Prompted to Write

Since a lot of readers here are professional writers or future writers, I thought it might be fun to do an occasional interview with a working creative writer.  I was lucky enough to get Linda Seger to respond to a few questions here.

To give you a bit of background on Ms. Seger, you can check out her full bio here.  The short version, though, is that she’s the author of 8 books on screenwriting, and she’s an internationally known speaker on the topic.  Some of her books include Making a Good Script Great, Advanced Screenwriting: Raising your Script to the Academy Award Level, and my personal favorite (in terms of titles) Jesus Rode a Donkey, Why Republicans Don’t Have the Corner on Christ. She has also consulted on films like Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil, Only You (I’ll admit it, this was one of my personal favorites back in high school), and The Neverending Story II.

I also wanted to add that the March contest winners will each receive one of Ms. Seger’s screenwriting books.  If you haven’t joined the email list or written a response to a prompt, you still have until the end of the month to be eligible.

Now that business is out of the way and you’re sufficiently impressed by Ms. Seger’s very extensive experience, I’ll get on with the questions:

1. How did you find your way into writing?  Do you have any tips specific to screenwriting and consulting, given that it’s such a competitive field?
I HAVE WRITTEN SINCE I WAS 10. FIRST IT WAS SHORT STORIES, THEN POETRY,  A NOVEL WHEN I WAS 13 (MY ONLY ONE), AND THEN NON-FICTION BOOKS, STARTING IN 1987. I AM NOW FINISHING MY 12TH BOOK. WRITING DEMANDS A WRITING DISCIPLINE, AND SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT. OR, AS I SAY IN MAKING A GOOD WRITER GREAT, ‘THE TOOLS OF A WRITER ARE MINIMAL – SOMETHING TO WRITE WITH, SOMETHING TO WRITE ON, SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT.’

FOR CONSULTING, I DID MY DOCTORAL DISSERTATION ON A METHOD FOR ANALYZING SCRIPTS, WHICH THEN BECAME MY BUSINESS. I WORKED WITH A CAREER CONSULTANT TO GET THE BUSINESS STARTED.

SCREENWRITERS, LIKE MANY OF US, NEED HELP TO BREAK IN. TAKING CLASSES, READING BOOKS, WORKING WITH SCRIPT CONSULTANTS, BEING PART OF A WRITER’S GROUP, CAN ALL HELP.

2. When you’re feeling uninspired or unable to write, how do you solve the problem?
I DO MORE RESEARCH. I ALSO DON’T TRY TO PUSH THE CREATIVE PROCESS AT MY TIRED TIMES. I WRITE BEST IN THE MORNINGS, SO I PRESERVE THAT TIME WHEN I’M WRITING A BOOK, SO THAT TIME DOESN’T GET COMPROMISED. I ALSO HAVE MANY TECHNIQUES TO   HELP THE CREATIVE PROCESS… A  NUMBER OF THEM MENTIONED IN MAKING A GOOD WRITER GREAT, BUT THEY INCLUDE WRITING DOWN THE PROBLEM AND SLEEPING ON IT, READING MORE ABOUT THE PROBLEM SO I UNDERSTAND IT FULLY, TRYING TO REMEMBER MY DREAMS, ETC.

3. What is the hardest part about your career?  The best part?
THE HARDEST PART IS THE MARKETING. THE BEST PART IS EVERYTHING ELSE. I LOVE THE VARIETY OF MY CAREER – CONSULTING ON SCRIPTS, GIVING SEMINARS, WRITING  BOOKS.

4. Writing is very different with the advent of online publishing, social media, and the decline of so many traditional print outlets.  What advice would you give a new writer in light of this new landscape?  Have you used social media or the web much in your career?
I HAVEN’T USED SOCIAL MEDIA, AND AM TRYING TO GET BETTER AT USING THE WEB, BUT I’D RECOMMEND WRITERS LEARN TO USE IT, GET TO KNOW PEOPLE, JOIN GROUPS AND ASSOCIATIONS, TALK TO OTHERS, AND NOT THINK TOO COMPETITIVELY. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WILLING TO HELP – SO PART OF SELLING IS GETTING LOTS OF PEOPLE ON YOUR SIDE.

5. What’s your favorite book, story, or screenplay?
FAVORITE BOOK IS EAST OF EDEN, BY JOHN STEINBECK. I’VE PROBABLY READ IT ABOUT 5-8 TIMES… PROBABLY I’M DUE FOR ANOTHER READING SOON.