What Writers Wear Writing: Confessions

Okay!

Now we're cooking with an efficient, non-polluting, renewable resource!

The "What Writers Wear: a survey" post provoked a crazy and unprecedented response. And I knew when I posted it that this post would shortly follow.

Writers: what do you wear writing?

Forget the penny loafers and the tweed jacket with the patches on the elbows and the little hash burns on the lapels that you toss on when you step out. What have you got on when you're scribbling your play on the yellow pad, typing up your novel on the old Smith-Corona, dancing your fingers across your laptop's keyboard as you pump out quality television programming? -- if anything at all!

Tell all; omit no detail however stained, worn, or sophisticated in aroma.

Since I do most of my writing when I literally first get out of bed, I'm not wearing much. Sometimes my Stanfield's and a t-shirt-- usually picked up off the floor where I dropped them the night before.

Lately I've been wearing one of those wrap around things fat guys wear in Bali. It took a long time for me to work up the courage to get one but I got tired of using a towel and pretending I was Yul Brynner's younger, bigger-boned, brother. So I got this very manly one; it's a black and gold number that I just slap on when I stumble over to the kitchen for my Raisin Bran and fire up the computer... I'm lovin' it.

What writers wear: A survey

It's the end of August and that means a trip to Mark's so that I can be properly attired when I arrive in Vancouver this weekend for the super top secret plans for Robson Arms Season III. Coming to you in 2008... or not.

So what does a well-dressed writer wear? I have no idea.

Josh Friedman has an hilarious description of his wardrobe, and if it's only half-true it's scary. Scary because it rings so true.

Now me, I'm no Hollywood bigwig screenwriter who can afford your fancy Beverly Hills tracksuit that the high rollers like Mr. Friedman don. Nope. I'm a Mark's Work Wearhouse guy. I got a pair of these nylon skater shorts that older, fatter guys who want to be cool wear. I've worn them so much this year they're transparent. I've gone back to Mark's countless times to find me more of these exact shorts-- no luck. There will be a ritual burning of what's left of them this fall.

I'd turn to the story department of Robson Arms for inspiration but it's mostly girls. Jesse McKeown drops in from time to time with a signature cap or toque hanging at some jaunty angle but after returning from India he's as thin as a PEI phone book so that's no good. The rest of the writing department is either a fitted Ironhead Tee with Lululemon casual pants and a jacket or a homemade knit sweater over a pair of capri jeans and some funky boots.

So... what am I to do? I need a "look" before I head back to the big city. Denis, what are you wearing to your Across the River story meetings in TO? Alex, I'd love to hear what the well-dressed Montreal screenwriter with a box office record breaking film has on as he strolls down St. Laurent. Jane, you of the bright and bold sweaters, can you tell us what Andy and the rest of the boys are wearing as you break one story after another? Diane, you're chatting with a lot of writers... who's wearing what?

Jr. Scientist Procrastination Kit

I'm a big astronomy buff. So I was totally suckered when my sister sent me a link to the Stardust@Home project.

No more silly blogs, or time-wasting movie trailer. No, I'm afraid I'm too busy making a contribution dude! With the Stardust@Home project people like you and me can actually help out with the grunt work of a real astronomical project. It's a collaboration "consisting of thousands of volunteers all over the world, and professional scientists at U. C. Berkeley and NASA/JSC."

Basically, after a brief tutorial, you examine a series of slides of Aerogel under a "virtual microscope" looking for dust that was picked up by collectors on the tiny spaceship Stardust. (I'm not kidding) On its seven year journey through the solar system it flew around, flew behind Comet Wild 2's coma, picked up some interstellar dust... This is seriously cool, if slightly geeky, stuff.

So if you're looking for a new and useful way to waste your time, get your lab coat on and check it out.

Interview with Espenson

Buffy writer Jane Espenson (who has a terrific blog of her own) offers a lot of great advice and insights on television writing in general and writing TV spec in particular in this interview on Popgurls.com.

Dave's Yes/No Movie Review: Inconvenient Truth

Yes.

The Raiders of the Lost Ark. In 30 seconds. Performed by bunnies.

The folks at Angry Alien have released their latest production.

If it's not broke...break it.

It's weird how all the screenwriting books and magazines and podcasts are the worst kind of procrastination tools for writers. Man, if we're trying to avoid writing there's nothing better.

The irony is they may serve you best when you're actually working on something.

An example: I'm working on a rewrite of a feature and like a good boy I've been trying to avoid buying and reading the latest issues of the usual magazines. Trying to stay away from the usual websites. Keep away from my iPod.

I need to be strict with myself. Why? Things like: I once took a whole week off work because I convinced myself I had to watch the first three seasons of Buffy-- all at once. I mean, it made my dialogue very Weldonesque for a while but really.

The thing is when I'm actually working on something-- maybe that's the best time to be getting ideas from other writers. Today I had to take a longish drive out of town so I decided to take my iPod and listen to an old Creative Screenwriting Podcast with James Mangold talking about I Walk The Line.

Mangold was sharing a story about the trouble with shooting the musical numbers-- about needing to have a problem in every musical number. To make it not just be about the music. To have drama in the scene.

Insert awakening metaphor here.

It was just the reminder I needed. I find sometimes I wraps things up too early. I resolve problems between characters too soon. Maybe it's because I'm a middle child and have a natural tendency to play the peacemaker... But having the couple make up, or the bully get his comeuppance, or Indy find the Ark of the Convenant, before they absolutely have to is a mistake.

The reason the story goes on is because something isn't right, or unresolved, or broke. And once it's fixed whether you have 2 pages left or twenty-- your story is done.

So resist your natural and wholesome urge to fix things. Indulge your unnatural and evil urge to prolong the suffering of your characters until the last possible moment.

And save all those magazines, books and podcasts until you're actually working on something.

Dave's Yes/No Movie Review: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Yes.

The God Who May Be

I don't know how many of you are radio fans, and of you radio fans, how many are CBC fans, and of you CBC fans how many are Ideas fans, and of you Ideas fan how many of you heard the third part of the program "The God Who May Be" last night. But it was very interesting. I can't encapsule all the issues touched on but here's the blurb from the CBC website:

It was a modern axiom that philosophy and religion should be strangers, the one relying on reason the other on revelation. But, as the limits of both reason and revelation have become clearer, a new conversation has begun, and Irish philosopher Richard Kearney has been one of its leaders. In a three-part conversation with David Cayley, he talks about his philosophy of the imagination and his book, The God Who May Be.

Of particular interest to writers was Kearney's journey from the roots of Irish literature to reality television to the monsters of imagination in Post 9/11 world culture. Some of which came, I believe, from another of his book: Strangers, Gods and Monsters

I can only hope that the program eventually comes up on the Ideas podcast... if not I'll just have to get the books.

Overheard in Charlottetown

How come nobody ever told me about this awesome blog? The thing I like best: it delivers what it promises. A bunch of expressions, snatches of conversations, bits of dialogue overheard. But, to be fair, there's some from out of town too.

Dave's Yes/No Movie Review: The Descent.

Yes. If you've already seen the film, I recommend reading Jim Emerson's thoughtful review as well as his thoughts on non-cinematic inspiration for and from the film.

Sci-fi Fans... stay tuned.

Great Idea. From the Futon Critic, comes news of a new "Masters of..." series. First there was a "Masters of Horror" shot in Vancouver. Now, from the same producers, I believe, a "Masters of Science Fiction" series is in the works. From the site:

Acclaimed physicist Professor Stephen Hawking will introduce each episode. Award-winning director Mark Rydell (On Golden Pond, The River, The Rose) and writer/director Michael Tolkin (The Player, The Rapture, The Burning Season) directed the first two episodes. Directors for the subsequent four episodes include Harold Becker (Sea of Love, Malice, Mercury Rising), Darnell Martin (Their Eyes Were Watching God, I Like It Like That), Michael Petroni (Til Human Voices Wake Us, Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys) and Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: Insurrection, Star Trek: Voyager, Roswell).

Among the other "masters": works by or based on the venerable Harlan Ellison, and Robert Heinlein.

Great Transitions Part II

In Great Transitions Part I was yakking about what I thought were great story turns that were held within a Cut. In the interest of expanding the idea of what a Transition is, or might be, thought I'd mention what I believe to be a couple of great story transition... but these turns are held within a character.

The best place to look for them in film is around the end of the "second act" where a characters world is turned figuratively or literally upside down.


The first one that popped in my head was the famous "my daughter... my sister" scene from Chinatown. Jake, our hero, reacts with violence at what his brain just cannot comprehend. Evelyn asks if he can understand..."or that just too much for you." It is.


The second scene that came to mind was a scene from another Kubrick film: The Shining. Nope. Not the "Here's Johnny" scene. But the scene just before it. Shelley Duvall comes into the room where her husband Jack has been spending months isolated from the world "working on his novel." When she trespasses into his work space she leaves behind any hopes she might have held, or delusions she might still be clinging on to. She reads the words of her husband's book and her life is destroyed forever.

These moments don't have to be filled with terror though. There's a great moment of transition for Scout and Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird.

For the first half of the film they are convinced that Atticus, their father, is about the most boring man in town. Then the day comes when a rabid dog comes into the neighbourhood and the Sheriff calls for Atticus to come from his law offices to shoot it. Atticus aims, takes off his glasses and throws them to the ground and brings the sick animal down in one shot.

His children are amazed. They didn't realize their soft spoken father was "the best shot in the county." Their world isn't what they thought it was.

It's a great scene that foreshadows the climax of the film, when Boo Radley comes to save Scout and Jem from a mad dog of an entirely different sort.

What about you... Any great character transition from films that haunt you?

And it reads so much sexier!

In backtracking some of the visitors to Don't Feed the Writer. I discovered my entire blog-- translated into french!

Pour service en français, clickez.

Dave's Yes/No Theatre Review: Play in the Park: The Tempest

Yes.

Dave's Yes/No Movie Review: Miami Vice

Directing: Yes.
Writing: No.
Overall: No.

BSG Season Three Update

I don't know how many among you are BattleStar Galactica fans, I only know you all should be!

BSG re-imaginer Ronald D. Moore (writer: Star Trek TNG, and creator: Carnivale) has updated his series blog, with many hints about the upcoming season.

A PEI connection: Our very own Lauren Walker is rumoured to be working in the costume department.

And with one post Dwight Schrute brings all my favorite worlds together.

Taste of Fall

Summer's not over yet, but the taste of fall is in the air. And from where I'm sittin' the cool fall will be a welcome change from the muggy summer. I'm talkin' movie shows. It looks like this fall is shaping up very nicely so far with at least two must see film. James Ellroy's Black Dahlia directed by Brian DePalma (I know, I know, but the trailer is looking more like The Untouchables DePalma and not Raising Cain DePalma) and the remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, entitled The Departed. It's directed by Martin Scorcese with a huge cast. And because we're all hot about the writers on this blog it's interesting to note that Black Dahlia was written by Josh Friedman whose blog, though only updated sporatically is definitely worth checking out. The Departed is written by Kingdom of Heaven scribe, William Monahan.

Dave's Yes/No Movie Review: Monster House

Yes.

Great Transitions Part I

A recent comment by Hamish reminded me of a conversation we had had when he was visiting the Island a couple of weeks ago. I was mentioning something I heard Stephen Gaghan attribute to the russian novelist Leo Tolstoy.

I'm para-phrasing here, but Gaghan, while he was being interviewed for the Creative Screenwriting Podcast about his film Syriana, said Tolstoy listed the four most important elements for writing a novel: 1. Transitions 2. Context 3. Character and last (and, in the self-styled-anti-mckee-Gaghan's opinion, least) 4. Story.

There's a whole post and a half waiting about that list but I thought instead we could talk about Great Transitions. I'm not sure that this is what Gaghan (or Tolstoy) was talking about but for the purposes of this post I'll keep my comments to what I think are some Great Transitions in Film.

The two kinds of Transitions I was thinking of were: 1. Great edits. Where the cut of the film took us from one world into another. 2. Great Transitions of Story/Character, moments of a film where the characters world turns upside down... sometimes literally.

For today I just want to mention a couple of my favorite edits.

In the first category, my two suggestions might be a little Film School 101 but I remember being blown away by two cuts the first from Lean's Lawerence of Arabia.
Lawrence puts out a match with his fingers. Then shows another soldier how he does it. The soldier is burned:

William Potter: Ooh! It damn well 'urts!
T.E. Lawrence: Certainly it hurts.
Officer: What's the trick then?
T.E. Lawrence: The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.

And soon after comes the great moment where the flame of the struck match is blown out into the burning desert sun. It's a powerful cut that literally drags us through time and space, and introduces the central motif of the flame of a man's spirit and life tied to the burning desert sun, a man who will literally light the fuse of an entire culture.

The second Great Transition is from Stanley Kubrick. The jump of thousands of years with the toss of a bone in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The cut from bone to space station introduces the idea of how closely the evolution of our species is tied to the evolution of our technology and sets up the journey of where there evolution maybe leading us.

I'll post in a couple of days about some thoughts from the second category of Great Transitions.

If you'd like to email me some suggestions with or without links to an appropriate pic I'd be happy to post it. Contact info is just on the side thingy there.