There is some kindness left in the world...

Have you ever worked with the public?

It's quite an experience. I was a gas station attendant - a glamorous position, I know. My responsibilities included but were not limited to: taking money; managing the pumps; cleaning the store; stocking shelves; training new employees; end-of-the-day reports; handling customer service issues; etc.

Pay attention to the "handling customer service issues" part - that's where the "responsibilities not limited to" portion of my job description came in to play.

You folks who've never worked with the public are going to find this hard to understand: dealing with the public can be bad news. No bueno. Downright ICKY. Customers from the public come in three varieties:

You Mean Nothing to Me: My particular favorite, this type of customer, for whatever reason, knows he or she is better than you. They don't care about your situation, your plans for the future, your obvious disability - they're out for blood and you, as a lowly clerk, waiter or phone operator have plenty to give. All that matters to this customer is their situation, their feelings. Most likely, the company you work for has wronged them in some deeply personal way and that's why you're gonna pay.

Or, they're just snobs. It's really hard to tell the difference.

My Request is Obscure and Frustrating, But of the Utmost Importance: These folks need something from you so strange, so out-of-the-blue that you begin to question whether it's your job to provide the service. You better, though, cause they need it NOW! Hurry! Forget your other customers! Meet my strange and foolish needs!

I'll have an example of this a little later in the post...

I'm a Good and Rational Customer: Yeah, so there are some good customers. And sure, they're the majority, I guess. They're the reason you like your job, the reason you can plaster a smile on your face when you're dealing with the rotten apples. It just seems like the problem-causers are the ones that stick out in your mind.

So what's up with this post? What does this have to do with anything? Let me explain...

I'm planning the first real workshop for my education program today, and I'm trying to get a game/home improvement project together for the first 30 minutes of the session. I decide to wait until today work out the kinks, a mere 48 hours before this program starts.

And let me tell you, I've got some kinks. The game involves identifying nicely-crafted toy tools, a good exercise for every homeowner. I mean, how do you take care of your home if you don't know what your tools are for, right? So I actually find the tools today, confirming their existence in the office. The problem is, they have no instructions, so I (oh irony of ironies) don't know the names of the tools I'm going to use for the tool identification game.

Being the industrious fellow I am, I look on the box for a website. Under construction - great. I go back to the box, find a telephone number, and I do it.

I become Customer # 2 - My Request is Obscure and Frustrating, But of the Utmost Importance.

"Um yes, I'm trying to find a list of the tools included in your Black & Decker 25 piece and 42 piece deluxe tool set."

Yeah, go ahead and add me to the list you give me, buddy - I feel like a tool for asking that.

But lo and behold, the guy goes beyond what he's probably required to do and searches his data banks. He then takes my email address and promises to have me a list by the end of the day.

What a nice guy. That just got me going, and I had to share it. Who said there was no kindess left in the world?

Until next time...

This is it!

Hey friends - I'm glad you're here. This is going to be a big step that I want to share with all of you.

Please indulge the following: My life's pretty awesome. I have peace with God, I have a great girlfriend, I've got a loving family and some close friends. I made it through college, I've got a swell job and I've got everything I need to survive and be happy.

But I can't help feeling like something's missing.

I'm going to be 25 this year (!) and I'm entering the "what will the story of your life be" phase of existence. I feel like I've done some good things and I hope my life's made an impact in the world, but I think there's more out there that I'm supposed to do.

God's blessed me with a lot - and, very humbly do I make this statement, I believe He gave me great talent to write.

Unfortunately, writing is hard. Believe me, it is. It takes a lot of work and even more commitment. Those two aspects don't work well with the fact that I am incredibly lazy. Honestly, I have know idea how much talent I possess, because I've never made the commitment to find out.

Today, that changes.

There are two projects on my plate that, if they work out, could change my life forever. The first is the 2010 Disney / ABC Writing Fellowship. Every year, thousands of writers submit speculative scripts of television shows in production to ABC Talent Development. The kind folks there review submissions, then pick a fraction of those to interview in person. From those interviews, a select few are chosen to participate in the Fellowship - a $50,000 salary and a year of intense writing sessions, workshops and seminars in Los Angeles.

Do I have a shot at this? Hmmm....

I'm afraid I'd seem snooty or over-confident if I said I did. I feel like I'd be opening myself up to the naysayer, letting them get in a few "I told you so's" after the dust settles.

Saying that it's doubtful, however, is contrary to my innermost nature. I live a life dedicating myself completely to the projects I pursue. I think I have to believe I have a shot, or else I'm wasting my time.

I'll say it then - I've got a shot at this. Not just a hopeful, maybe kind of shot either. I can do this. I can win.

So here I go. I'm writing a spec script of Heroes. I've written the opening scene outline already.

I'll need input, proof-reading and fact-checking from my friends who watch Heroes. May 28th I'll host a reading of my outline at my home. I hope you can come.

Finally, why this blog? Aren't writers lone-wolves, hiding their work from everyone until its finished, until its perfect?

Maybe some writers are. I'm not. I think if I'm going to do this, I'm going to be a social writer. I'm going to let my friends, who read, watch, play, listen and write good stuff themselves, take part in my writing, if they want. All on a volunteer basis - nobody likes the aspiring writer guy who tries to force his stuff on you.

Becky probably understands that... (yes, I'm making fun of myself).

Anyhoo, here's the first leg of this journey. Come with me if you want. This project will take about two months, and then I'll be off to a second project. I'll reveal more details on that one when the time comes.

Until next time...