Page Count & Manuscript Format

I was able to double my page count today!

All I had to do was start following the standard manuscript format.

Doubling my page count again will be a lot tougher.

I'll actually have to write 65 more pages!

Overall Tone and Content

Don't worry about how much "star power" the book has. Face it. You didn't spend a lot of time hanging out with the "star" players. You've been spending too much time trying to dredge up fragments of memories about the Heisman Winners and Eventual Hall-of-Famers. Some little anecdotes exist, and will be scattered throughout the book. But that wasn't the bulk of your experience at USC. That's not your story.

Figure out the story. What's the "arc" (as they say)? Use "Rudy" as an example. His story is one that a lot of people recall when you tell them your story. Come up with a beginning-to-end thumbnail sketch of your time on the Trojans. This should also include the impact on the rest of your life after hanging up your cleats.

So, why am I talking about you/me in the third person? Don't worry. That's not how I want you to write your book. It just feels like the best way to give advice to someone. Even if that "someone" happens to be me.

More Name-Dropping

Nick Nolte visited during practice. He was brought into the middle of a team huddle. I recall him seeming shorter than in the movies. Not sure how tall he is, but in my mind's eye, we all towered over him. Maybe it's because we were all wearing cleats and football gear. He's listed as 6'1" on various websites. I wonder how tall he really is? Anyway, just another example of Hollywood crossing paths with USC... or the other way around.

Years later, Snoop Dogg would show up at practice. He even participated in some drills...



I doubt this kind of thing happens very much in Oklahoma.

Rose Bowl: Comedians in Our Midst

Write about George Carlin and Don Rickles performing at training table.

Here's a picture of me with George Carlin...


I didn't have a camera when Don Rickles gave a surprise performance.

Greetings

This will be a place for me to stick my ideas that are going to make their way into my books.

I'm not planning on fleshing things out here. It's more of an electronic napkin-in-the-pocket.

When I'm not sitting in front of a computer, I'll still have to use an actual napkin-in-the-pocket. But let's face it. How often am I _not_ sitting in front of a computer?

--- Joe "On the Road to Being a Published Author" Palen