“Plant your feet and tell the truth.”
— James Cagney
I’m a huge Clint Eastwood fan. Here’s an interview with him from Psychology Today, in which he says this about violence in his movies:
I consider the social implications. But you mention violence as a means of resolving conflict. Well, conflict is the basis of drama. I guess that goes back as long as time has existed as far as mankind is concerned, dating back to the Greek tragedies or the Old Testament. And violence is a form of conflict, so whether that’s catharsis or whether that has some socially damaging effect on audiences – I suppose that would just depend. I tend to believe that audiences are relatively well-balanced people. You’re making the film for the average person. You are not making it for the one guy out there who is going to take it seriously and go, “Yeah, gee, that’s crazy, I might jump off a building or what have you.”
This is something I think about every time I write a book—because let’s face it, my stories are high on action and violence, and I’m often asked “Why?” Why write that way, why not be happier in your fiction, a little more gentle (or perhaps, genteel)—and I never have a good answer. The stories I want to tell are not sofa stories—they don’t take place in easy settings with easy conflicts. I like big explosions (in fiction). I love epics. I want to be entertained in a manner that is “do or die”—and while one day I would love to write some literary psychological gem, now is not the time. I’m not in that zone—not yet, anyway. I’ve got fires to put out, man. Things are burning inside my head.
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Here, a delightful NY Times article about Australian architect, Glenn Murcutt, in which he says this about his work (words easily applied to any artistic venture):
“This is my statement: Any work of architecture that has been designed, any work of architecture that has the potential to exist, or that exists, was discovered. It wasn�t created. Our role” � and the “our” seemed to refer to everyone on the planet � “is to be the discoverer, not the creator.”
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This article from USA Today has nothing to do with writing, but I really loved this line:
“When I am faced with obstacles, the frustration and hopelessness that I feel often amplifies the illusion that the circumstances are much darker than they actually are,” Veronica wrote in her nomination form for the All-USA High School Academic Team. “What seems like an impossible situation can actually be quite the opposite when viewed in an optimistic light.”
Rock on.