tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post4431430098313948475..comments2023-09-25T02:24:22.087-07:00Comments on Anne R. Allen's Blog: The Must-Read Story for Writers with an "Impossible" Dream: Walter Reuben and "The David Whiting Story"Anne R. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-6213440616164590162015-02-05T13:27:39.834-08:002015-02-05T13:27:39.834-08:00LD--Thanks! I think Walter is a fantastic inspirat...LD--Thanks! I think Walter is a fantastic inspiration to anybody, no matter what their age, and I think he's right that there ARE second--and third--acts in American lives. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-4071091216992857762015-02-05T10:16:40.477-08:002015-02-05T10:16:40.477-08:00Excellent interview. Walter, your story gives me h...Excellent interview. Walter, your story gives me heart as I'm going into my third act.LD Mastersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01202135756299574972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-70401444666271785702015-02-05T09:09:23.935-08:002015-02-05T09:09:23.935-08:00Florence--I think this posted while you were still...Florence--I think this posted while you were still on your blog-cation. But I wanted to make sure you saw this. We Boomers have to stick together! Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-31577753073277837782015-02-05T05:47:31.815-08:002015-02-05T05:47:31.815-08:00Anne, so sorry I missed this the first time around...Anne, so sorry I missed this the first time around and thanks for sending the link on my blog this week. Walter is an inspiration for people of all ages, but he does remind us "vintage" folks to forget numbers and follow our dreams. Reminds me of the man who published his first book at 96 ...<br /><br />No ... it is never too late to realize a dream. <br /><br />Great interview, Walter. Thanks for sharing your story here :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01543371927803235975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-35687621503809847502015-02-02T21:55:50.111-08:002015-02-02T21:55:50.111-08:00Great. Let's try to do that. I'd love to m...Great. Let's try to do that. I'd love to meet him. mindprinterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01874142522106185186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-12866404843803517142015-02-02T21:15:42.076-08:002015-02-02T21:15:42.076-08:00Paul--I know you and Walter would like each other!...Paul--I know you and Walter would like each other! He may visit the SLO area and maybe you can meet him. I'll ask him how/when people can get a chance to see the film. The shocking homophobia of his own parents is one of the most gut-wrenching parts of the film. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-36256099978423131672015-02-02T21:12:11.902-08:002015-02-02T21:12:11.902-08:00Rosi--The movie isn't in DVD yet and is only s...Rosi--The movie isn't in DVD yet and is only showing in a handful of cities. But I'll announce it on the blog when the book is available in paper. I'm supposed to get the proof this week, so it won't be long<br /><br />Art doesn't have any age restrictions, and Walter proves it!Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-60552567022514683472015-02-02T20:49:32.904-08:002015-02-02T20:49:32.904-08:00Walter, I love what you said about third acts. I&#...Walter, I love what you said about third acts. I'm doing the same though it feels like my fifth or sixth. Retirement is just another way to reinvent yourself and I'm loving every minute of it. I need to scroll thru the comments and see if anyone has asked where we can see your movie. I remember the Reynolds-Miles film and wonder if the scandal killed her career. If so, I don't think it did for Reynold's as he made several more A list films after Cat Dancing. Loved Anne's book, The Gatsby Game, too. It's all so intriguing. Thanks for a great post. Paul mindprinterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01874142522106185186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-76744639745630454372015-02-02T19:54:45.651-08:002015-02-02T19:54:45.651-08:00Fascinating and inspiring interview. Thanks so muc...Fascinating and inspiring interview. Thanks so much for posting this. I think all artists should be reading this. I really want to see the movie and read your book. Glad to know your book will be out in paperback soon. I don't do ebooks. Rosihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01294774973863802821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-79968995246629721942015-02-02T19:53:56.100-08:002015-02-02T19:53:56.100-08:00Julie--Walter is right about retiring, I sure don&...Julie--Walter is right about retiring, I sure don't plan to retire from writing! <br /><br />David was an odd, unforgettable character. Larger than life. A lot of reports say it was a suicide, but the coroner ruled it an accident. Of course there are some who think Burt Reynolds or Sarah Miles killed him. Speculation keeps the story alive.Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-25543235817260846222015-02-02T19:28:47.645-08:002015-02-02T19:28:47.645-08:00Wow, what a story! I'm impressed with his dedi...Wow, what a story! I'm impressed with his dedication and enthusiasm. And I agree--why retire from doing something that we love? I don't think writers ever retire. Words still float in their heads, no matter what.<br /><br />I'd never heard about David Whiting and the circumstances surrounding his death. I checked out those links you provided. Wow. Truth is definitely stranger than fiction.Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-25782393582298691112015-02-02T10:17:44.002-08:002015-02-02T10:17:44.002-08:00Madeline--Isn't Walter an inspiration? I'&...Madeline--Isn't Walter an inspiration? I''m so glad he shared his story with us!Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-80296222710705431742015-02-02T10:10:43.382-08:002015-02-02T10:10:43.382-08:00Wonderful post! Made my day, week, heck--probably ...Wonderful post! Made my day, week, heck--probably my whole year!<br /><br />MadelineM.M. Gornellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05610211516010193111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-34140168710041276562015-02-02T09:26:34.413-08:002015-02-02T09:26:34.413-08:00Christine--So glad to hear you liked The Gatsby Ga...Christine--So glad to hear you liked The Gatsby Game! Yes, in his weird way David Whiting has inspired a lot of people.Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-80096961020977511502015-02-02T09:25:32.622-08:002015-02-02T09:25:32.622-08:00Roland--I'm so glad you've found Walter...Roland--I'm so glad you've found Walter's story so inspiring. Age is just a number!Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-26040990005677580992015-02-02T09:24:42.337-08:002015-02-02T09:24:42.337-08:00Eileen--Congrats on making the top 100 with Garden...Eileen--Congrats on making the top 100 with Garden of Lies! It's a wonderful book! One of the best things about self-publishing is the ability to get our backlist in front of readers again. <br /><br />I'm totally with you on the pantyhose! If it hadn't been for my hatred of wearing pantyhose, I might still be working in an office. :-) Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-21960391030478299032015-02-02T08:41:26.487-08:002015-02-02T08:41:26.487-08:00Wonderful interview. And so inspiring. I loved you...Wonderful interview. And so inspiring. I loved your book The Gatsby Game and hope to be able to see the film someday. How interesting for you to "meet" someone who also created art from a personal experience with the man who inspired your character. Wonderful writerly stuff!Christine Ahernhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18332152375980196208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-25331234803661780482015-02-02T04:27:55.216-08:002015-02-02T04:27:55.216-08:00Such an inspirational interview, especially for a ...Such an inspirational interview, especially for a writer in his 2nd/3rd life. All my life, through various occupations - organic wholesaler, photographer, film producer, journalist - I have struggled against rigid rules. So at 61 I should be thinking of retiring and gravitating to the couch. Walter has given my dreams new wings. Thank you both.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-70604403599555359412015-02-02T02:59:49.513-08:002015-02-02T02:59:49.513-08:00Hah! Have to come back on that one. I wrote stage ...Hah! Have to come back on that one. I wrote stage plays for so many years I forgot to even count those. Boys summer camp, when all a kid really wants to do is run onstage, kill someone, and then die. I was REALLY good at those kinds of plots... and one of my best pieces ever was a super-hero spoof based on a radio play I composed for Creative Writing in high school. Those were the days! I guess I was writing all along...Wm. L. Hahnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09918981970218130294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-49337038117983978862015-02-01T18:54:42.885-08:002015-02-01T18:54:42.885-08:00The world is full of naysayers. If I'd listene...The world is full of naysayers. If I'd listened to all the people who told me I should get a "real" job (ie. the kind that has you wearing pantyhose to work instead of collecting rejection slips) I never would have had the courage to realize my dream. This week I saw my first novel, Garden of Lies, originally published in 1986 (I'm outing myself as a fellow gezerette, Anne!), in the top 100 on the Kindle list. Still going strong after 30 years. Amazing. Just think if I'd chosen pantyhose over typewriter ribbons. Walter's story is yet another example of what one can achieve with persistence and plenty of elbow grease. Eileen Goudgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01156415980783091338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-5143192884265374582015-02-01T14:44:59.027-08:002015-02-01T14:44:59.027-08:00Wm--I do think that writing a screenplay or two (o...Wm--I do think that writing a screenplay or two (or a stage play) is great practice for the novelist. Screenplay rules keep the dialogue snappy and make us cut the long descriptions and have stuff HAPPEN.<br /><br /> I have probably ten unfinished stage plays in my archives. :-) <br /><br />But some of those might work as radio podcasts. I sometimes think it would be fun to get a cast together and do an audio version of one of my old plays. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-51060928730352974002015-02-01T13:56:28.328-08:002015-02-01T13:56:28.328-08:00Melodie--I'm glad you can take Walter's me...Melodie--I'm glad you can take Walter's message to your students. You're right that early negative teaching can be hard to undo.<br /><br />Reading the comments this morning, I had a memory from childhood. I used to write songs all the time. I took one to my piano teacher and she told me it wasn't a proper song because a song had to have X number of measures and X number of notes and it was wrong for children to make up their own music. Nothing I ever heard before or since said there was any such rule for songwriting. But she shamed me so much for even trying to compose music that I gave up the piano and never wrote another song. People like that have a lot to answer for. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-29271820462303501312015-02-01T13:44:39.074-08:002015-02-01T13:44:39.074-08:00"Be Fearless" - I love that! Taking you..."Be Fearless" - I love that! Taking your advice to my fiction writing college class, Walter. And you are so right about lots of people ready to give you negative advice. I have students in my class every year who have been whipped by negative comments from former 'teachers' and colleagues. It's hard to undo that damage sometimes. Your words are inspiring. Thank you for this post.Melodie Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870938103759179132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-37100895937367816042015-02-01T12:52:50.526-08:002015-02-01T12:52:50.526-08:00At last, an author I can look up to (in terms of a...At last, an author I can look up to (in terms of age!). Great interview, and it's hard to find a writer who wouldn't want to see the book on the screen, as you say. "City of Angels" is my favorite Broadway show! And like maybe a million other people, I have a fine treatment for a baseball movie in my desk, alongside an hour-long screenplay for an adaptation of an old Robert E. Howard horror story. Just did the one, never tried again really. But I have a most-excellent friend who kicks out tremendous work for film- and the style is so open and, um, cinematic! Forces you to think about what the reader/viewer is seeing. It's well worth the exercise, I say.<br />I never forgot the need to have stuff happen on every page. I just sometimes ignore it!Wm. L. Hahnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09918981970218130294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-23125021547388284582015-02-01T11:54:53.350-08:002015-02-01T11:54:53.350-08:00Linda--Thanks for your thoughtful comment. There i...Linda--Thanks for your thoughtful comment. There is negativity in so many aspects of writing advice--from the people who say if you can't write a novel a week, you're just a wimpy loser, to the people who tell you that you should write a 100 page character sketch of each of your characters and spend months writing the outline. <br /><br />Everybody is different, especially creatives. I'm a pantser myself. I'm in the last quarter of my WIP and had a head-slap moment last night when I realized I need another character to be present in the whole novel. If I was trying to keep to a strict outline, I'd be tearing my hair out. <br /><br />I think the beginners who dictate advice are examples of the Dunning-Kruger Effect: the most confident people are usually the most incompetent. :-) Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.com