Screenwriting From Iowa

“You don’t just throw a whole life away just because it’s banged up a little.”
                                                                Tom Smith (played by Chris Cooper)
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Original Source…

“I work in a business that is run by middle age men who make films for teenage boy fantasies.”
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Original Source…

“It is not easy to cut through a head with a hacksaw.”
                                           Michael Crichton 
                                           Travels 
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Original Source…

“Three years ago I was living in Vegas as the night manager of the Mirage Hotel tram line.”
                                                            Anthony Zuiker
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Original Source…

Obama Speaking in Waterloo, Iowa 2007

 
There is some speculation about what President-elect Obama’s howdy factor will be. They don’t call it that, but that’s what it’s known as in some screenwriting circles. (I’m not sure who I learned this from, but when I remember I’ll give them credit.)
The howdy factor (or howdy trait) is the [...]

Original Source…

“From Iowa to Pennsylvania, the presidential campaign has provided its share of made-for-Hollywood moments.”
                                                                                  All Things [...]

Original Source…

“Here’s my unsolicited advice to any aspiring screenwriters who might be reading this: Don’t ever agonize about the hordes of other writers who are ostensibly your competition.  No one else is capable of doing what you do.”
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Original Source…

“Small town people are more real, more down to earth.”
                                                             Groundhog Day 
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Original Source…

Anytime you take up a new sport or hobby you often see a sudden rise in your skill level at the start. That’s when learning is fun. But sooner or later you hit a plateau. That’s when you start thinking of the next sport or hobby you’d like to take up.
This rings true for screenwriting. [...]

Original Source…

“I was just a guy with a pen and paper and an idea for a book.”
                                                                            Sebastian Junger
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Original Source…