Time to Write

F. Scott Fitzgerald on Hollywood

I just finished reading “The Disenchanted,” a fictionalized version of the time a young Budd Schulberg (the author of the book) spent with F. Scott Fitzgerald toward the end of the latter’s life. Fitzgerald, broke and suffering from alcoholism, took on the job of collaborating on a movie script about a winter carnival. Unfortunately it all ended badly.

 Knowing the background of the novel makes it worth a read. The book starts from the point of view of Schulberg’s alter ego, Shep, and then veers into a very long flashback about the famous novelist’s fall from grace, then brings back Shep but ends on the Fitzgerald character. This handling of POV leaves something to be desired but there are plenty of positives to compensate.

 Isn’t it weird how having even a tenuous connection to a book or film makes it more interesting? A good friend of mine is a distant relative of Fitzgerald and that has always made me feel that I have a slight link to him.

While I was reading this book, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal about Fitzgerald’s Hollywood short story collection, “The Pat Hobby Stories.” It’s about a hack writer in the movie business, set in the 30’s --but not that much has changed. I think of these stories as the literary precursors of “Adventures in the Screen Trade.” If you’ve never encountered these stories and are at all interested in the film business, you’re in for a treat.

(Interested in writing your own novel? My book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey, will guide you from idea through to publication.)

The amazing story of the lost photographer

A fascinating story in the Independent about Vivian Maier, a French nanny whose hobby was photography—maybe that’s an understatement, it seems more of a calling. A young Chicago real estate agent named John Maloof happened to buy much of her archive for a few hundred dollars, not really knowing what it contained. He ended up with 20,000 negatives and a thousand rolls of undeveloped film, each with 12-14 images, mostly of Chicago and New York.

 He put some of them online and it has caused a sensation, with Maeir being called a new star of mid-century American photography.

 Maloof found out she was still alive but too ill to see anyone and when he decided to make an effort to meet with her, he found out she’d died the previous day. He’s writing a book about her, featuring some of her best work.

 You can see examples of her work at the blog www.vivianmaier.com and read a bit more about the story. They’re brilliant black and white images—what an eye she had! One of the things that fascinates me is that she never showed her photos to anyone (and never saw many of them herself in print form, apparently). She must have been truly in love with the process for its own sake.

 A heartwarming PS to the story is that when, in old age, she fell upon hard times, three brothers she had nannied bought her an apartment and paid her bills until she died.

An 'old school' way of story-telling I've never seen before (video)

We’re all about digital these days, but here’s a video showing a contestant on “Ukraine’s Got Talent” (yes) who uses sand and light to tell a wordless story in real time. The video is ten minutes long but if you don’t have time to watch the whole thing just have a look at the first minute or so. I think you’ll be impressed. (If the viewer doesn’t appear, the link to the YouTube page is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvXVkZysOrc (PS: she won)

Federico Fellini on staying true to yourself

The great Italian director, Federico Fellini, had many offers to work in Hollywood. Here's what he said about why he didn't do it:

"What good is giving up my independence, my friends, my Roman restaurants, my crazy Italian people, traffic at rush hour by the Coliseum? I would have made money and lost my joy of life. And that's all filming has been about for me: joy of life, battle of life, comedy of life, fascination of life. Life! Life! Life!"

(If being creative is part of your enjoyment of life, subscribe to my free monthly Brainstorm creativity & productivity e-bulletin. Just send an email request to BstormUK@aol.com)

Larry Gelbart's advice to struggling writers

  I’ve posted several quotes from an interview I did with comedy writer Larry Gelbart, who passed away recently at the age of 81, and here’s a bit more from him—this time from an interview conducted by Mike Sacks last year:

 Any advice you'd care to give to those writers out there just beginning their careers?

"When you're writing and come to a rough spot and the ideas just aren't flowing, put down dummy text and keep on moving—especially if it's at the end of the day and you're going to stop. Your brain will never stop for the day, even if you have stopped working, and there's a very good chance you'll come up with something better. Also, at the very least, you'll have something to come back to the next day, instead of a blank page. That's important.

 But in general terms, just sit your ass down in a chair and hope your head gets the message. Isaac Bashevis Singer's advice for the struggling young writer was to stop struggling and write. As for me, I don't have any other advice. If I did, I would have had a far more trouble-free life and a much, much better career."

 In that interview, Gelbart also has a few choice words to say about Dustin Hoffman regarding the film Tootsie:

 “Tootsie is my vision, despite Dustin Hoffman's lifelong mission to deprive anybody of any credit connected with that movie, except for his close friend, the writer and producer Murray Schisgal. I say that because Dustin appeared with James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio in 2006 and declared that the Tootsie idea sprang from Schisgal's intestines. I don't know much about gastroenterology, but I do know that the central theme for Tootsie came from me. And the central theme was that Dustin's character, Michael Dorsey, would become a better man for having been a woman. That was the cornerstone of the film. All of the other details are just floating around that idea.”

(Want to write your own script, novel, or nonfiction book? For guidance, get a writing coach in a book: "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available at Amazon and other online and offline retailers)

What Larry Gelbart told me about screenplay structure

When I lived in Hollywood I started a modest publication called The Hollywood Scriptwriter, in which I interviewed successful writers, agents, producers, and network and studio executives. One of the nicest people I met along the way was Larry Gelbart, who passed away recently. He co-wrote one of the best comedy films ever, "Tootsie," as well as one of the best TV series ever, "M*A*S*H."

I interviewed him at his home. He said, "I've got a little office above the garage, let's talk there." So we went from his Beverly Hills mansion out past his pool and tennis court to a very large garage (I think it held four or five cars) and upstairs to a home office that was larger than the entire apartment I was living in at the time. And with warmth and generosity he shared advice about screenwriting. I'll post a few of his observations over the next few days.

Here's one of his thoughts about structure: "I know when you're in trouble at the end, it's because you were in trouble at the beginning. There's no point in writing the end over and over again; you have to go back and see how well you've given yourself the opportunity to finish successfully. That's why the theater is really the most marvelous place for a writer, because the vacuum is gone. You know from night to night, in rehearsals and try-outs, where you're making it and where you're not."

RIP, Mr Gelbart.

(My interview with Larry Gelbart appears in "Successful Scriptwriting," which I co-wrote with Kerry Cox. It's now out of print but you can find used copies on the internet pretty easily.)

An artist offering a unique personal touch

I’m a big fan of artist/illustrator/cartoonist Bob Staake. He’s written and illustrated many terrific children’s books and done covers for the New Yorker, among many, many other projects. I checked out his site recently (www.bobstaake.com) and discovered that for $40 he’ll draw a doodle for you, made up of your choice of three elements from three lists. You get to pick the type of main character you want, the setting, and one additional element.

 I picked fairytale character, sleazy neighborhood, and farm animal.

 When I get it, I’ll scan it and put it up on the blog. For now, I just offer it as a terrific example of a little delight that allows you to have a personal connection with someone whose work you admire.

(for monthly tips on how to be more productive and creative, sign up for my free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an email request to BstormUK@aol.com)

Writing in the shower and going what the hell

James Schamus wrote the screenplay of “Taking Woodstock” and also is the president of indie distributor Focus Features. Katey Rich interviewed him for cinemablend.com. Here are two tidbits:

First, on the writing process: “You get to live in a fantasy life a little bit for a while. You get to see something in your mind and follow it, there's freedom there, funnily enough. Writing, I think for most writers and screenwriters, 90% of the work is when you're walking the dog, taking a shower, staring out the window, these characters are alive and you're trying to grasp that almost meditatively.”

 And the philosophy of his distribution company, which sounds like a pretty good philosophy for anything: “ We stopped playing by the rules a while ago and just started going, what the hell. Everything is falling apart around us, why not just trust our instincts, trust the creativity of the team. And make sure everybody's having fun and working hard, but also know that we're bringing something different out there. That's all. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win.”

(Want to get started writing your own screenplay? A good starting point for any kind of writing is my book, “Your Writing Coach,” published by Nicholas Brealey. You can get it from Amazon and other online and off line retailers.)

How Judd Apatow writes his hit movies

“I’m always drawn to movies that make me laugh but lead to some sort of emotional punch,” says Judd Apatow in his interview with Elvis Mitchell on KCRW, citing the example of “Harold and Maude” as a perfect movie experience.

He cites his experience as a producer of “The Garry Shandling Show” as a major influence in terms of keeping it funny but raising the stakes about what the subject matter is.

 If you’re intrigued by how Apatow makes his comedy films and how “Funny People” takes him deeper into darker territory, you’ll enjoy this 28-minute interview.

Inspiring or annoying? (Quentin Tarantino interview)

Quentin Tarantino's been all over the media lately and I confess to a certain ambivalence about him (I find him alternately annoying and inspiring) and you may find both in this interview with him on KCRW's "The Treatment." The interviewer is Elvis Mitchell. Click here to listen:

http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt/tt090819quentin_tarantino