Cracked Rear View

In a past life, I would have said “Today, I Feel Like This”. Hell, “This Week, I Feel Like This” might have been more apropos.

As you may or may not have noticed, it’s been a real struggle for me to write anything of consequence this week. Not like I haven’t had anything to write about, since times when I am sick are the times my watching habits kick into overdrive (along with my sleeping habits). But while the body may be willing, the brain is weak: So weak in fact that I haven’t been able to make any headway on writing up a film I know will be VERY high on my list at year-end.

Every day I’ve felt a little better than the day before, but about once a day I’ll go through a stretch where I swear I’m backsliding down into sniffly, headachy, gravel-throaty shittiness.

It’s in these moments, I try to focus on the good things.

For instance, as you might have read on Facebook and Twitter, it was my third anniversary with Lindsay this week (we celebrated by staying bundled on opposite couches, nursing our own colds and watching dvds). Ever the romantic that she is, she went out and bought me blu-ray copies of E.T. and MOONRISE KINGDOM. I then topped things off by trading in my old dvd copy of E.T. and scoring a deal on the blu-ray of PROMETHEUS.

Along with all of that awesome, a book I’d bought from a used store in California. The book is Convrsations With Wilder. The book is filled with musings on his life and career through conversations he had with Cameron Crowe. Talk about a book that’s right up my alley!

So while I hope to get my mojo back, allow me to share one of the final entries in the book. It’s something included to inspire screenwriters, but I feel like it could inspire any sort of writer. Here’s hoping it’ll help me get back in the saddle…

Wilder’s Tips for Writers

1. The audience is fickle.
2. Grab ’em by the throat and never let ’em go.
3. Develop a clean line of action for your leading character
4. Know where you’re going.
5. The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, th better you are as a writer.
6. If you have a problem with the third act, the real problem is in the first act.
7. Let the audience add up two plus two. They’ll love you forever.
8. In doing voice-overs, be careful not to describe what the audience already sees. Add to what they are seeing.
9. The event that occurs at the second-act curtain triggers the end of the movie.
10. The third act must build, build, build in tempo and action until the last event, and then –
11. – that’s it. Don’t hang around.

Thanks Billy.