The Wall Street Journal had a great article last Friday: "How to Write a Great Novel", reflections by 11 novelists on how they approach writing. Since the article is subscription only, I'll feature one writer per day here, highlighting their process with a key excerpt from the article. Today's writer is Nicholson Baker, whose novels include "The Mezzanine," "Checkpoint," and "The Anthologist."He wrote his first novel, "The Mezzanine," by dictating to a voice recorder during his commute to wo... Read Full Story
"Think of the novels you have loved most. Do you remember a character who lived with page after page, perhaps hoping the book would never end? What do you remember most clearly, the characters or the plot? Now think of the movies you’ve seen that affected you the most. Do you remember the actors or the plot? There’s a book called Characters Make Your Story that you don’t have to read because the title says it all: Characters make your story. If the people come alive, what they do becomes the ... Read Full Story
"I only have one nice April memory. Only one. She was about three or four. And she was sitting at the window. She turned to me and said, 'Oh, mother, don't you just love every day?'"-- Joy Burns (Patricia Clarkson), Pieces of April (2004), written and directed by Peter Hedges Read Full Story
Open forum question from Mahmoud:I think I have question that I don't know if you answered it or not. But here goes.How to make powerful unforgettable characters?I know this question is kinda tough, but help us in giving ways to get into the character, you making it talk to us.Are there some drills or techniques to do that?If a writer can create "powerful unforgettable characters," I think we'd all agree they have won half the battle in writing a successful script (the other primary aspects ... Read Full Story
A blast from the past: Something I originally posted in June 2008. The Internet never ceases to amaze me. Below is an excerpt from an interview with Orson Welles. I've never seen it before today, never even knew of its existence until I started bumping around the web. Two things about the interview. First, Welles reveals that the idea of 'home' is very important to him because as a child, his family moved multiple times, so he never really had what he would call a home. Second, he confesses ... Read Full Story
"My temperature runs a couple of degrees high, around a hundred. I don't mind. It's the engine or something."-- Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), Body Heat (1981), written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan Read Full Story
Open forum question from Lalithra Fernando:What do you think a good treatment looks like?I posted something about the distinction between a treatment and an outline here, so that might be worth checking that out.If your question is about what makes an effective treatment, that's simple: Tell a whopping good story in 5, 10, 20, 30 or however many pages it takes.If it's literally about how a treatment should look, as in its appearance, I'm not sure how far you want to drill down on the subject.... Read Full Story
Even though the final episode aired on March 9, 2008, I still miss "The Wire" -- best damn show ever on TV. So here you go with a choice video: "The Wire: 5 Seasons in 5 Minutes." Read Full Story
The online screenwriting resource Storylink hosts an interview this month with writer (movies and TV) Melissa Rosenberg. Rosenberg's credits include the movies Step Up (2006), Twilight (2008/I), and The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), and the fantastic TV series "Dexter".The interview is an interesting one, not only because of Rosenberg's answers, but because the questions were posed by Storylink readers. Here's a couple of Q&A's:I was wondering where your inspiration for the writing of... Read Full Story
