Gillian Fritzsche » Writing

Write What You Don’t Know!

gilliebean — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:21:35 +0000

They like to say, “Write what you know.” And often they mean that literally. To wit: write about the kind of life with which you’re familiar. They think that’s honest writing.

I think it’s a cop-out.

To be frank, the kind of life with which I’m familiar can sometimes seem rather boring. I’m a normal Canadian kid from a [somewhat unique] Canadian town. I spent some time in Texas, Oklahoma, Ontario, British Columbia, Los Angeles, and now I live in New York City. My parents are still together. I’m an only child and, for the most part, my relatives are all cordial, at the very least, and loving, during the best of times.

See?

Noah Baumbach would be depressed at the normalcy of my life.

I think the phrase “write what you know” should relate more to theme than subject matter. While I’ve led a normal life on the surface, I’ve experienced pain, fear, pride, insecurity, and, as a quirky Canadian that moved to Texas at thirteen-years-old who played basketball and was a drama nerd, I’ve experienced my fair share of identity issues. I’m also quite familiar with feminism and femininity issues, as a pear-shaped tom-boy (see also: identity issues).

So what do I know? I know universal human fears. I know how it feels to not know who you are nor who you should be. I know the quandary of a person fighting a sense of duty and responsibility with a deep personal passion for something other.

So sometimes I’m writing about 30-something guitar teachers. Sometimes I’m writing about 60-year-old homeless felons. But I’m always writing about my own fears and insecurities. About what I don’t know. About the things for which I have questions.

And ideally, it’s writing that’s honest.

Cars 2: Under The Hood, It’s Kind Of A Clunker

gilliebean — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 22:26:34 +0000

I’m not one to write reviews; but I felt so disappointed by Disney-Pixar’s most recent offering that I felt compelled to share my thoughts.

The story should have been about Mater being too afraid to be himself in the big wide world; instead it was about Mater behaving badly and getting off easy. It wasn’t about friendship. It wasn’t about anything meaningful.

It should have started with a “big promise” spy-action-type scene with Mater as the hero somewhere near or in Radiator Springs. Instead it was a car we don’t know and don’t yet care for… In a place we don’t recognize.

Then after showing Mater with hero-potential, we could have introduced the spys and that plot…

In most stories, it’s supposed to be the protagonist that needs changing. In this film Mater is the protagonist, but he’s not the one who changes. Lightning is the one who changes. But we haven’t really followed his story.

Sure it’s a fun ride; but the story is not meaningful.

Disappointing, Pixar.

Bum in chair, then what?

gilliebean — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:51:39 +0000

A little while ago, screenwriter Scott Myers, who runs the blog Go Into The Story, reposted a reader question about how to actually go about writing once you’re sitting in the chair staring at a black page. He asked for his readers to post helpful hints in the comments section.

This was my answer:

I think a writer has to decide if they’re more productive by being disciplined to write a little bit each day or if they’re better to set aside a chunk of time (a couple days, a week or a block of evenings) to focus. I tried both ways and I found that I’m better with huge blocks of time. Once I get going, it’s hard to stop me until I’m done.

Also, you have to decide if you’re the type of person who needs to outline first and write pages second, or if you’re the type of person who needs to “poop out the pages” first and figure out the outline second (rearranging the script). For me, it’s a combination – but it was gold to me to figure out my working style.

Now I don’t stress about it. I just write a rough outline, put it through a few development passes (with outside feedback), and then sit down to write the pages. If another scene comes to me while I’m writing that’s not in the outline, I just write it, but then I keep going with the outline. If I have ideas that deviate from the outline, I make notes, but keep going with the outline. Then once I’m done with the first draft, and I can see flesh on my skeleton of an idea, it’s easier to see if that outline worked or not. Then the real work begins…

Rewriting!

What do you think? What are your tricks?

Sonny on IndieGoGo

gilliebean — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:11:18 +0000

Most of you know that I’m a filmmaker! Now I’m getting ready to be a film director! I’ve been a first AD and producer for a while now and it’s time for me to be what I’ve always been meant to be… A director.

My project is called “Sonny” and it’s about a homeless man that loses his only connection to his past but finds a future and identity he could not have imagined.

We’re shooting in mid-July but we need a bit more moolah for set design, catering, and locations. I’m hoping to raise $2100 in 21 days. July 1st is my deadline.

Can you help?

If you can’t help, but if you know someone who can, then please forward this link! Thanks!

Good Advice for both writers and execs!

gilliebean — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:45:21 +0000

When I was in the Act One Executive Program, they offered a class on How to Give Notes to Writers! I thought it was a great class. And when I went through the Writing Program, one year later, I tried to give notes like I’d been taught in that Exec Program class. I also tried to receive notes through the filter of what I’d learned in that class. So not only was it helpful for me as a producer, it became helpful for me as a writer!

I just got my CS Weekly email and this was one of the quotes at the top:

“Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.”
- Neil Gaiman

This is good advice for both writers and executives.

As a writer, I need to hear about what’s not working. However, an executive’s assumption about why it’s not working affects his or her perspective about how it should be fixed! Often, only the writer knows why something’s not working. Or, integrity demands of the executive that he or she let the writer figure out why it’s not working. Often the fix isn’t in the scene that isn’t working. Often it’s several pages or scenes back!

So if you’re a writer getting notes, ignore the fixes and try to hear the underlying truth – something’s not working. Figure out what that is, and then figure out how to fix it.

If you’re an executive giving notes, don’t try to do the writer’s job! Just let him or her know that you’re confused on page 7, page 36 doesn’t ring true, and the climax on page 89 falls flat. Often, the writer will already know why it’s falling flat and will already have three ideas for how to fix it. He or she just needed to know whether or not what they wrote worked!

Writing As A Director

gilliebean — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:00:53 +0000

I’ve been working on a short film script, as a writer. But the objective for this short film has been for me to direct it. Ryan has been gunning to produce again and it’s time for me to direct. So instead of attacking this most recent rewriting period like a writer, I attacked it like a director. I went in with the intention of making this script a script I’d want to direct. And, strangely enough, that helped make this rewriting process even better than usual.

In general, I love the rewriting process. It’s like painting. A little tweak here. Another detail there. Oh! Look how those two scenes tie together better now! And now this detail has meaning! Awesome! But, attacking this pass as a director and not a writer has been interesting. In many ways, it has been even more rewarding! I have begun to visualize things better. I have begun to see meaning where I hadn’t seen meaning before. I even began to see the fluff!

I wonder if I should approach each script I work on as a director (as opposed to a writer). Would that make me a better writer? Or just a really frustrated director…?

Writing!

gilliebean — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:00:34 +0000

I’ve been writing! And I just completed the first draft on a screenplay that I’ve been writing for a producer in San Diego. Woot! I’m gonna get notes tonight and then I’ll start revisions. It feels good to complete the first draft of another screenplay. It feels like having climbed to the top of one end of a mountain range. Woohoo! I’m at the top! But now I know that I have a whole mountain range (of revisions) to travel to get to the end -a script that’s ready for production.

But this process so far has been a real joy. Why? Other than the fact that I’ve really jived with this producer and he gives good notes, I’ve enjoyed it because it’s been an organized process. We started with a story idea and fleshed it out into the 8-point story structure. Then I fleshed that out into a 30-beat outline. Then he had notes. Then I fleshed it out into a step outline (about 67 “scenes”). Then he had notes. And a few others had notes.

And we talked about those notes. Then I took that outline and wrote the script!

It was just a healthy rewarding writing process! And in case I haven’t mentioned it before, I love the re-writing process. So I’m even looking forward to that. Yay!