Story Craft

[jimbutcher]

What Is This Craft You Speak Of

Comments

[drivingblind]

Actor William H. Macy has spoken in interviews about the school of acting put forth by his frequent director-collaborator, David Mamet. Their perspective is very much the opposite of the popular "method" approach

[evilmagnus]

Story craft is very much a Mamet approach, I think, and for my money, I think it's a more consistent, reliable approach

Quite. I don't care what your characters tell you to do - it's what I can read about them that matters. I have enough problems with my own inner monologue without worrying about someone elses. :)

[mizkit]

I've always thought the method approach to acting was very weird. I'm glad Macy's not a method actor. :)

("Dustin, my dear boy, why don't you just try *acting*? It's much easier.")

[mommymonster]

"I tend to think of writers who say that they don't know what they're writing, they're writing what the character "tells" them to write, etc, are the Method writers."

That describes so well the way MUSHing used to work for me, and how I used to end up getting queer looks from folks when I talked about how my characters surprised me with their reactions or decisions, doing things I never would've expected or thought them capable of. Certainly they did and said things *I* was never capable of, in the moments where they were in the driver's seat.

I've often thought that, if I were to ever write a book, I'd have to do it in the format where someone were out there somehow to provoke responses from me. But I don't know how that would work.

Trick or Treat.

[kathleendoris]

* see above

[anonymous]

this is really gay.

Method Writing

[jaxwizz]

As a one-time theater major, I have had some experience of The Method. It never did much for me. The best directors at my school, the University of Florida, tended to use the kinetic method, "do the action and the emotion will come with it." It worked--every time. And it also gives the actor something to fall back on when the inspiration flags. I feel that Mr. Butcher's advice on writing seems to fall into the same class of instruction. I am very grateful that he thought to share it with his fans and readers.

With love under will,

Bob, aka Adastra,
The Wizzard of Jacksonville

[akasylvia]

I presume that I'm not the only one popping by to follow this series years after it was written.

I thought I'd add in this link of Mamet's advice as my contribution to the discussion:

David Mamet's Master Class Memo to the Writers of The Unit | Movieline