Leaving the conversation open by just recommending that you do something together could end in nothing happening. Prevent this by suggesting plans. Choose activities that just about anyone would like and not just something that you would enjoy. For instance, you could ask to meet for dinner or coffee, suggest taking your children to the park together, going for a walk, or catching a movie. Showing interest in an old friend helps re-spark your connection. Don't spend the entire gathering talking about yourself. Give the other person  a chance to claim the spotlight. Ask them what they've been up to over the years. Inquire about family, other friends, or hobbies they once had. However, stay away from touchy subjects such as politics, religion, or intimate experiences. You want to appear friendly and trustworthy, not creepy. Keep the friendship going after your first meeting by staying in touch and building trust. You can do this by sending a text or calling a few days later. If they don’t call back or respond after a few days, they may not want to continue the relationship. Offer to help out to build the friendship. Volunteering to babysit, run an errand, or make dinner for your old acquaintance can show them you want to be their friend. These acts of kindness can show your friend that you are genuinely interested in having a relationship again. The person may not be ready to have a relationship with you again. Perhaps they aren’t at a point in their life where they can have a friendship or something that happened in the past prevents them from being able to trust you. The best thing you can do is to accept the decision and move on. Having reasonable expectations about the situation will help to make it easier on you if they decide not to reconnect. Avoid sending additional texts or messages and don’t call if they are showing signs that they aren’t interested in reestablishing the friendship. Remember it's up to them whether they want to reconnect with you.

Summary: Suggest plans. Ask questions. Create a connection. Respect their decision.


The producer drafts the contract, so you should work with a lawyer experienced in entertainment law. Get referrals from other producers, or contact your nearest bar association and get a referral. A lawyer will be a big asset when you negotiate, too, so bring them on board early. Not all producers can afford a lawyer, so you might need to draft the option agreement yourself. Luckily, the American Bar Association has a sample option purchase agreement here: http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/migrated/Forums/entsports/PublicDocuments/imanage_311793_2.authcheckdam.pdf. Use it as a guide when drafting your own. Your contract will lay out the terms of your agreement. However, you also want to include warranties from the author. For example, get the author to warranty the following:  The book doesn’t infringe any copyrights. The book doesn’t invade anyone’s privacy. The book isn’t obscene and doesn’t contain defamatory material. The author hasn’t sold the film rights to anyone else. An injunction is a court order telling you to stop doing something. If you get in a dispute with the author, they can sue for an injunction that prohibits the  movie from being distributed. No distributor will touch your movie unless you include a provision telling the author they can only sue you for money compensation. Every contract contains boilerplate provisions that are meant to protect your rights. Make sure your contract contains the following provisions:  Merger clause. You want to state that the contract contains the entire agreement and replaces all prior negotiations. Choice of law provision. If you get in a contract dispute, a judge needs to apply some state’s law to the dispute. You can choose any state’s law, although most people choose the law of the state where they are located. Partnership provision. Make sure the contract states you are not forming a partnership by signing this agreement. Negotiate all main issues before writing your contract. Once finished, let the author and their lawyer/agent review it. If they have major changes, you should discuss them further.  After all parties sign, give a copy of the contract to the author and their agent. Keep your original in a safe place, such as a safe deposit box, or give it to your lawyer to hold onto.

Summary: Hire a lawyer. Use a sample if drafting your own. Remember to include warranties. Include a clause prohibiting injunctive relief. Add boilerplate. Review and sign the contract.


If the girl gave you her number and you want to start texting with her, a good starting point is to text about something you will both laugh about. Maybe there's an inside joke or something that you both have in common that you can message about. Stay away from texting something boring like, “How are you?” This will probably only get you a boring answer and it won't engage her very much. Send a text with specific details about the last time you were together in person. For example, you might say, “I loved you in that red dress the other day.” She'll feel special that you remembered these details. Sending 20 texts in different parts of the day will likely be overwhelming. Stick to 3 or 4 text sessions where you send her a quick message and respond a few times to her texts. Texting is a good supplement to other interactions, like meeting up in person or talking on the phone. Texting can help you flirt, but it shouldn't be the only way you flirt with someone. Even if you're shy, you should get to know this girl by talking on the phone or going on a casual outing together. A girl might be at work or busy doing something and can't always immediately text back. She might not be into texting and would prefer a phone call. Get a feel for how she responds to your texts and don't take it personally.
Summary: Text an inside joke. Mention details. Don't text too much. Don't rely only on texting. Don't get upset if she doesn't text back.