writing // Browsing posts in writing
No Scribes, No Problem
So, Variety says that Leno is still easily topping Letterman in the ratings, despite having no WGA staffers and relying on non-SAG guests and/or C-list scabs. And that reality shows (replacements or not) continue to outperform their scripted counterparts in prime time at around 30% of the cost. This is disturbing on so many levels, ...
Perjiarism
She stole a piece of him. Now he wants it back. That’s the tagline to what is now my least-favorite movie, based on one of my all-time favorite novels. When you understand that the woman who “wrote” and directed it thieved it literally scene-for-scene from a man’s ten-years-published novel, you’ll appreciate its irony. I wonder ...
Book Learnin vs. Dirty Hands
I would love to hear, from your point of view, whether a fine arts degree worth its pursuit. Our province has many opportunities for folks in the creative community to work in the industry — both amateur and professional — and I am beginning to hear from people who work in the field that hands-on ...
Fester McDumas
My character names tend to the bizarro. [examples retracted] The rest of my prose isn’t that far out there, pretty accessible stuff, I just want them remembered, especially cuz there tend to be a lot of them to keep straight. Am I being too neurotic? Just like song titles often come to me before their ...
Going on Location
Talking writing here. Location is not simply what “frames the picture.” As the scribe of your story, if you consider yourself its cinematographer or cameraman and the reader as projectionist, then location is your film stock. (Yeah, so it’s also your art department, but let’s stick to one analogy for now.) It provides the context ...
Literary Ventriloquism
so what’s your take on how to write good, engaging, and realistic dialogue? i’ve heard some writers say that you should never use “he saids” and “she saids”. other writers say you HAVE to identify who’s talking at least every sixth line. some say you shouldn’t even use quotation marks, because they just get in ...
Dirty Words
Cover your virgin ears, we’re about to dive into the vile netherworld of profanity. This topic polarizes people. On one side are the folks who preface every decision with “is it good for the children?” On the other are the reasonable ones. Kidding. Sort of. Words have power because we ascribe it to them. Our ...
Manufacturing Fear
Depending on who you listen to, our greatest fears as humans are either: terrorists, spiders, and death; or loss of identity, rejection, and humiliation. There’s not much documentation to support a collective fear of Slovakian hostels, finger-knives, the undead, mechagodzillas, videocassettes, chainsaws, birds, or demonic possession. None of us are actually scouring the pre-flight cockpit ...
Red Zone Writing
It’s a great feeling when you can “see the light” at the end of a long-form work like a novel. A premature sense of accomplishment sets in, followed by the creeping dread of anxiety. But how the hell am I supposed to get from Q to Z in 40 pages? A football analogy is appropriate. ...
What’s My Motivation?
It sounds like such a Hollywood cliché, but it’s critical to give each actor a goal in every scene – something they want from the other actor’s character. Have this discussion during rehearsal. It doesn’t have to be as a group; in fact it’s sometimes more effective if you only articulate this privately to the ...
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