Writing. It’s like a drug. I started at 06.30 this morning and I’m just coming down now, eleven hours later.
Off the back-end of working through plot problems and character development, I watched an episode of a DVD series called “The Dialogue“, Learning from the Masters. It’s a series of interviews, straight-up, not too many clips and no frills. The interviews are with with screenwriters, from Academy Award winners Callie Khouri (Thelma and Louise) to comedy writer John Hamburg (Meet the Fockers).
I sucked in the Paul Haggis episode, he of “Crash” and “Million Dollar Baby” fame. I was surprised to see that he’s risen through the television writing ranks, building himself to Exec Producer, or Showrunner status on TV series like ‘Due South’ and ‘thirtysomething’. He’s a pleasure to listen to and watch; affable, humble, and extremely bright. He tells a good story, not only on paper.
Paul Haggis. Screenwriter & Director
There were two things that stood out for me that he had earmarked as important. The first was to ‘write from the gut’. Write about things that you care about. The second was that he tends to write into a place that scares him. He remembers asking his writing partner on Crash, “Can we say this?” And the response was, “Yes, if it’s true.”
I can sense that it’s about building trust with your story. Being true. True to the scenario, true to the character, true to conscience and true to the story.
He also said that as writers we need to keep on taking risks. That without risks we won’t grow, we’ll simply die on the inside. (See my earlier post on ‘Lost Quotations’)
I am encouraged. And I can feel myself starting to grow again.
Shoot for the Heart 