A "Pen"ny for His Thoughts

Worst blog title EVER so I just broke rule number eleven on the list that I am begging you to read. Go right now and read "Pen's 10 Secrets to Writing Success" by Pen Densham, screenwriter and producer of all kinds of ridiculously awesome awesomeness. Seriously. Go read it now. While I wait, I'll listen to this:

This is the overture that made me fall in love Michael Kamen (because until Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, all I knew of his music was Die Hard and Lethal Weapon) and introduced me to Pen Densham. Say what you will about Kevin Costner's performance, everything else in this film was and still is, to me, utter perfection. I doubt many film intellectuals agree with me but they don't really count, do they? The wallet of the viewer speaks louder than the voice of the critic and twenty-one years later, the son who made me take him to see Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves six times in the theater, frequently asks if "something vexes thee?" If a kid quotes your film for twenty-one years, you've probably made an impact.

So read Pen Densham's list (because I know you didn't go do it when I told you to) and consider buying his new book, Riding the Alligator; Strategies for a Career in Screenplay Writing. The man knows a thing or two about story crafting. There is a link at http://www.ridingthealligator.com/ that allows you to download a free chapter. I bought the book on my eReader.

Now, even though Pen Densham's writing and producing credits amount to a lot more than this one film, merely discussing him makes me want to go right this minute and watch Alan Rickman cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans and call of Christmas.