Comments | zombiegoat: Writing 101

zombiegoat

Writing 101 - Unrealistic As Hell

Mar 03, 2011 22:09

One of my favorite shows on television is NBC's Parenthood, which makes one of only two programs I watch on that network, the other being the criminally underrated and as my wife pointed out, my favorite show on TV, Friday Night Lights. I like Parenthood because I dug the movie it was based on, the plots run fairly realistically and it also has ( Read more... )

rant, writing 101, jesse sharpens his knives

Comments 3

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Re: Thus my point. zombiegoat March 5 2011, 05:05:16 UTC

The grotesquely short attention span doesn't help matters, either.

detonate_for_me March 4 2011, 17:52:52 UTC

What about that episode of Cheers where Diane decides she has to try to live her dream of being a ballerina? Her co-workers read her teacher's reply or recommendation or whatever, and it is brutally honest about how much she sucks, and they don't want her feelings to get hurt, so they re-write a fake one that says she has "the soul of a dancer". They're worried that it's too obvious or something, and she'll know they were just trying to make her feel better, but nope! She buys it. And goes to the Boston ballet (that show does take place in Boston, right?) and runs on stage and tells them to forgive her intrusion but she simply must get an audition. But then Sam (or someone) runs up on stage with her and whispers in her ear, and she says nevermind, and they leave.

That is the ONLY episode of any show I can think of that is an exception.

Also: she slips the story under her English teacher friend's door? Why? Just so he can read it and give his opinion? Surely it's not because he can somehow magically get her story published!

zombiegoat March 5 2011, 05:04:22 UTC

I remember that episode. Okay, I stand corrected; there is at least one instance in recorded history where a character was told their shit stunk on dry ice. Damn, how did I miss that one?

She gave him the story because she wanted his honest feedback on what she had written. I have been asked several times to give my feedback considering efforts from fledgling writers, and in no case was what was said universally positive, nor was I ever asked to give my opinion ever again from the person in question.

Writing is a business of failure.