DEL MAR, Calif. — Winning an Oscar or Grammy only happens when you dare to dream big. In this Zevely Zone, I went to Del Mar where two authors offered their advice to anyone trying to break into show business.
When it comes to making movies and music, you'll always find a writer who wrote the words for the famous faces. "On the set of Sideways that is Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden-Church," said San Diego author Rex Pickett.
Rex wrote the novel Sideways that became a hit movie and Academy Award winner. Rex went to Clairemont High and was undaunted when his book was rejected 250 times. His advice to young writers? "How low can you go and still turn on your laptop? Because when I wrote Sideways I had nothing, I was living on fumes," said Rex.
I asked the two authors if they faced rejection and adversity. "My middle name is rejection," said Rex. "And mine is adversity, so there you go," said Rick Bleiweiss.
He has worked with the biggest names in music. "Pink, Alicia Keys, Kiss, the Bee Gees, U2, Melissa Etheridge, Backstreet Boys," said Rick. We flipped through a few pictures from Rick's past. "That's me with Whitney Houston back in the 90's. I did the marketing campaign for Spinal Tap. I did a promotion with Cool and the Gang," said Rick.
Rick and Rex now call themselves partners in crime. Both are releasing mystery novels published by Blackstone. "My book Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives takes place in England in 1910," said Rick.
Rex's new book titled The Archivist is set in San Diego. "Right here in Del Mar, UCSD, La Jolla, it is every page is set, you are sitting right here, if the train goes by that's in my novel," said Rex.
Together they've generated Oscars and Grammys and say it wouldn't have happened without guts and Teflon typewriters. "My advice is don't let rejection stop you it is just somebody else's opinion, if you believe in yourself then just keep writing," said Rick.
As for Sideways, Rex was told at one point it was so bad to burn it. "No criticism is above criticism itself, just because somebody says it doesn't make it so. Writing is not an advocation it is a life, it comes first before everything that is my advice. If you are truly an artist it will come first, it not a hobby, it is a life," said Rex.
"You just have to turn things out because you are driven to turn things out," said Rick. "We face the blank page every day," added Rex. "You put your butt in that chair every day and you write."
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