Devoted to publishing, publishers and to those who craft the written word

"We owed money ot the IRS, Citibank Visa, Washington University, the Wilshire Credit Corporation, the family, and fourteen other people. And after years of uncertainty, we thought we had struck it out, weathered the storm, seen the light at the end of the dark tunnel of a hundred strokes of bad luck and stupid life decisions. And the big payoff?"

That's the darkest moment from Allen Rucker's new memoir, reflecting on his life as a Hollywood writer after a life-altering disorder left him paralyzed. 

While The Best Seat in the House (in hardcover now, look for the trade paperback in January 2008) focuses on recovery, it also provides a practical, honest look at the world of screenwriting. Today, this once struggling television and film writer shares some more Hollywood wisdom.

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson's mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.

 
Jason Boog:
Your book also features some harrowing descriptions of your life as a young, struggling writer with a family in Hollywood. Do you have any advice for young writers looking to move to movie and television writing? Are there any mistakes you would urge them to avoid, especially while raising a family?

Allen Rucker:
My mistake was probably ever coming to Hollywood in the first place, but we’ll save that for Dr. Melfi. Continue reading...

I guess I’d say, if you want be a Hollywood writer, figure out what that means before you waste a lot of time hustling around town with no clue as to where you’re headed.

Most people come here to be screenwriters. Great. If that’s your most hallowed dream, read a book about screenwriting, write a couple of screenplays, and see if anyone salutes.

The people who actually write commercial screenplays on a regular basis can be counted in the hundreds, if not the tens. Most of the other 9,000 Writers Guild members who actually earn a living – I’m guessing maybe 50-60%, if that -- write sitcoms, episodic drama, awards shows, reality shows, game shows, and fluff. I know: you want to write bits for “The John Stewart Show,” win an Emmy or two, then graduate to “Knocked Up” or “Sideways.”

And you could be the guy or gal to do it. If you’re really good, really savvy, and really lucky.

Remember, writing screenplays and the like is a special craft, but it may not be your special craft. Find that out early. It could save you a lot of pain and misery.

I once asked David Chase, probably the most accomplished writer in the history of television, what it took to make it on your own terms in Hollywood, and he said, flatly, “Luck…it’s a terribly, terribly tiny target, and I’m there doing it, so I know….There is so much luck involved…”

Later in the same interview, he said, “Here’s the advice I would give to a 21-year-old. If you accept their compliments – critics, studio heads, agents – if you internalize their praise, if you accept their awards, that also means you have to accept their lack of praise, their negativity, and their criticism. So you shouldn’t do either. You should try to just do it for yourself.”

So, if you want to write in Hollywood, do it for yourself. Otherwise you’ll wake up one morning and find yourself penning zany Brittany Spears tag lines for “Access Hollywood.”