This is the kind of quote you expect to find on a blog titled Screenwriting from Iowa…and Other Unlikely Places:
“I think all writers should have a voyeur nature. You have to look and listen. That’s why some writers might run out of material; they’re not looking, they’re not listening. I think the problem is that, if you live in California—and especially if you live in Hollywood—you aren’t connected to what the rest of the world thinks of as the real life. Your observations are based on what you see on television and not what you see going on in reality. If you ride in limos for too long, you tend to forget what cabs, buses, and subways are like. You lose contact. I think it’s important to stay in contact with the outside world.”
Screenwriter Buck Henry (The Graduate)
And Here’s the Kicker/Mike Sacks
Of course, there are writers in California who’ve never ridden in a limo and there is even a world beyond yellow cabs and subways—but you know what Henry means.
P.S. The very first post on this blog back in January 2008 was Life Beyond Hollywood.
[…] This is the kind of quote you expect to find on a blog titled Screenwriting from Iowa…and Other Unlikely Places: “I think all writers should have a voyeur nature. You have to look and listen. That’s why some writers might run out of material; they’re not looking, they’re not listening. I think the problem is […] Original Source… […]
Scott,
Thanks for reminding us of this important point. So much of Hollywood-produced art focuses on LA, and while some great projects result… it is true that there is much inspiration to be found in the wide, wide world beyond the City of the Angels. (Which incidentally, also happens to be where the bulk of the world’s media consumers live!) While I’m no expert on the subject by any means, I raised this same point in a blog interview I did a couple months ago:
http://yourplotthickens.blogspot.com/2011/06/is-there-life-for-screenwriter-outside.html
“If you’re not in LA, use your location to your advantage! Cultivate an artistic voice, characters and situations that will get noticed in LA precisely because they’re not about LA. I personally think it’s harder to maintain originality if you’re surrounded by the often-myopic Southern California culture.” Lisa Walker England
Nice quote. Think I’ll feature that quote on my blog in coming days.
Thanks, Scott!