no talking allowed in the space...accept on First Friday Art Walks. If you’re in KC on the First Friday of the month, stop by and see me and my adult I.S.S. at 115 W. 18th street KCMO 64112 (5-9pm). I’ll sell you a book or sign your other books (who ever wrote them), talk writing or just hang out.

Carter’s Big Break coming out April 2010!!!

Fri, 2 Oct 2009 12:20:47 -0400

The galley copies of my new book, Carter’s Big Break have been printed and sent out to literary journals and reviewers. Very exciting, but slightly nerve racking.

In this book I wanted to stretch the form a bit. We still have Carter and his dumb-ass crew. Abby is still on the scene and Lynn is still barking orders, but a couple new characters are thrown into the Merrian mix.

An indie film has come to Merrian to shoot their story. The writer/director wants his film to be painfully “real” but his investors (The Kidz Channel) want to make money. They want to cast their most bankable starlet Hilary Idaho and Zac-Michael Winus (lead singer and youngest member for the Winus Brothers). The director agrees to cast Hilary but won’t budge on his male lead. He wants Carter to play the part!

Carter is thrown into the crazy world of Hollywood, but never leaves home. He’s star struck by Hilary and her entourage, but quickly learns how difficult it is to live in a fish bowl. While Carter has been able to make his mistakes (lots of mistakes) sort of privately; Hilary’s every move is scrutinized by the paparazzi and her fans. Carter learns it’s a lot harder than it looks and starts to appreciate his “boring” life.

Please check it out when you can. I’ll try to keep you updated.

first post!

Mon, 18 May 2009 17:22:31 -0400

At the Apple store on the plaza, getting set up with, Joshua!