14d • Nate’s Notes
“Nobody walked out of a great play humming the theme” — David Mamet
Hey, everyone. I had to share this.
One of my favorite screenwriters and playwrights, David Mamet (Kevin Costner’s ‘The Untouchables’; Paul Newman’s ‘The Verdict’; Al Pacino et al.’s ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ among others) says that scholars infer themes, but writers should focus simply on telling a great story (He went from driving a cab and working nights and weekends on his writing to being a paid writer). Personally, I love dealing with themes, because (a) there’s no one way to tell a great story, (b) themes matter in the story you’re telling, because many people will infer them so why not be aware of them? and (c) I happen to be college-educated.
Even so, this splash of cold water reality on our often over-thinking with our writing I hope will serve as a great reminder (to myself if no one else) that we SHOULD focus on telling the story we know will work.
And, something else Mamet brought up in his Masterclass that bears reminding myself and perhaps others, is that often the stuff in our stories we LOVE THE MOST may blind us to what might ultimately be keeping our stories from being great.
Food for thought! Hope it helps. See you Wednesday!
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“Nobody walked out of a great play humming the theme” — David Mamet
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