Alexander Stuart

The Gulp, drawn by Hudson (aged six) using a trackball mouse. Our six year old son, Hudson, and I have been writing a children's book together, called Hudson's Fantastickal Club House . Most of the ideas are Hudson's - the story is inspired by his imaginary Club House in a graceful old olive tree in our garden - and we have had enormous fun writing it. We also have ambitious plans to build the Club House/tree house one day! At some point we will put it all together into a book, perhaps in this form, perhaps geared more toward illustrations. We will also publish more chapters here and probably on its own blog page. In the meantime, we thought you might enjoy the first chapter, " The Gulp. " Click here to read. We hope you enjoy...and please feel free to comment!     

   Yesterday, at the end of a day of writing, we took our children to the beach for dinner al fresco as the sun set. It was a reminder of just how beautiful the simplest things can be. Watching children enjoying the ocean is magical in itself...as is the sun dipping down over the hills and the beach. We cannot create anything as intensely moving and memorable as a single moment in the company of those we love, or the astonishing complexity and beauty of each instant on this planet...  

   It's really worth checking out the astonishing Ecosystems Experience at the LA Science Museum (actually it's called the California Science Center ) on Exposition Boulevard. There is a truly beautiful kelp tank with the shoal of fish I photographed here, as well as swell sharks, bat rays and other marine life that you would find in a kelp forest. The kelp has even started to reproduce in the tank - watch out for the tiny yellow triangles that show where baby kelp is growing. Really worth a visit. We took our young children and they loved it - as did I.

The twilight over the mountains on Topanga Canyon Boulevard was beautiful last night...I love blurry photos!

I had a great time yesterday at UCLA talking to visiting film students from the University of Miami about my "journey as a writer" (mostly on the 101 and 405 to get to the campus).  It's always good to experience the enthusiasm and fresh perspective of those aspiring to work in the business - and it was wonderful to see my friend, Paul Lazarus , who runs the film program at UM, where I used to teach graduate screenwriting. Paul, who is a former movie producer ( Westworld and Barbarosa are among his credits) told me a tale of the high days of Hollywood in the 1980s, when - during a negotiation on a particular project - he received a call from a heavyweight (in every sense, including the Vegas-"connected" variety) show business attorney, who asked Paul, "Are you trying to screw my client?  Do you want to wind up at the bottom of a lake?" Paul - a former entertainment attorney himself (Mel Brooks was a client) - answered: "Are you threatening my