Form Dictates Content. The format of your piece will influence how you create it. If you're writing a musical, you should include some songs. If your program is about a group of twentysomethings living in New York, they're going to talk differently than a group of twentysomethings working on oil rigs in West Texas. If you're painting a picture in watercolor, it's not going to look the same as if you used oil paints.
Those extreme examples may seem obvious to most of you, but the principle applies to the most subtle details. If you're writing a play and you need to add some dialogue to cover a scene change it's important to remember what the play is about so your dialogue fits the characters and advances the plot. Sondheim says in his book that he can't write songs for any play until the librettist provides him with the characters and dialogue. The songs grow out of the characters' actions and passions, and become an integral part of the show.
What form are you using for your content? Let the form inform the content you create.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
God is in the Details
Let's start discussing the second of Stephen Sondheim's principles: "God is in the details." That's another way of saying something I've said several times in this blog -- it's how you express your idea that matters more than the idea itself.
For example, I might want to create a comedy about a group of friends in their 20s living in New York. But depending upon the details of who the characters are I might create "Friends," or "How I Met Your Mother." If I make the group older and have one of them be a comedian I might create "Seinfeld." All of these shows have a very similar basic premise, but became hits because of the character details that the writers, producers, and the actors created that made these characters live for the audience.
The great creative artists care about every detail when they create a show. Not just the words of the script, but the set and costume design. Not just the design, but the props that the actors use - - what brand of coffee they drink and what type of coffee maker do they use? A compelling, memorable story is the accumulation of lots of evocative details. No detail is too small for you to ignore; every detail you choose to put into your story is significant.
You may not get everything right in your first draft of your content. (I hope you do, but not everyone does). Stephen Sondheim keeps looking for ways to improve his songs even after his shows open, and sometimes after they close. As you keep working to improve your piece, think about how the details you're adding advance your story and make your content more compelling.
For example, I might want to create a comedy about a group of friends in their 20s living in New York. But depending upon the details of who the characters are I might create "Friends," or "How I Met Your Mother." If I make the group older and have one of them be a comedian I might create "Seinfeld." All of these shows have a very similar basic premise, but became hits because of the character details that the writers, producers, and the actors created that made these characters live for the audience.
The great creative artists care about every detail when they create a show. Not just the words of the script, but the set and costume design. Not just the design, but the props that the actors use - - what brand of coffee they drink and what type of coffee maker do they use? A compelling, memorable story is the accumulation of lots of evocative details. No detail is too small for you to ignore; every detail you choose to put into your story is significant.
You may not get everything right in your first draft of your content. (I hope you do, but not everyone does). Stephen Sondheim keeps looking for ways to improve his songs even after his shows open, and sometimes after they close. As you keep working to improve your piece, think about how the details you're adding advance your story and make your content more compelling.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
How Steven Sondheim can help you
Many theatre critics consider composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim the greateest living Broadway composer. There's no denying the groundbreaking musicals he wrote changed the way we create musical theatre today. A short list of his shows include West Side Story, Gypsy, Company, Follies, and Sweeney Todd, among others. He recently released the second volume of his lyrics, called "Look, I Made a Hat." Sondheim discusses the lyrics he wrote for all of his songs, gives opinions about other composers he admires, and tells stories about his experiences writing the shows. He distills his advice about writing lyrics to three simple rules:
Form dictates Content
God is in the Details
Less is More
All of these rules serve to increase the clarity of the piece.
I'll address each of these in a subsequent post. There's one other lesson that practically shouts from the pages of these books, which include not just all of his finished lyrics but also different versions and pictures of his original hand-written note: Stephen Sondheim worked hard! He would write as many different versions as he needed until he got it right. The effortless brilliance of his lyrics was the result of Sondheim's continual effort to improve his work.
Perhaps we can't all be Sondheim, but we can all learn from his effort. How much time are you putting into your content projects? Try for continual improvement.
Form dictates Content
God is in the Details
Less is More
All of these rules serve to increase the clarity of the piece.
I'll address each of these in a subsequent post. There's one other lesson that practically shouts from the pages of these books, which include not just all of his finished lyrics but also different versions and pictures of his original hand-written note: Stephen Sondheim worked hard! He would write as many different versions as he needed until he got it right. The effortless brilliance of his lyrics was the result of Sondheim's continual effort to improve his work.
Perhaps we can't all be Sondheim, but we can all learn from his effort. How much time are you putting into your content projects? Try for continual improvement.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Why are they still building movie theaters?
Today's headline in my local news was that Deltona, Florida, is celebrating the opening of a new movie theater this weekend. Deltona is a bedroom community approximately halfway between Orlando and Daytona. It was built without a town center, shopping mall, or industrial park. I was happy to hear that its residents are celebrating the opening of a business that could provide entertainment for their own city.
But the larger question for me is why is anyone bulding a movie theater today? After all, can't we access just about any movie we want on line, or via cable, only a few weeks after it opens? Isn't it more convenient to see the film in the comfort of our own home, where we can eat our own reasonably priced food and pause the film when we want? For years experts have been predicting the death of movies. First, television was going to kill them, then cable TV, then home video stores, and then the internet. And yet, they are building new movie theatres in Deltona! And not just in Deltona, but probably in your town, too.
The fact that people are still building movie theatres demonstrates a fundamental truth about human nature: People enjoy some kinds of entertainment in groups more than they do as inviduals. Concerts are more fun (and cost more) than listening to CDs. It's more exciting to be at a live ballgame than to watch it on TV. And people still prefer to watch a good movie with strangers on a big screen than to watch it at home later. Current technology creates many more opportunities to consume content that even just a few years ago. It has not changed human nature.
Our ancestors revered story tellers who could enthrall them while they sat around their lonely campfires in the wilderness. We are still looking for great stories today, however they're told. The rewards for telling a great story remain great for the individuals that do. My blog has identified examples for you of authors who didn't give up on their stories, and achieved great success when their stories finally reached an audience. Don't you give up either. Keep developing your story and your content, no matter what form it's in. We can never have enough good stories. Someone's got to make the movies that they're showing in Deltona.
But the larger question for me is why is anyone bulding a movie theater today? After all, can't we access just about any movie we want on line, or via cable, only a few weeks after it opens? Isn't it more convenient to see the film in the comfort of our own home, where we can eat our own reasonably priced food and pause the film when we want? For years experts have been predicting the death of movies. First, television was going to kill them, then cable TV, then home video stores, and then the internet. And yet, they are building new movie theatres in Deltona! And not just in Deltona, but probably in your town, too.
The fact that people are still building movie theatres demonstrates a fundamental truth about human nature: People enjoy some kinds of entertainment in groups more than they do as inviduals. Concerts are more fun (and cost more) than listening to CDs. It's more exciting to be at a live ballgame than to watch it on TV. And people still prefer to watch a good movie with strangers on a big screen than to watch it at home later. Current technology creates many more opportunities to consume content that even just a few years ago. It has not changed human nature.
Our ancestors revered story tellers who could enthrall them while they sat around their lonely campfires in the wilderness. We are still looking for great stories today, however they're told. The rewards for telling a great story remain great for the individuals that do. My blog has identified examples for you of authors who didn't give up on their stories, and achieved great success when their stories finally reached an audience. Don't you give up either. Keep developing your story and your content, no matter what form it's in. We can never have enough good stories. Someone's got to make the movies that they're showing in Deltona.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Create Compelling Characters that Last
I went to a Barnes and Noble on Colonial Drive last Saturday for a book signing featuring Janet Evanovich, author of the latest Stephanie Plum novel, Explosive Eighteen. I’ve read all 18 books in this mystery series, and wanted to meet the lady herself.
For those who don’t know, Stephanie Plum is a former lingerie saleswoman who became a bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey, out of desperation. Her cousin Vinnie ran the bail bonds service, and she didn’t have prospects for other jobs. Stephanie’s fictional adventures have become so popular Ms. Evanovich has written 18 best sellers in the main series, some other novels that feature characters out of the chronological order of the series, and everything from graphic novels to how-to-write books. The movie version of the first novel will be released January 2012, starring Katherine Heigel.
I knew Ms. Evanovich was popular, but I thought if I got to the store at 11:00 AM for a 1:00 book signing I would be safe. I was wrong. So many people had already gotten received a wristband for the signing that I was too late. Wouldn’t you like to sell out your book signing?
Janet Evanovich’s success creating compelling characters and great stories transcends her medium – printed books – and reaches across all content platforms. That’s why when you are creating your content think always about character and story first and method of communication second, or even third and forth. People remember great stories and respond to compelling characters. That’s true whether they’re completely fictional like Stephanie Plum, produced reality characters like Snookie, or real people with compelling narratives. As you’re creating your content, always be thinking “what’s the story? How can I make it more interesting? Why should I care about this character?” Who knows? Someday you may create a character as enduring as Stephanie Plum.
For those who don’t know, Stephanie Plum is a former lingerie saleswoman who became a bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey, out of desperation. Her cousin Vinnie ran the bail bonds service, and she didn’t have prospects for other jobs. Stephanie’s fictional adventures have become so popular Ms. Evanovich has written 18 best sellers in the main series, some other novels that feature characters out of the chronological order of the series, and everything from graphic novels to how-to-write books. The movie version of the first novel will be released January 2012, starring Katherine Heigel.
I knew Ms. Evanovich was popular, but I thought if I got to the store at 11:00 AM for a 1:00 book signing I would be safe. I was wrong. So many people had already gotten received a wristband for the signing that I was too late. Wouldn’t you like to sell out your book signing?
Janet Evanovich’s success creating compelling characters and great stories transcends her medium – printed books – and reaches across all content platforms. That’s why when you are creating your content think always about character and story first and method of communication second, or even third and forth. People remember great stories and respond to compelling characters. That’s true whether they’re completely fictional like Stephanie Plum, produced reality characters like Snookie, or real people with compelling narratives. As you’re creating your content, always be thinking “what’s the story? How can I make it more interesting? Why should I care about this character?” Who knows? Someday you may create a character as enduring as Stephanie Plum.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Art of Fielding sold to HBO
To add to the good news for Chad Harbach, HBO optioned the film rights to his book. It will be produced by Scott Rudin, who has a long string of hit projects to his name.
As you remember from the last post, Chad Harbach, who labored on his novel in obscurity for ten years, appears to have hit the lottery with this book -- big advance, great reviews, HBO sale, and that's just the beginning. What will he command for an advance on his next project?
Of course, you shouldn't create content because you hope someday you'll hit the lottery like Harbach. Create the content that you love; tell stories you believe in. But if you aren't creating content now, it's a guarantee that you won't hit the lottery. So what are you waiting for?
As you remember from the last post, Chad Harbach, who labored on his novel in obscurity for ten years, appears to have hit the lottery with this book -- big advance, great reviews, HBO sale, and that's just the beginning. What will he command for an advance on his next project?
Of course, you shouldn't create content because you hope someday you'll hit the lottery like Harbach. Create the content that you love; tell stories you believe in. But if you aren't creating content now, it's a guarantee that you won't hit the lottery. So what are you waiting for?
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Inspiration from The Art of Fielding
"The Art of Fielding" is a new novel from author Chad Harbach. Harbach's novel has received several rave reviews and made some best seller lists. The novel tells the story of a young college shortstop who suddenly has trouble making a throw to first, and how his life impacts the lives of other people at the college. But just telling the plot doesn't do the book justice. This story is riveting even if you don't know anything about baseball.
The true story of how the novel came to be published is even more fascinating, and can be an inspiration for all of us developing our own content. Harbach worked on the novel for over ten years, while performing various other jobs in the New York literary world -- freelance writer, magazine editor, etc. He never made much money. But while he was doing these other jobs he kept writing his novel, constantly cutting and rewriting to make it better.
Finally, Harbach thought the novel was ready. He sent it to several publishing houses, who rejected it. He sent it to several book agents, all of whom rejected it -- except one. With some final revisions and a push from the agent, the novel was sent to other publishing houses, and became the subject of a bidding war. One company paid $750,000 for the rights, and after ten years of hard writing Harbach became an overnight success.
I want to stress that this is a modern story. The Art of Fielding was released this year. Aside from the happiness we feel for Harbach, we can all learn some lessons from this inspiring story:
1. Persist. If you think you have a good story, whether you're writing a novel, a poem, or a web video, keep working on it. You can only be defeated if you give up.
2. Content is king. A good story in any medium, whether it's print, film, television, or any media still not invented, is going to find an audience.
3. Get good feedback, but stay true to your vision. Harbach received a lot of advice from friends, writing workshops, and editors over the years. Good, constructive feedback can help you improve your content. But you must know where the heart of your story lies, and always stay true to what excited you about it in the first place.
Keep developing your content. If it's good, you may end up in the same situation as Chad Harbach sometime soon.
The true story of how the novel came to be published is even more fascinating, and can be an inspiration for all of us developing our own content. Harbach worked on the novel for over ten years, while performing various other jobs in the New York literary world -- freelance writer, magazine editor, etc. He never made much money. But while he was doing these other jobs he kept writing his novel, constantly cutting and rewriting to make it better.
Finally, Harbach thought the novel was ready. He sent it to several publishing houses, who rejected it. He sent it to several book agents, all of whom rejected it -- except one. With some final revisions and a push from the agent, the novel was sent to other publishing houses, and became the subject of a bidding war. One company paid $750,000 for the rights, and after ten years of hard writing Harbach became an overnight success.
I want to stress that this is a modern story. The Art of Fielding was released this year. Aside from the happiness we feel for Harbach, we can all learn some lessons from this inspiring story:
1. Persist. If you think you have a good story, whether you're writing a novel, a poem, or a web video, keep working on it. You can only be defeated if you give up.
2. Content is king. A good story in any medium, whether it's print, film, television, or any media still not invented, is going to find an audience.
3. Get good feedback, but stay true to your vision. Harbach received a lot of advice from friends, writing workshops, and editors over the years. Good, constructive feedback can help you improve your content. But you must know where the heart of your story lies, and always stay true to what excited you about it in the first place.
Keep developing your content. If it's good, you may end up in the same situation as Chad Harbach sometime soon.
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