I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
September 19, 2012
Quote of the Day: Douglas Adams
August 23, 2012
Don’t Plagiarize, Do Steal
‘It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to.’ -Jean-Luc Godard
Paul Peditto has written a great article for MovieBytes.com about the benefits of stealing — not plagiarizing, but re-imagining stories that have been told a hundred times before, taking inspiration from better artists than yourself, and making old ideas new.
He explains:
Stealing. Should you ever do it?
C’mon… seriously? The answer is FUCK yeah.
Let me bow to my betters, first some thoughts on the subject by Jim Jarmusch, appropriately stolen/borrowed from a pal’s Facebook entry:
“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: ‘It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to.’”read more »
August 17, 2012
Rewriting: Finding the Will to Take a Machete to Your Script
Jenna Avery of Script Magazine has written a helpful article about approaching rewriting with the right mindset — a mindset that is capable of cutting your favorite scenes, even restructuring your entire story, to make your script work.
She writes:
As I embarked recently on a major rewrite of a feature script, I bumped into a big wall of resistance. While I didn’t think my script was necessarily perfect, I was attached to my story in its then-current form. So even though I was getting feedback about the need for significant structural changes, I was struggling with the idea of letting go of much (okay, anything!) of the story.
read more »
May 30, 2012
Quote of the Day: Robert Harris
I’ve always just wanted to earn my living by writing. The best thing is to go into my study in the morning and put words together.
May 29, 2012
Quote of the Day: Barbara Taylor Bradford
I will never stop writing. People often ask when I will retire, but I say it’s none of their business. Writing defines who I am. I love the feeling of holding a finished book in my hands, and then I can’t wait to start the great adventure of writing the next one.
May 21, 2012
Quote of the Day: WH Auden
A writer is a maker, not a man of action: his private life is of no concern to anybody but himself, his family and his friends.
May 17, 2012
Quote of the Day: Anton Chekhov
I’ve been reading reviews of my stories for twenty-five years, and can’t remember a single useful point in any of them, or the slightest good advice. The only reviewer who ever made an impression on me was Skabichevsky, who prophesied that I would die drunk in the bottom of a ditch.
May 11, 2012
Quote of the Day: Robertson Davies
There is absolutely no point in sitting down to write a book unless you feel that you must write that book, or else go mad, or die.
May 4, 2012
Quote of the Day: Somerset Maugham
There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately no-one knows what they are.
May 3, 2012
Quote of the Day: Evelyn Waugh
Anyone could write a novel, given six weeks, pen, paper, and no telephone or wife.
