4/7/24
Newsletter #580
The Crack of Dawn
“If a young writer can refrain from writing, they shouldn’t hesitate to do so.” —Andre Gide
I love quotes. I have about eight collections, including a huge old one that I no longer open. I have right here in my hand a water-soaked and permanently wrinkled paperback of The New Webster’s Dictionary of Quotations and Famous Phrases that I found sitting on a bench in the rain in Rudolph Valentino Park in Hollywood in 1986-87. I was living right near there in a bungalow that I’ve mentioned a number of times before (name dropping), where young Quentin Tarantino used to hang out with my roommate Scott. Quentin’s visit might very well have been why I was out of the house, walking in the park in the rain.
I have a section on my website, Beckerfilms.com, unabashedly entitled, Josh Becker's Favorite Quotes - Becker Films . I started the website in 1998. I went to great trouble to categorize the quotes by subject, which isn’t always readily apparent. I emboldened what I thought was the appropriate word, like Art, for instance. When I recently switched servers and the site was reconstructed, the emboldening disappeared. Bummer.
Not only that, the quote I was thinking about and looking for isn’t even on my site. It was about writer’s block, which is an ailment for beginners. Here’s why – I am presently between books; I am, as they say, at liberty. As I’ve explained, this new book, The Gospel According to Judas, is done. It’s out of my hands. There may still be a few corrections, but I don’t have to/get to sit down and write it anymore. It’s written. What’s next?
Well, what I do know is that if I never come up with another clever or unclever idea again, I’m absolutely certain that the world will be just fine. The last thing this overpopulated, over-stimulated, and overstocked (book-wise) planet needs is another book. I worked at the library for years. It’s a popular library, too, but take my word for it, nobody is reading most of those books. I did just check, however, and book sales are up 4% over last year. Books are consumed differently now – meaning, ebooks and audio books – but they are still most definitely consumed.
Luckily for me, and I thank the spheres, I enjoy the process of writing (thus this useless newsletter). Many writers – particularly screenwriters I’ve met – seem to hate writing and treat it like it’s a painful chore. To me, that’s insane. If you don’t like it, don’t do it.
I also enjoy going through the whole publishing process. So, anyway, what I’ve been intentionally trying to do is to not think of ideas. Meditate, heaven forbid. I put on Tibetan flutes. This simply causes old ideas to crowd into my head, waving their little hands, saying, “What about me? I’m a good idea that you fucked up. Why don’t you fix me?”
These characters in the scripts, some of them real people, keep asking me, “Why did I do these things that I did?”
Or maybe I could come up with something new.
But whether it’s figuring out a new idea, or fixing an older one, there’s always something that could be done. This idea of writer’s block is for those who have nothing in reserve.
I mean, hell, my 22-year-old script, The Cascade Effect, about satellites colliding is much more relevant, believable and possible now than when I wrote it. I did not foresee Elon Musk and a civilian takeover of satellites. Anyway, I could adapt it into a book. There are, btw, at least 22,000 abandoned satellites in geosynchronous orbit with the Earth, all whizzing around at 20,000 miles an hour. A fleck of paint up there is like a bullet. If any of these satellites collide, and explode, it could cause all of them to collide and explode, thus causing The Cascade Effect.
That’s what my story is about – Screenplays - Becker Films – should anyone be curious.
Well, that’s sufficient ruminating for today.
The sun is out, and spring is in the air.
I'm miraculously fine. I also had echocardiogram and was catheterized, and I don't need surgery or even stents. I just take a lot of medication. Big deal. Thank you for asking.
Hello Ivan. There are at least three meta levels to your quote. It's a quote referring to quotes, advising not to quote. Can I quote you on that?