You almost make a ringer. And it’s in the trying, really, that life occurs: the human connections we make, the wisdom we attain, the very meaning we extract from our experiences and existence — all of that happens in the midst of our endeavors, not at the conclusion of them. And the problem with storytelling is that alarmingly few people — including many, many successful writers and filmmakers — really understand the mechanics/principles behind it, and yet everyone thinks they know how to tell a story because they’ve been watching movies their whole life! I knew who my true friends were; I understood why writing was important to me; I had something to say about the world and wasn’t afraid to use my voice to say it; and I realized that I trusted my own talent and abilities — I believed in myself — without external validation. I would also second your observation about failure’s utility in our journeys of self-discovery and personal growth: We don’t really know who we are until we’ve fallen down. But everybody knows. Play 9. I have unlimited clean water, a temperature-controlled home and car, and more food than I need. I think that’s going to happen in 2019 — I genuinely do — and I’ll be posting my thoughts on that here before year’s end…. But I realized that I don’t do what I do in order to “get big” or to receive validation. A fellow environmentalist recently said something interesting to me: He thinks the reason the Trumpublicans shift immediately into aggression and/or anger when confronted with issues like income inequality, climate change, racial profiling — any of those hot-button political topics — is because buried somewhere in their secret heart, they hate themselves for selling out to an opportunistic, amoral pig like Trump. Within a year or two, I’d established a circle of friends and colleagues, all in our twenties, who were collaborating on “portfolio projects.”  I was editing by day and writing by night, hoping to network my way to new representation—an objective that would, to my slowly percolating astonishment, take another half-dozen years to realize. Producers: Guy Roche, Fred Jerkins III. When we saw the Bronx Bombers play the Indians at Yankee Stadium in 1986, none of us knew what the hell to make of that abstract experience; when we watched them face-off again in David S. Ward’s Major League in 1989, in the context of a Cinderella narrative, suddenly the rivalry had meaning. I look stinking rich to much of the world’s population, a king. Almost doesn't count. (And that Teddy Roosevelt was himself a committed conservationist — who helped protect the Palisades — makes those words all the more personally encouraging.). I’m talking Whitney Houston sized opportunity (literally). We used to be okay with that kind of worldview — it played out in Rocky and Raiders, certainly — but it’s become less common in an era in which our narratives have no agenda beyond their own self-perpetuation. I second everything you’ve stated above. “Almost” gives one’s life a certain narrative context, because it’s the pursuit of our ambitions more than the fulfillment of them that defines the course our journeys take. Or dead. In other words, we’ve got a limited budget, and there’s a bigger degree of difficulty in going after big banks with powerful lawyers. — the very practices and ideologies we later came to codify as “the American Dream,” that have now put civilization in an existential crisis. Almost made you love me. almost doesn't count. Almost made you happy, baby. In our youth, success means achieving nothing short of all the flashy trappings: the big house, the bestselling career, etc. I wish I’d included that quote in the body of the piece! (I’m not crying about that, you understand, just explaining an intrinsic fact of this business.) “If I let myself get hung up on only doing things that had any actual chance of success, I’d never do anything!” – Elan, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, as long as you look cool doing it.’ – Julio Scoundrél. The ultimate authority we are all answerable to, after all, is that man in the mirror. There are several smaller/indie publishers here in the United States that also don’t require an agent to act as an intermediary — they’ll review submissions straight from the author and publish the manuscript if they like it! Same goes for most of those colleagues I mentioned, some of who got tauntingly close to career-launching success themselves. Raw, natural talent Christ, if only. 5. What was always missing for you, babe. I didn’t realize how badly I needed one until, quite accidentally, I found it. And while I was halfway through writing my follow-up, the management company repping me shuttered. We recognize now — and thank Trump in part for making this so uncomfortably apparent — that a selfish, materialistic mode of living hasn’t made us wealthier, healthier, or happier; instead, it’s left us feeling, as you rightly observe, disregarded and angry. FAVORITE Hope you’re having a great holiday season, my friend. In the Car Interlude. Anyway, there I was, twenty-two years old and only a few months out of school, and everything was unfolding right on schedule. Year after year, whether or not we had anything to boast about when we went home for the holidays (an experience we referred to as “Tribal Council,” because it was where you went to account for your time and stand judgment for it), we stayed at it, together, equally invested in each other’s success—because if one could succeed, there was hope for all of us. You’re so much better and more interesting than the usual people we bring in. So, I fully understand that the way to get your material sold is to cast as wide a net as possible, expect a lot of passes, and hope for maybe a nibble or two that turns into a bite! Writer of things that go bump in the night. Almost Doesn’t Count: Learning To Say Enough Is Enough When Love Is Incomplete Almost made you cry. Didn't I didn't I. But I’m glad you posted it here — thank you. All of which reminded me—somewhat randomly and obscurely, I’ll concede—of a passage from journalist Matt Taibbi’s nonfiction book The Divide, in which he calls out the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s lazy (and institutionalized) practice of punishing instances of small-business fraud over prosecuting white-collar crime perpetrated by executives at too-big-to-jail Wall Street multinationals: “It is critically important that our enforcement program be extremely efficient,” [SEC commissioner Daniel] Gallagher said. Cynical idealist Joe Hallenbeck (Bruce Willis) recites his morning mantra in “The Last Boy Scout” (1991). (Also associated with the words, "close," "nearly," and "just about.") It occurs to me only now, as I type this, that the project was something of a creative precursor to Escape from Rikers Island, trafficking in many of the same themes and concepts:  an urban island left to rot and ruin, overrun with supernatural savages (demons, not zombies), with a neo–hardboiled detective at the center of the action. Far from crushing him, the grind of recurring disappointment has only sharpened his resolve. Play 2. Almost Doesn't Count Brandy. 2. A miss is as good as a mile, after all. Play 7. I think the difference between us and the Trumpublicans is that they’re not cynics — they’re balls-out nihilists. You'd found it [C] in me. Your time and friendship, which you give so willingly and generously, is very much appreciated. Almost doesn't count Almost heard you saying You were finally free What was always missing for you, baby You'd found it in me But you can't get to heaven Half off the ground Everybody knows Almost doesn't count I can't keep lovin' you One foot outside the door I hear a funny hesitation To be explicitly clear:  The takeaway here isn’t reassurance that hard work and perseverance will pay off in the end… eventually. It’s a condition called confidence without competence. Song Credits. I do what I do because it’s in me to do it. For all the promising opportunities and earnest effort that ensued, though, my résumé covering that decade is exclusively an index of almosts:  the scripts that almost sold; the projects almost produced; the comics almost published. . Or, as is presently the case, getting good momentum on a book—only to have my health robbed for months and knock me off course. In youth, your courage comes from the certainty you’ll succeed; with age and experience, it comes from knowing you’ll probably fail but it ain’t the end of the world if you do, so why not try? Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to almost doesn't count all work and no play makes jack a dull … almost went into a coma earning this di… alone in a crowd aluminum shower all-conquering alright my babber all's well that ends well almighty dollar alright me lover all's one alma mater all y'all's all's fair in love and war along the lines Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd. We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly. Note that three areas are under your control. How is it, exactly, Indiana Jones is such a celebrated hero when he returns from EVERY adventure empty-handed? Your book sounds super-interesting–are there any publishers out your way who accept unsolicited manuscripts? Will we prevail? Not that poverty is desirable or easy; that’s not what I’m talking about. But you don’t have a huge social media following to back the dollars yet…”. And yes, of course it’s the outer envelope that’s signed, not the ballot itself; secret voting requires that ballots can’t be identified, so once it’s out of the envelope and in with all the other ballots it can’t be retrieved. to keep from being too preachy or platitudinal. A comment I made on Mythcreants (https://mythcreants.com/blog/why-storytelling-advice-is-such-a-mess/) a while ago: To be a success (by whatever you define as success) in most fields you need five things, in varying amounts: We all have probably heard the saying, “Almost doesn’t count unless it is with horse shoes, hand grenades, 750 pound bombs, or Nuclear weapons. As always, the feedback I’ve received has compelled me to think deeper about the issue at hand — the very aspect of blogging I find most rewarding! . A beautifully, perfectly expressed sentiment, Erik — an essay unto itself, really! To say “‘almost’ doesn’t count,” then, is to imply the very expenditure of effort is only justified by a preordained guarantee of success. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. That’s what I got after two decades of failure. A word that doesn't count except in horseshoes, hand grenades, and goverment work. And it occurred to me, during my rite of reassessment, that “almost” can be made to serve a not-altogether-unhelpful utilitarian function. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink. Pure dumb luck What they don’t tell you in school, though, is that when you turn your passions into your profession, you often do so at the expense of the joy you once took in those pastimes. How well I know, after Our Crew made it only so far as game seven, bottom of the ninth–LA’s ecstasy was MKE’s agony this season. 1. Experience, which can often teach things from 2, and can only happen if you have 3 I spent nearly a decade in Hollywood—writing specs, doing favors, getting the lion’s share of my sustenance from craft-service tables—before a new opportunity of significance opened up for me. meant sifting through that baggage—acknowledging that those “almosts” were no longer the initial attempts at my enterprising efforts, but rather the final fruits of them. As you and MJ put it, “I’m starting [and continuing] with the man in the mirror.”. Excellent essay, Sean. You know, a few years ago, I started working with a physical trainer, who was not only a cool guy, but he was actually a great teacher (a rare skill in its own right). It’s to let you know—and this goes double for any aspiring artists—that you’re in all probability gonna come up short at the stuff that really matters, that even getting to “almost” is astronomically unlikely, but that, as Taibbi says, there’s value nonetheless in trying and losing. Happy New Year! U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To Know Me) Play 8. In addition to screenwriting, I’d had experience as a film and video editor, so I started cutting USC thesis shorts pro bono. Hell, I recall another hopeful screenwriter who moved out here from the East Coast and lasted—wait for it—five days before sprinting back home. I would absolutely agree, Dave, particularly with your caveat at the end. You almost had me thinkin'. (I’d studied Raymond Chandler in college and have since been heavily influenced by his fiction.). Best advice I ever got: Get that manuscript out there! I’m a hopeful cynic too. But it sure as hell is worth trying. The Lyrics for Almost Doesn't Count by Brandy have been translated into 2 languages. It’s time for a new American Dream, we just need to dare ourselves to Dream Big (and be willing to challenge institutionalized cultural “truths”). For me, the great psychological benefit of surviving repeated failure is that it neutralizes the very fear of failing, freeing us to try and try again. Don’t compare the weight load you can lift with the one he’s lifting; compare it instead with what you recorded lifting last time, and the time before that. Take it from someone who’s been failing Olympically for twenty years:  Losing stings like a sonuvabitch, but nothing seems to salve it so effectively as trying again. Play 11. There’s value even in trying and losing sometimes. “A famous boxer once said, ‘Everybody has a plan… until he gets punched in the face.’”—Al Gore in An Inconvenient Sequel:  Truth to Power. Bluekush21 Hebrew Israelite. Almost. One of the other great benefits of accepting the likelihood of failure is that the fear of failure is then alleviated, and you’re compelled to just go for broke at whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish. Dodgers baseball — whether I watch it on TV or from the stands — has become, for me, perhaps the last safe haven from the pressures and problems of the outside world: For the duration of a game, I am insulated from the angst of my personal, professional, and philanthropic pursuits (to say nothing of the anxieties produced by external high-stakes geopolitical affairs over which I have no control). “Pure dumb luck,” I’ve observed, has a way of making or breaking an enterprise, particularly a career in arts and entertainment. It was only after I lost that manager, struggled in Hollywood for several years, learned storytelling craft under some indispensable mentors, got on a screenwriting hot streak — followed by an Ice Age that “killed off” most of my friends and supporters — that I found the sense of self I’d been missing my whole life. In part, it’s just a mind set. This is a great song and very easy to play! . Intro. Released: Jan 1998 Label: Atlantic Records Facebook Twitter Songs. Most of us won’t even hit the “almost” mark when it comes to our vocations. I talked a few months back, in “Changing the Narrative,” about how we ought to use our stories to challenge (rather than reinforce) some of our uncontested cultural beliefs — from our demigod-worshipping superhero epics to our cynical view of social institutions — and maybe that includes telling more stories about trying and losing? It’s pure misery and it’s counterproductive — even destructive — to a writer’s career. But I think they are out there, and I’m turning over every stone to find them. Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving, Wendy, and that your holiday season is merry and bright! https://mythcreants.com/blog/why-storytelling-advice-is-such-a-mess/, audiences don’t trust storytellers anymore, the embracing of (and obsessing over) “shared superheroic universes”, The End: Lessons for Storytellers from the Trump Saga, Trick-or-Treating Is Canceled? And by the time that finally happened, most—though not all—of the would-be filmmakers I came up with had all long since gone back to… wherever it was they’d come from. One way or the other, though, I’m gonna find a home for Escape from Rikers Island, even if that means supplying one myself. Because making it in Hollywood is hard as hell, and few have the requisite stamina. And, with a little pure dumb luck on your side, it’ll get you very, very far in this business. Failure sucks, and it’s gonna happen way more often to you than success, and maybe that’s something we should be more comfortable discussing openly. Almost doesn't count. ... " is an Grammy-award nominated R&B ballad written by Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche for Brandy's second studio album Never Say Never. Main genre: Hip-Hop / Rap / R&B. And that has been enough to keep me doing it so far. Yes, I am aggressively querying/pitching literary agents, both in person in New York (last August) and via e-mail (ongoing). It was both the Dodgers’ second consecutive World Series appearance and defeat. Almost doesn't count Almost heard you saying You were finally free What was always missing for you, babe You'd found it in me But you can't get to heaven Half off the ground Everybody knows Almost doesn't count I can't keep lovin' you One foot outside the door I hear a funny hesitation And answering Now what? Almost convince me. Yet here, you have a bunch of people who know shit about storytelling and yet think they know everything. They warn you in school making it in Hollywood is difficult, but they never really explain how unfair it can be. Thanks, mydangblog! The erosion of storytelling as a craft has a lot to do with the popularity of meaningless fiction right now, as well the sustained success of the talentless artists who produce it, something you and I discussed, Dave, in the previous comment. That’s a subject I hope to expound upon in a post next year…. I’m in touch with very few of them anymore; I think the collective frustration, if not outright cynicism, born from the recognition that Hollywood, in the end, is a capricious beast—that there are many who pay their dues in good faith to no favorable outcome, while others somehow score a Fastpass to enviable careers—took its toll on those friendships. The bonds formed during the enthusiasm of our twenties and strengthened by the determination of our thirties were finally severed, it would seem, by the cutting disillusionments of middle age. Despite this, at age seventy, he’s more committed to and passionate about his mission than ever, more of an active and vocal presence on the global stage now than he was during his time in the White House. Apologies for taking so long to reply to your thoughtful comment; I left town for the holidays the very day you posted it, and haven’t had time before now to give it the proper response it deserved. Again: If you accept failure is the likely outcome, you neutralize the fear of failing and empower yourself to go for broke. And now, consequently, everything’s out of balance: the economy, the justice system — even nature itself. But success can be measured in multiple ways, and we are the ones who get to choose the measurements that matter to us.And as you say, Sean, failure too has a valuable place in our understanding and growth, the sorting of our values, and our sense of contentment and accomplishment. BONE ORCHARD was the slick and vacuous work of a kid without a worldview, emulating his cinematic idols, chasing the validation of commercial success; Escape from Rikers Island, on the other hand, is all me—for better or worse, like it or not. I think things are very different in Canada, where it’s not necessary to have an agent–you can just send your work straight to a lot of publishers–not the huge ones, but there are a lot of independent ones like mine who are great and will read your first few chapters and then ask for the rest. And I’ll never forget the advice he gave me: “The only person you should compare yourself to… is yourself.”​ Start Station. You throw the horseshoe; it hits the peg then bounces off. When I lie on my death bed, it won’t matter at all. Thank you for the kind words about the piece above and the book. "Almost Doesn't Count" is a song by American singer Brandy Norwood. And even if you somehow manage to, eventually you’re bullshit starts to stink and you’re pushed out; I’ve seen that happen with people who networked their way into advertising jobs they were completely unqualified for. I always make a point this time of year to reread A Christmas Carol (or at the very least watch the 1984 version with George C. Scott, which I consider — and I’m not alone — the finest screen adaptation of the story). It sure as hell distinguishes your true friends from the fairweathers. I am so looking forward to your book, YOUR book! Have You Ever? You were finally free. . Almost made you happy, baby. STANDS4 LLC, 2020. In the event you don’t keep track of these things, the Los Angeles Dodgers lost the World Series last month, four games to one, to the Boston Red Sox. Web. Almost Doesn't Count Lyrics: Almost made you love me, almost made you cry / Almost made you happy, baby, didn't I, didn't I? Still, whether or not we’ve realized the personal and/or professional goals we set for ourselves in youth, one can’t reach midlife without facing the sweat-chilling question Now what? In the midst of all my impassioned polemics, lightheartedness is a virtue I need to more actively practice and promote in the months ahead…. Play Song. And I don’t much care who likes it or doesn’t. You'd found it in me. When the novella was first published in 1843, just as the Industrial Revolution was spreading from Britain to the rest of the Western world, Dickens in his prescient wisdom tried to warn us away from the pitfalls of consumerism, capitalism, material wealth, etc. To say “‘almost’ doesn’t count,” then, is to imply the very expenditure of effort is only justified by a preordained guarantee of success. You know? But, I’m discovering, just because they accept them doesn’t mean they ever actually get to them! Sometimes someone deserving — someone who’s “paid their dues” — gets that break, and sometimes those who haven’t sacrificed anything at the altar of Hollywood nonetheless fall into big-time careers; the latter happens a lot more often than folks may realize. As a singer/songwriter, I’ve toed up to the cliff of “almost” with wings poised to soar countless times—only to have “the other people” responsible for that one thing drop the ball and lose the opportunity. Sat in the cheap seats and ate hot dogs. . Close only matters in horseshoes and hand grenades. Going for the “big dream” is an inherently privileged problem. Success seems equated with heaps and heaps of cash – how much, how big, how fancy, how costly, and all the things we can blow it on at a whim. A Big Screenwriting Career was my metric of success all throughout my 20s and 30s… and yet this project makes me feel so much better, richer, and more connected than that ever did! On average, most aspirants last a year out here before folding up their tents, before deciding life’s too precious to squander in L.A. on an impossible dream. I’m currently trying to get the manuscript set up with an agent/publisher, and we know, courtesy this post, what typically follows the “trying” phase! Truthfully. Play on Napster. After a while, you just can’t hide how full of shit you are — your bosses will see you can’t deliver on what you promised… and they’ll fire or demote you for it. No wonder so many people feel left behind, disregarded, and angry. Exactly — looking left or right is a surefire recipe for defeat. 5,175 885. Maybe I'll see ya 'round. Nearly doing something is not the same as actually doing it. As a lifelong mentor, I’ve seen some kids I invested years and tears into wind up with life sentences. Let me rephrase that: It was a tool. The only thing worse for a writer than no representation is the wrong representation, one of those “life lessons learned the hard way” I alluded to in the essay above. When you do, you congratulate yourself.​ Most of us won’t be lauded beyond our circles of family and friends. Definition of Almost Doesn't Count in the Definitions.net dictionary. It also was produced by Roche and released as the album's fourth single during the second quarter of 1999. This is coward’s language. Share. Perhaps that’s the reason baseball resonates with me now as an adult in a way only pulp fiction did when I was a kid:  Movies and comics have you rooting from the outset for the predetermined winner; sports require your investment with no such promise of a favorable outcome. The arts are subjective, after all. I think the important thing is to celebrate small victories. You look to them for strength:  If you’re not goin’ anywhere, I’m not goin’ anywhere! As recently as a few years ago, I wouldn’t have known, much less cared, who won or lost this Series—or even who played in it. So they spring to anger when challenged — they’re utterly incapable of engaging in meaningful intellectual debate on any of this stuff — and they clutch ever-tighter to their nihilistic worldview. B: "I asked you to clean your room this weekend before company comes, and almost doesn't count!" To be sure, I share the sentiment:  It’s hard as hell to get so frustratingly close to the Golden Ring only to go home empty-handed. . And then, at about the same time, things did start to break our way. (2 fans), Brandy (from brandywine, derived from Dutch brandewijn—"burnt wine") is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Thanks for being such a faithful friend of the blog throughout the year, Cathleen. It’s a cliché to say it, but validation comes from within. Blogging, which my wife had encouraged me to do for years, was something I didn’t have “time for” when I was a hotshot screenwriter about to break through, and it’s only now — thanks to friends like you — that I realize what I was missing out on. . The “almosts” hurt. In my mind, that makes them still really good. Definition of count in the Idioms Dictionary. YMMV, of course, that’s just how I see things. 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