Writing Quotes and Doc revists Aesop

"If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative."

- Woody Allen

"The writer's only responsibility is to his art. He will be completely ruthless if he is a good one... If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate; the "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is worth any number of old ladies."

– William Faulkner

From The Creative Screenwriting Magazine's Weekly Newsletter

Uh, yeah, Billy? Sorry, my late mom is off-limits.

But that's not all, don't miss Doc's revisit of Aesop!

For Super Editor Katherine Tomlinson

"It's Jay Butterfat," the voice on the other end said. "Did I get you at a bad time?"

"Not at all," I said, recognizing the deviated septum of the veteran Broadway huckster. "I was just sitting by the phone studying its remarkable contours."

"Good. Lemme bring you up to speed. I'm in Boston with a scalding drama that looks to be the biggest thing to hit Broadway since Death of A Salesman. All it needs is some belevling---to smooth out a few rough edges. First time playwright. One of those sensitive myopics who hollers infanticide every time you ask for a line change. Finally had to have him committed, which is not easy to do legally when the person won't go along with it. Anyhow, the nitty gritty is that I'm this close to a Megaball hit if I can just get in a fresh mind to a little re-juxta."*

From A Little Face Work Never Hurt by Woody Allen

Zoetrope All-Story Fall 2008

*This is dedicated partly to Johnny Dollars, but mostly to Super Editor Katherine Tomlinson for working with me, not bringing in the re-write squad, and for not having me committed.