Fast Times at Ridgemont High-Level Closeness to Your Craft

Cameron Crowe’s first foray into writing is the life he led that is depicted in the movie Almost Famous. That’s a story for another time. Chronologically, his second notable writing effort was the script for a film called Fast Times at Ridgemont High. 

If you are too young to know what that film is, I pity you. But, it’s a cult classic coming of age tale that captures the high school experience incredibly. Well, in order to write the film, 19-year old Crowe enrolled illegally in Claremont High School in San Diego for a year.

This is a supremely intimate experience with the content. 

Crowe had been to high school, so surely he was qualified to write about it. But, in order to write the best film possible, he wanted to be nose-to-nose with the material. It’s an incredible story of nearly journalistic writing and it likely made the film the iconic work that it is. 

Now, likely you nor I are film makers, but I bring this up for its universal appeal. If you are seeking craft mastery around a topic or you’re trying to create value in any lane, you will likely be as successful as your proximity to the craft. 

Want to be about your work?

Get close to the craft.