Jane Genova: Speechwriter - Ghostwriter

"Days to Come" - Lillian Hellman's failure no one could explain

The meme of the 21st century is that failure is such a wonderful experience because we can learn so much from it.  But the catch is: Suppose we can't figure out what went wrong.

In the new biography of Lillian Hellman "A Difficult Woman" by Alice Kessler-Harris, we find out that among the big successes like "The Children's Hour" there was the disaster "Days to Come."  No one, including Hellman, could connect the dots on what went so wrong.

That's the frustrating thing also in not getting an assignment we assumed we had in the bag and not understanding why.   In that situation, failure is just plain-vanilla failure, w/o the upbeat spin.

Herman Cain et al.: When money is irrelevant in staying part of the conversation

Despite his new-found wealth, Boy CEO Mark Zuckerberg may become less valued and credible for input into "the conversation."  This is an era in which fresh ideas and the ability to package information and insight into entertainment count much more than money.  Sure, in the capital of wealth Manhattan everyone chases those with money.  But those being chased get attention for only that: money.  Not for what the influence of their views.

Former idea man Herman Cain is struggling, reports POLITICO, to recapture the right kinds of attention.  His magic moments were cut short by allegations of sexual harassment.  What we in the influence business watch is if and how he can pull off a return to being a voice that's heard.  As we know, that's tricky.

Some like Paul Volcker have had a comeback.  His insight about the operations of investment banks has been proven out in the JPMorgan Chase losses.  Others who have fallen off the radar screen aren't so fortunate.  Despite several tries, including aligning with Occupy Wall Street, Eliot Spitzer can't get traction. 

That's a case study for PR: Why do some influentials bounce back and others don't? My hunch is that it has a lot to do with being able to let go of their earlier identity.  Oprah can't stop being Oprah of the talk show space.  Her voice is fading out.

Baby Boomers: Branded as "Overeducated"

When Generations X and Y look at the resumes for us Baby Boomers they get bug-eyed when they get to the "Academic Education section."  Yes, we were the overeducated generation. No surprise, we were the first generation in America to go to college as a mass movement.   So, it was expected that we would overdo a good thing.  I pursued intellectual excellence at Seton Hill University, the University of Michigan, and even Harvard Law School.

But, I left that maze of testing and research papers only $2500 in debt.  Today's graduate student, reports THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, leaves with an average nut to pay back of $43,524 (Source: FinAid.org).  That's a lot of money, considering, unlike the time we came of age, this is not an era of affluence, at least not for the 99%.

All generations have to ask ourselves if advanced studies - that is, after the entry level BA or BS - were "worth it."  Of course, that depends, especially on the work we get access to do.  When I do complex ghostwriting assignments, say on alternatives to bankruptcy or what's needed for ethnic groups to succeed as entrepreneurs, the training in research and connecting the dots at a high level kick in.  However, when the marketplace forces me to do routine assignments like making web content keyword-dense, I default to despair that I allowed myself to become conditioned for making sense of complexity. 

But, how would I assess my educational investment if I owed $43,524? Likely, with regret.  Debt, at any level and at any interest rate, limits career risk.

Beyond Steve Jobs: Maybe we should be digging elsewhere for lessons to be learned

Question: Am I the only one who has wearied of looking to the life and work of Steve Jobs to find lessons for my own much smaller-sized matters?  The answer to that will determine if there will be any audience for the screenplay Aaron Sorkin is writing for Sony.  According to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, Sorkin will be adapting the Walter Isaacson biography of Jobs for the large screen.

We miss Jobs just as we miss author Christopher Hitchens.  But there are many others out there, alive and well, to inspire and teach us.

Joe Muto's book: Will anyone buy "The Atheist in the Foxhole?"

Joe Muto aka Fox Mole did get his book contract.  Dutton, an imprint of Penguin, has given him a low six-figure advance for a tell-all tentatively titled "The Atheist in the Foxhole," reports John Cook at GAWKER.

The question is if the book will sell.  Muto had been a bit player at Fox.  Few expect he would have had access to the kind of insider information which makes a book hot.  Also, one wonders about his perspective.  He certainly does not seem to possess the penetrating analysis of a Michael Lewis who became a household name with "Liar's Poker" and remains a heavy in sophisticated media.

If the book does turn out to be a poor seller, then Dutton might also turn out to be perceived as not the best judge of public taste.

Money: Is it possible to live in American w/o it?

During the worst of the economic downturn we found out that we could make it on a lot less money than we ever thought we could.  Some of us were so shocked by that that we began to entertain the idea of living without any money at all.  Could we pitch a tent in the woods, live off the land, get healthcare at free clinics, use the internet at the public library, and walk instead of drive.

Well, Daniel Suelo actually tried going on with his life without money.  That was 2000.  Today he's still at it.  His parents question if he can continue that lifestyle as he ages.  Right now he's about 50 years old.

In the book "The Man Who Quit Money," his friend Mark Sundeen tells Suelo's story.  His background is unusual.  His parents were evangelical Christians who never bought into the wealth ethos.  They were thrilled just to get by.  On the platform, Suelo built his own unique search for his values.  The urgency of that journey is made clear by his serious suicide attempt.

Those not interested in existential problems will still find much of value in this book.  For example, they will notice how much energy it requires to exist outside capitalism.  Going to our jobs or running our businesses demands self control but essentially it doesn't overwhelm us.  Dumpster diving for food, keeping a roof over one's head, attending to minor health problems, and getting from Point A to Point B keep Suelo extremely busy.  He does not seem to mind.  A more ordinary person might, very soon into that sort of experiment.

"An Atheist in the Foxhole" - But, gossip is a tricky business

Does Boy Rogue Producer Joe Muto know how to play the volatile gossip game?  If it turns out he doesn't then he has cooked his goose in taking on the High Order of the Imperial Players at Fox Broadcasting.

The latest move Muto is making in exposing the alleged flaws at Fox is shopping a book tentatively titled "An Atheist in the Foxhole," reports the NEW YORK OBSERVER.  In it he will disclose what he saw during his eight years producing programming at Fox.  He might be prematurely assuming that he will get the kind of million-dollar-plus advance Goldman Sachs rogue derivative trader Greg Smith did.

But the gossip business is not an easy business.  To play it successfully requires genius instincts, the kind that Fox head Roger Ailes and News Corp head Rupert Murdoch have.  Right now, even the sophisticated crew at VANITY FAIR are seeing a decline in circulation of the flagstaff publication on what celebrities are up to.  In this article for financial information company Motley Fool I take a look at how News Corp has managed to remain a leader in the gossip industry.  It is a perilous space in which other major players such as Bonnie Fuller have come and have gone. One wonders if Muto is already gone.

Ben Bradlee v Bob Woodward: Of course it's about power

Washington D.C. is a city about power.  Men and women sacrifice money to have all the power they can get, grow, and hold.  So, it's no surprise that lion in winter Ben Bradlee would put a few dents in the reputation of his former employee Bob Woodward.

The media, of course, picked up the scent.  And the speculation about Bradlee's motives is driving the story.  It's also fun to assume that boy scout Woodward might have been naughty in his journalistic methods.

"Half A Life" by Darin Strauss: One trauma, half a life spent sorting it out

One day Darin Strauss was just a high school kid driving his car with his friends.  Then a girl around his age Celine Zilke, riding her bike with her friends, turned the bike into the path of the car.  The rest of his life Strauss spent struggling to make sense of what had happened.  Along the way Zilke's parents tried to sue him even though five cars of eye witnesses and the police report cleared him completely.

From that trauma and its aftermath has come the book "Half A Life."  Highly original it chronicles how this melodrama played on many different stages - the high school, the life of Zilke's parents, Strauss' old friends, Strauss' new friends who he compulsively told about the incident, and every part of his being. 

It's difficult to even opine if this kind of suffering made Strauss the writer he is or if he was simply a great talent who was going to focus on something and this was there.   The 205 pages are pure genius.

"Made For You And Me" - How a dog, cat, baby, young mother, young father survived terrible times

Caitlin Shetterly seems to write directly from her gut, even though that took plenty of hits during terrible economic times.  So, I would never imagine that she writes based on formulas.  However her book "Made For You And Me" has everything that grabs just about any reader by the throat. 

There are so many of those universal themes which resonate.  Here is just a small sampling:

Young Love Tested.  The young wife, young husband, along with cat and dog, head west from Maine, get pregnant, and stop earning big money.  With the cat dead but a baby added, they have to head back to Maine, to stay with mom. 

Writing Heals.  The young wife starts blogging about this rite of passage.  She is able to get through it, at least most of the time.  The young husband stands aside and allows the total disclosure.  Along comes a book offer and other goodies.

Hosts Get Huffy.  The tough part comes when the mom who invited the temporarily defeated back home resents them.  There's a crisis.  It gets resolved.  But reality dawns on youth that being down and out is a dark place to be.

This is a well-written and inspiring read for the 99% of us who suffered, changed, and survived the kind of economic downturn we never anticipated.  We assumed it was our parent's depression, not ours.  We were sure wrong.