As soon as the iPad inspired a slurry of Android clones I’m sure more than a few writers thought, “Now I can write that novel or screenplay in bed, waiting at the doctor office, or yes, even while sitting on the toilet!” But wait! Not so fast. How does the state of the art stack
Why shower crayons work: Routine. It forces us to focus and make decisions, even if it’s only for a few minutes a day. You don’t need hours, days, or weeks to make a decision. Most decisions can take place within a few seconds. Even the most creative thorny problems. You may not find the best
Novelists usually work by a process of drafting. They write straight through to a 1st draft. Then they change the things they don’t like in the 2nd draft, and iterate into a 3rd, etc. Drafting is a linear process. Plotting, also sometimes called ‘blocking,’ is used by script writers to establish economical scene flow.
Jun
01
Posted by : | On : June 1, 2008
From Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain;
“A hook is a device for catching, holding, sustaining, or pulling anything — in this case, a reader.”
Every story needs a high concept hook. Every sequence, every scene, and every sentence needs a hook.
May
08
Posted by : | On : May 8, 2008
I watched Raiders of the Lost Ark again, in anticipation of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It’s remarkable how many things Lucas & Spielberg did right in crafting their iconic hero. The whip and the fedora, the fedora which especially works well and the exploit a lot through the use of silhouette and shadows on the wall in various scenes. But those are physical/appearance characteristics, while important, do not necessarily reveal tics of character.
“I hate snakes.” You know what I’m talking about. This one simple line, and littering the first movie with snakes that Indy can react to, gives the audience a quality they can identify with and latch onto in the hero.
Apr
18
Posted by : | On : April 18, 2008
There’s this thing that movies and TV do from time to time. Sometimes it’s a trick used across sequels. They’ll have characters trade places and sometimes lines. Depending on how it’s done, I tend to like it.
In The Bourne Identity, when Bourne shoots the assassin played by Clive Owen, as the assassin is dying he says to Bourne, “Look at what they make you give.”
In the third movie, The Bourne Ultimatum, as Bourne finally discovers the truth of his identity and is forced into a showdown, he says, “Look at what they make you give.” I thought it was clever that they had Bourne come full circle and echo Clive Owen’s line from the first movie.
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