Progress

Good writing this week. Hopefully good transcription Sunday.

Screen and Stage

On the same line of thought regarding cinematic writing, how does one decide whether a play should become a screenplay? Now that's one that'll fester...

Is it an artistic question as much as a commercial one?

Writing Cinematically

A friend of mine asked me the other day about difference between non-fiction and fiction--how to market something that seemed the blur genres. In the case of what he wanted to accomplish, a sort of magical, Fear and Loathing reportage, I recommended declaring "fiction" up front and registered for unrestricted poetic license.

It reminded me of a key quote that's relevant for biography as much as for fiction. John Gardner said fiction should be a "vivid, continuous dream."

Vivid. Continuous. Dream.

All three descriptors contribute. It goes back to an earlier strategy I never seem to tire of. To craft good biography, in my opinion, is to write cinematically.

Cadence Conundrum

For one of my required projects this term, I analyzed Jimmy Carter's "malaise" speech. It's worth a look I think as an example of executive messaging. Many critics believe it to be one of the most tone-deaf, soporific, strident presidential speeches of all time--a stick in the eye of the American public. Others, looking back, see it as prophetic. As Johnny Cash would say, "strong medicine."

Decide for yourself. Credit goes to the Miller Center at University of Virginia for archiving the speech:

Balanced Antithesis

Just read a fascinating book on speechwriting. It's funny how speechwriting teachers all have their own pet techniques. This particular author teaches by way of JFK, Douglas MacArthur, and Abe Lincoln. Now, JFK and Lincoln are rather consensus choices.

But MacArthur? I'd argue that's controversial.

I'm mostly using this book for a different project, but it may prove useful for the Chiles book.

Sorkin and Women

This week for fun I skimmed an excellent book: Considering Aaron Sorkin: Essays on the Politics, Poetics and Sleight of Hand in the Films and Television Series.

Mostly, I was fascinated by the essays on the role of women in The West Wing and A Few Good Men. I spent some time comparing the woman characters in these works with the character Susan from the film The Paper Chase. It was a very fruitful brainstorming session.

I hope put these lessons to work on my play and the Chiles book in some fashion.

Gray Area

I'm in a gray area on the work on the play...I feel I've filled out the main characters well. Lots of progress on that front. Also feel, however, that maybe this humble Two-Act play wants to be a Three-Act. At 35 pages, it would probably run at most for 40 minutes. I wonder what exactly I'm shooting for...

As with finishing the book, I suppose it's one those things that is always imprecise. You "feel" your way to the conclusion. When it feels done, it's "done."

Right now though, I'm not sure what the play wants from me. My guess is it wants 20 more pages, making it a solid hour-long drama. I think that's the ballpark I'm looking for. To make my central character worthy of some tragedy and some heroism, I'll need 20 more pages for sure.