I recently came across a speech that Louis Danziger, a grand master of graphic design, made when he retired from teaching at Cal Arts. He was talking about design, but I think his ideas apply so well to writing, too, that I wanted to share them. He made nine points; here are the first four, along with my thoughts in italics.
1: Design is a problem-solving activity.
In writing, the problem is how to tell the story most effectively.
2: The solution to the problem is in the problem itself.
3: If you are having difficulty in finding a solution, it seems to be most productive to go back to clarifying and enlarging one's understanding of the problem. Restating it, paraphrasing it, asking the questions in other ways, gathering additional information all seem to help. The form is in the in-formation.
When you're having problems telling a story, don't look for a formula. Look deeper into the characters and the story. I've always found that in writing a script, if the middle isn't working, the problem is actually earlier, in the way I've set up the characters or the situation.
4: In the best work, form and content are inseparable. Always seek to find the perfect balance.
Again, it's tempting to make the story fit a formula or paradigm, but the best work comes when you let the story define its own shape. That's why I'm skeptical of courses or books that say 'a romantic comedy must have these 14 steps' or 'a horror film must always have this shape.' Of course letting the story define its own shape is harder.
There's more Danziger in the next post.
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