Category: About Writing
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e.phemera: John Cleese On Creativity
John Cleese has been giving talks on the creative process for as long as he has worked for Video Arts. Here are a few extracts of him addressing the best way to shape your environment for writing, and also some thoughts on walking away from problems.
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About Writing: Index Cards
There are a number of great software packages that can help you make your writing life easier. Screenplay formatting is one of them. And until yesterday, I would have also suggested Index Card packages, like the one from Mindola. I must admit, I’d been seduced by digital index cards. I liked the way they worked,…
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About Writing: What I Learned
When I embarked on writing In The Can, my latest novel, it began much like any other project; fun and engaging. But it soon turned into a hard slog, felt like a chore, and became a real bane, right up until the moment I finished the first draft. In fact, it was the least fun I’ve ever…
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About Writing: How To Make ANY Scene Funny
We don’t like to admit it, but us comedy writers have a secret technique for making ANY scene in anything funny. It’s a well-kept secret* because we have to protect it and earn a crust. We’re like the Masons or something. But I’m breaking the code of silence, like that magician who pretended he spoke…
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About Writing: The Shape Of Stories
I’ve always been fascinated by the shape of plots, but here Kurt Vonnegut distills them down to their finest essence:
