Ian Dawson's Blog, page 20
December 5, 2021
Writing Tip of the Week: Setting your 2022 Writing Goals – Part One
I know. These are usually the articles that pop up in January of 2022. Still, I thought I’d get a head start and allow you to start thinking about your writing goals for the new year. Whether you have big writing goals or small, having a basic idea of what you want to do can help you achieve your goals over the next 365 days.
To reach those milestones with your writing, here are some tips to get you thinking and headed in the right direction.
Set Reasonable Writing Goals
Having a big goal is great. Write that novel. Write that screenplay. Finish that play you outlined a couple years ago. But diving in head-first into a project as big and complex as a novel or a screenplay can be daunting, even for the most seasoned writer.
You can accomplish any of these major writing projects, but create reasonable goals for yourself to achieve them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told myself I’m going to sit down over a weekend and hammer out the second act of a script, only to be so overwhelmed with the monumental task that I avoid it at all costs.
I suggest that you start small. A chapter a day. A scene a day. If you feel you can do more, then do it. Just keep the tasks small and manageable, and you will see that as you write, the work will grow into that novel or script you want to write.
Set Reasonable Writing Deadlines
Most of us have 9-to-5 jobs, go to school, have families, or have other obligations that prevent us from writing all day long. It’s important not to add to any stress in your life by stacking the deck against yourself in the creative realm by imposing unrealistic deadlines on your writing projects.
If you have a big writing project in mind, set your deadline for a rough draft four to six months down the road. Then work to write every day – using reasonable goals – and work toward completing the draft by that set deadline.
You may find that having a deadline creates a sense of urgency in your brain where you feel the need to get it done. And, if you have been writing regularly, you should feel a need to meet the deadline out of an obligation to not only the project but also yourself.
There’s something satisfying about getting to the end of a story, even a rough draft. Even though it is the first of several drafts, you now have a draft to work from and make better.
Think about your life and what you have going on, then set a reasonable deadline for completing your writing project that best suits your situation.
Word Count vs. Page Count vs. Time Goals
Should you write 1,000 words a day? Ten pages a day? Two hours a day? It’s a conundrum that writers and writing books have debated. What works best and makes you most productive?
I prefer setting Time Goals. This gives you a set amount of time to sit down and write. Start the times. When it dings, you can decide to keep going or stop; your writing obligation has been met for the day.
With a Time Goal, you also aren’t tied down to a specific word count or page count. This can add unneeded stress to your writing day, especially if you’re having a tough time creatively that session. Your goal was to sit and write for an hour, and you did it. Whether you squeezed out 500 words or slammed out 10,000, you have met your writing goal for the day.
Which reminds me…
Accept That Some Days Will Be Tougher Than Others
Everyone has bad days, and everyone has distractions. And not every writing session will feel like you’ve brought your A-game. But you must make the time and do the work because you can always go back and edit and rewrite later whatever you felt was less than stellar work.
It's also essential to know that it’s okay to have bad days. Out of 365 writing days, at least a handful will be duds. But you have to shrug it off and keep going each day to reach your goals and deadlines.
Even the greatest Olympian has rough training days. It’s okay for you to have them, too.
Prep Prep Prep
Preparation. If you’re writing a novel, screenplay, or play, it’s important to go in with a game plan. Know your story, characters, and the key moments of your story’s beginning, middle, and end. This prep work will save you time and headaches along the writing journey.
Prepping can be part of your writing day since you are doing the work needed to get your story off the ground and moving forward. The last thing you want to do is jump into an idea without any direction and watch it fizzle out by page twenty.
Take the time, do the prep work, and help yourself and your creativity breathe easier.
Start thinking about your writing goals for 2022. Happy Writing, and I’ll see you in two weeks with the rest of my 2022 Writing Tips!
To reach those milestones with your writing, here are some tips to get you thinking and headed in the right direction.
Set Reasonable Writing Goals
Having a big goal is great. Write that novel. Write that screenplay. Finish that play you outlined a couple years ago. But diving in head-first into a project as big and complex as a novel or a screenplay can be daunting, even for the most seasoned writer.
You can accomplish any of these major writing projects, but create reasonable goals for yourself to achieve them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told myself I’m going to sit down over a weekend and hammer out the second act of a script, only to be so overwhelmed with the monumental task that I avoid it at all costs.
I suggest that you start small. A chapter a day. A scene a day. If you feel you can do more, then do it. Just keep the tasks small and manageable, and you will see that as you write, the work will grow into that novel or script you want to write.
Set Reasonable Writing Deadlines
Most of us have 9-to-5 jobs, go to school, have families, or have other obligations that prevent us from writing all day long. It’s important not to add to any stress in your life by stacking the deck against yourself in the creative realm by imposing unrealistic deadlines on your writing projects.
If you have a big writing project in mind, set your deadline for a rough draft four to six months down the road. Then work to write every day – using reasonable goals – and work toward completing the draft by that set deadline.
You may find that having a deadline creates a sense of urgency in your brain where you feel the need to get it done. And, if you have been writing regularly, you should feel a need to meet the deadline out of an obligation to not only the project but also yourself.
There’s something satisfying about getting to the end of a story, even a rough draft. Even though it is the first of several drafts, you now have a draft to work from and make better.
Think about your life and what you have going on, then set a reasonable deadline for completing your writing project that best suits your situation.
Word Count vs. Page Count vs. Time Goals
Should you write 1,000 words a day? Ten pages a day? Two hours a day? It’s a conundrum that writers and writing books have debated. What works best and makes you most productive?
I prefer setting Time Goals. This gives you a set amount of time to sit down and write. Start the times. When it dings, you can decide to keep going or stop; your writing obligation has been met for the day.
With a Time Goal, you also aren’t tied down to a specific word count or page count. This can add unneeded stress to your writing day, especially if you’re having a tough time creatively that session. Your goal was to sit and write for an hour, and you did it. Whether you squeezed out 500 words or slammed out 10,000, you have met your writing goal for the day.
Which reminds me…
Accept That Some Days Will Be Tougher Than Others
Everyone has bad days, and everyone has distractions. And not every writing session will feel like you’ve brought your A-game. But you must make the time and do the work because you can always go back and edit and rewrite later whatever you felt was less than stellar work.
It's also essential to know that it’s okay to have bad days. Out of 365 writing days, at least a handful will be duds. But you have to shrug it off and keep going each day to reach your goals and deadlines.
Even the greatest Olympian has rough training days. It’s okay for you to have them, too.
Prep Prep Prep
Preparation. If you’re writing a novel, screenplay, or play, it’s important to go in with a game plan. Know your story, characters, and the key moments of your story’s beginning, middle, and end. This prep work will save you time and headaches along the writing journey.
Prepping can be part of your writing day since you are doing the work needed to get your story off the ground and moving forward. The last thing you want to do is jump into an idea without any direction and watch it fizzle out by page twenty.
Take the time, do the prep work, and help yourself and your creativity breathe easier.
Start thinking about your writing goals for 2022. Happy Writing, and I’ll see you in two weeks with the rest of my 2022 Writing Tips!
November 21, 2021
Writing Tip of the Week: Crafting Character Emotions
Emotions. We all have them and use them. Whether positive or negative emotions, human beings utilize these traits to convey a wide range of feelings to others. As real people, we have a lifetime to analyze, discover, and change our emotional responses to situations caused by internal and external forces.
With fictional characters, however, this becomes more of a challenge. You only have a certain number of script pages or novel chapters to provide the audience with fully realized and dimensional characters with whom they will share the story’s journey. But how do you tap into the emotional center of a fictional being? How do you make them relatable, empathetic, and capable of change?
Let’s talk about it.
Why Emotions?
Emotions help ground your characters in reality and make them relatable to the audience. If a viewer or reader finds emotional traits within the main character that connect them to the hero on a deeper level, this leads to the story having more resonance for the audience.
Most mainstream entertainment uses broad and general emotions to connect with the majority of viewers or readers. From wanting to belong to finding the courage within to fight injustice, relatable emotional hooks connect audiences to your characters and to the story.
It’s important to remember, too, that a well-rounded character has a combination of positive and negative emotional traits. The positive should outweigh the negative in a protagonist, but since real people have both types, giving your main character a few negative emotional characteristics will help make them more realistic.
When developing your characters, make a list of emotional traits you feel they would possess at the start of the story and how that list will change after the story ends. Do they go from being fearful and timid to courageous? Do they go from being cocky and self-assured to humble and respectful? The events of the story should serve the character’s emotional journey as well.
So, how do we see these types of emotions in action?
Look Inside Yourself
You have emotions and feelings, both positive and negative. As I stated at the beginning, we all do. As you create your main character, even if they are 100% different from you, you can still put yourself in their shoes and ask: How would I handle the situation? This is a great starting point to orient yourself in the character’s shoes (since you will be spending a lot of time with them) and helps make them relatable. Emotions are universal, but how we deal with them varies from person to person.
Would your main character react the same way you would to bad news? If so, use that. If not, dig deep into yourself and see what emotions this character could use to cope and deal with the bad news they have heard. Even if it’s the opposite of how you would react, you can still justify their emotional response by looking within.
Study People You Know
The holiday season is upon us, and with that – this year more than last – comes interactions with family, friends, and strangers. Observe people in stressful situations. How do they react? How do they cope? Do they irrationally express their emotions, or rationally work to resolve the problem?
When traveling, make notes on how people respond and react to travel delays, masking rules, and other restrictions. Why are they acting like that? Put yourself in their shoes. How would you react? How would your main character react?
Public spaces are a great place to mine emotional responses that can only aid you in your creative writing endeavors. The mall, Target, or the grocery store can also deliver the emotional goods when the holidays are upon us.
Family and friends are filled with stories. Use their stories to explore how they dealt with a problem or an issue. Family and friends are a great resource for research, and you can bet someone at the table will say, “If it were me, I would have...” in response to what was just told to the group. Make a mental note or write the differences in emotional responses down. All of it is great fodder for character creation and development.
Read, Watch, Listen
Maybe your main character is a politician, a celebrity, a police officer, or a billionaire. The nice thing is that there are plenty of autobiographies, biographies, documentaries, and even podcasts that delve into the lives and mentalities of these types of people. A politician thinks and plans out their life differently than other professions. A celebrity’s personal life is public, which can cause a lot of emotional stress that regular people don’t have to deal with.
By doing research, you can find out how these individuals work through failures, successes, being in the public eye, media scrutiny, etc., and get to the real emotions behind it. All of this research helps to make your main character more relatable and empathetic to the audience. YouTube is a treasure trove of free interviews, specials, and documentaries about all kinds of people.
And if your villain is a serial killer, you have thousands of podcasts and documentaries to choose from that delve into the psyche of these individuals. What makes serial killers, politicians, and billionaires tick? Are there any emotional similarities between them?
Don’t Rely on Fiction for Reference
There are billions of real people who can be viewed as references for emotional arcs within your fictional world. Real people can deliver true emotional depth and empathy, giving your characters a great level of dimension.
While most of us love fiction, it’s wise not to use fictional characters as reference points for emotional character development. It’s tempting to make your characters like Tony Stark or Jack Torrance, but then you aren’t bringing anything fresh or new to the emotional table. Creating cookie-cutter characters makes them dull and uninteresting. Borrowing traits from Bruce Wayne or Elle Woods is lazy writing.
Work to develop emotional arcs for your character that don’t allow your audience to predict the outcome. This leads to greater interest in the characters, the story, and a greater connection emotionally.
Multi-dimensional characters give audiences the best way to escape into the fictional world in front of them. By creating a relatable main character filled with depth and real growth, audiences are more likely to enjoy the journey and appreciate the pay-offs by the story’s end.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you in two weeks!
With fictional characters, however, this becomes more of a challenge. You only have a certain number of script pages or novel chapters to provide the audience with fully realized and dimensional characters with whom they will share the story’s journey. But how do you tap into the emotional center of a fictional being? How do you make them relatable, empathetic, and capable of change?
Let’s talk about it.
Why Emotions?
Emotions help ground your characters in reality and make them relatable to the audience. If a viewer or reader finds emotional traits within the main character that connect them to the hero on a deeper level, this leads to the story having more resonance for the audience.
Most mainstream entertainment uses broad and general emotions to connect with the majority of viewers or readers. From wanting to belong to finding the courage within to fight injustice, relatable emotional hooks connect audiences to your characters and to the story.
It’s important to remember, too, that a well-rounded character has a combination of positive and negative emotional traits. The positive should outweigh the negative in a protagonist, but since real people have both types, giving your main character a few negative emotional characteristics will help make them more realistic.
When developing your characters, make a list of emotional traits you feel they would possess at the start of the story and how that list will change after the story ends. Do they go from being fearful and timid to courageous? Do they go from being cocky and self-assured to humble and respectful? The events of the story should serve the character’s emotional journey as well.
So, how do we see these types of emotions in action?
Look Inside Yourself
You have emotions and feelings, both positive and negative. As I stated at the beginning, we all do. As you create your main character, even if they are 100% different from you, you can still put yourself in their shoes and ask: How would I handle the situation? This is a great starting point to orient yourself in the character’s shoes (since you will be spending a lot of time with them) and helps make them relatable. Emotions are universal, but how we deal with them varies from person to person.
Would your main character react the same way you would to bad news? If so, use that. If not, dig deep into yourself and see what emotions this character could use to cope and deal with the bad news they have heard. Even if it’s the opposite of how you would react, you can still justify their emotional response by looking within.
Study People You Know
The holiday season is upon us, and with that – this year more than last – comes interactions with family, friends, and strangers. Observe people in stressful situations. How do they react? How do they cope? Do they irrationally express their emotions, or rationally work to resolve the problem?
When traveling, make notes on how people respond and react to travel delays, masking rules, and other restrictions. Why are they acting like that? Put yourself in their shoes. How would you react? How would your main character react?
Public spaces are a great place to mine emotional responses that can only aid you in your creative writing endeavors. The mall, Target, or the grocery store can also deliver the emotional goods when the holidays are upon us.
Family and friends are filled with stories. Use their stories to explore how they dealt with a problem or an issue. Family and friends are a great resource for research, and you can bet someone at the table will say, “If it were me, I would have...” in response to what was just told to the group. Make a mental note or write the differences in emotional responses down. All of it is great fodder for character creation and development.
Read, Watch, Listen
Maybe your main character is a politician, a celebrity, a police officer, or a billionaire. The nice thing is that there are plenty of autobiographies, biographies, documentaries, and even podcasts that delve into the lives and mentalities of these types of people. A politician thinks and plans out their life differently than other professions. A celebrity’s personal life is public, which can cause a lot of emotional stress that regular people don’t have to deal with.
By doing research, you can find out how these individuals work through failures, successes, being in the public eye, media scrutiny, etc., and get to the real emotions behind it. All of this research helps to make your main character more relatable and empathetic to the audience. YouTube is a treasure trove of free interviews, specials, and documentaries about all kinds of people.
And if your villain is a serial killer, you have thousands of podcasts and documentaries to choose from that delve into the psyche of these individuals. What makes serial killers, politicians, and billionaires tick? Are there any emotional similarities between them?
Don’t Rely on Fiction for Reference
There are billions of real people who can be viewed as references for emotional arcs within your fictional world. Real people can deliver true emotional depth and empathy, giving your characters a great level of dimension.
While most of us love fiction, it’s wise not to use fictional characters as reference points for emotional character development. It’s tempting to make your characters like Tony Stark or Jack Torrance, but then you aren’t bringing anything fresh or new to the emotional table. Creating cookie-cutter characters makes them dull and uninteresting. Borrowing traits from Bruce Wayne or Elle Woods is lazy writing.
Work to develop emotional arcs for your character that don’t allow your audience to predict the outcome. This leads to greater interest in the characters, the story, and a greater connection emotionally.
Multi-dimensional characters give audiences the best way to escape into the fictional world in front of them. By creating a relatable main character filled with depth and real growth, audiences are more likely to enjoy the journey and appreciate the pay-offs by the story’s end.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you in two weeks!
November 10, 2021
Writers Workshop Wednesday: Jack Kerouac
Considered one of the Godfathers of the Beat Generation, Jack Kerouac delivered his unique voice and perspectives on life to an era that included Allen Ginsberg, Charles Bukowski, Bob Kaufman, and William S. Burroughs.
It was post-World War II America, and many young people who had fought overseas had returned with no real sense of purpose. Kerouac captures that wanderlust and rebellious spirit in his writings, most famously in On the Road.
An avid reader and sports enthusiast at a young age, Kerouac was born in 1922 to immigrant parents. He spoke French at home and learned English at school. After a series of tragic events at home, including the death of his older brother, the family’s spiral into poverty, and his father’s alcoholism, Kerouac escaped to New York after graduating from high school.
A football scholarship got him into Columbia University in 1940, but a broken leg led to him being sidelined, and he dropped out the next year. After working various odd jobs along the East Coast, Kerouac enlisted with the U.S. Navy in 1943 to help fight in WWII. His stint only lasted 10 days as he was honorably discharged for having “strong schizoid trends.”
Upon returning to New York, he became friends with two other young men, Allen Ginsburg and William S. Burroughs. It was through their friendship and writings that the Beat Movement found its origins.
Kerouac began to write novels in the late 1940s, but he wouldn’t achieve any acclaim for his work on a wide scale until 1957 when On the Road was published and received rave reviews. His other works include Town and Country (his first novel), The Dharma Bums, Doctor Sax, Lonesome Traveler, Big Sur, and Desolation Angels. He also wrote poetry, plays, and spoken work albums.
Sadly, Kerouac died of a “massive abdominal hemorrhage” at the age of 47 in 1969.
Below are interviews with Kerouac, a few videos about the Beat Generation, and Kerouac reading some of his poems and excerpts from his novels.
Check out Kerouac’s bio HERE.
Learn more about Kerouac and The Beat Museum HERE.
And check out The Kerouac Society HERE.
Enjoy!
Jack Kerouac 1
Jack Kerouac 2
Jack Kerouac 3
Jack Kerouac 4
Jack Kerouac 5
Jack Kerouac 6
Back in two weeks with another great writer!
Post Sources:
Jack Kerouac Biography
Jack Kerouac Obituary
It was post-World War II America, and many young people who had fought overseas had returned with no real sense of purpose. Kerouac captures that wanderlust and rebellious spirit in his writings, most famously in On the Road.
An avid reader and sports enthusiast at a young age, Kerouac was born in 1922 to immigrant parents. He spoke French at home and learned English at school. After a series of tragic events at home, including the death of his older brother, the family’s spiral into poverty, and his father’s alcoholism, Kerouac escaped to New York after graduating from high school.
A football scholarship got him into Columbia University in 1940, but a broken leg led to him being sidelined, and he dropped out the next year. After working various odd jobs along the East Coast, Kerouac enlisted with the U.S. Navy in 1943 to help fight in WWII. His stint only lasted 10 days as he was honorably discharged for having “strong schizoid trends.”
Upon returning to New York, he became friends with two other young men, Allen Ginsburg and William S. Burroughs. It was through their friendship and writings that the Beat Movement found its origins.
Kerouac began to write novels in the late 1940s, but he wouldn’t achieve any acclaim for his work on a wide scale until 1957 when On the Road was published and received rave reviews. His other works include Town and Country (his first novel), The Dharma Bums, Doctor Sax, Lonesome Traveler, Big Sur, and Desolation Angels. He also wrote poetry, plays, and spoken work albums.
Sadly, Kerouac died of a “massive abdominal hemorrhage” at the age of 47 in 1969.
Below are interviews with Kerouac, a few videos about the Beat Generation, and Kerouac reading some of his poems and excerpts from his novels.
Check out Kerouac’s bio HERE.
Learn more about Kerouac and The Beat Museum HERE.
And check out The Kerouac Society HERE.
Enjoy!
Jack Kerouac 1
Jack Kerouac 2
Jack Kerouac 3
Jack Kerouac 4
Jack Kerouac 5
Jack Kerouac 6
Back in two weeks with another great writer!
Post Sources:
Jack Kerouac Biography
Jack Kerouac Obituary
November 7, 2021
Writing Tip of the Week: Story Continuity
Writing a novel can be an intense creative process. There are dozens of technical elements an author has to focus on at one time. At the same time, they have to make sure they’re crafting an engaging and entertaining story. Continuity is a major aspect that all writers should be aware of and consider as they work toward a final draft.
Making sure your novel’s story retains continuity throughout is a crucial component to focus on when working toward your final draft.
Keep The Story Flowing And Reader Engaged
Once the reader starts the story, there should be no point where they stop and question if repeated information is consistent. Suppose the main character drives a black Dodge Challenger. Fifty pages later, they drive a blue Dodge Charger. This would make the reader pause, go back, and see if there’s an error. If there is, they have now been taken out of the story. Oh, they may keep reading, but now they’re on the lookout for more continuity issues, and that is work they shouldn’t be doing.
A reader’s job is to read the book. It’s the author’s job to ensure that is all they have to do.
You Are The First Line Of Continuity Defense
I’m the first to admit that I am notorious for writing out of sequence, writing multiple versions of chapters, and experimenting with different ways to tell the story. These are all fine, but it’s important to have the story’s facts correct throughout when it comes to putting the story together.
Obviously, your story will change, as will your characters as the story moves forward. However, aspects of the characters, the locations, and the items used by the characters have consistency. It’s important for you as an author to keep track of these things and make the needed revisions during a Continuity Pass during your final drafting phase.
I would also ask your Beta Reader to check for continuity issues. A fresh set of eyes can definitely help spot these errors so they can be fixed.
Keep A Cheat Sheet
To keep things easy, create a cheat sheet that lists your main characters and key aspects about them (age, style of dress, personality, eye color, hair color, etc.). Have it handy when you’re writing. If they drive, have the make, model, and color of their cars available. Any basic factual information about the setting, locations, and basic geography of the area can also help. This will help you keep these things consistent and avoid the lengthy process of changing them later once they are in the novel.
Change Is Fine, But Make The Changes Consistent
As you draft your story, nothing is really set in stone. This also means the info on your cheat sheet. If you decide to make changes to a character, a location, or some other story aspect, make sure those changes are reflected in your cheat sheet for future reference. You should also make the changes throughout the manuscript right away for assurance purposes.
You can do a word search in your writing program to find the item you want to change, or you can do a find and replace to do it automatically. Even if you use this method, still read through the manuscript to ensure the changes exist and make sense.
Where Are Your Characters?
It’s important to keep tabs on where characters are, where they aren’t, and how long it would take them to get from point A to point B. If you have a character leave the room in one draft of a chapter, then merge it with another draft, make sure that character is still absent all the way through. I’ve done this where I merge drafts, and characters who are absent at the beginning are mysteriously present later on.
It’s also important to keep track of who knows what and when they know it. If a character is talking about an event they weren’t around for, how do they know about it? Who told them? This can also happen when multiple versions of the same chapter exist. Just make sure to create a continuity that won’t confuse the reader.
Big Picture To Small Picture
While it’s good to go into the story with an outline and cheat sheet, getting the story out and on the page is a priority. You can’t revise and edit what doesn’t exist, which is why you want to start with the big, broad strokes and get into the smaller stuff as you fine-tune future drafts.
As you write, you may change a character, a location, or story element. All fine. But make sure you notate the change, so you know to check for continuity issues later on.
This is important since once the book is in the reader’s hands…
Details Count
While a reader probably won’t fact-check the hourly wage of a baker during the Renaissance, they will notice if a character’s eye color changes or if they suddenly have an umbrella with them for no reason during a freak storm. If a character’s clothing is referenced during a chapter, make sure that any mentions of their clothing are consistent (if she walks in wearing heels, make sure she’s not wearing flats a few pages later).
I believe a continuity pass should come toward the end of the drafting phase because it can become a distraction from what you really need to do: write the story. If you want to get into the detailed minutiae, save it for once the story is solid, and you’ve reached the end. Then you can dig in and make sure everything else has the continuity to keep the reader reading.
What glaring errors have taken you out of a novel, a movie, or a TV show? Leave a comment and let me know!
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you in two weeks!
Making sure your novel’s story retains continuity throughout is a crucial component to focus on when working toward your final draft.
Keep The Story Flowing And Reader Engaged
Once the reader starts the story, there should be no point where they stop and question if repeated information is consistent. Suppose the main character drives a black Dodge Challenger. Fifty pages later, they drive a blue Dodge Charger. This would make the reader pause, go back, and see if there’s an error. If there is, they have now been taken out of the story. Oh, they may keep reading, but now they’re on the lookout for more continuity issues, and that is work they shouldn’t be doing.
A reader’s job is to read the book. It’s the author’s job to ensure that is all they have to do.
You Are The First Line Of Continuity Defense
I’m the first to admit that I am notorious for writing out of sequence, writing multiple versions of chapters, and experimenting with different ways to tell the story. These are all fine, but it’s important to have the story’s facts correct throughout when it comes to putting the story together.
Obviously, your story will change, as will your characters as the story moves forward. However, aspects of the characters, the locations, and the items used by the characters have consistency. It’s important for you as an author to keep track of these things and make the needed revisions during a Continuity Pass during your final drafting phase.
I would also ask your Beta Reader to check for continuity issues. A fresh set of eyes can definitely help spot these errors so they can be fixed.
Keep A Cheat Sheet
To keep things easy, create a cheat sheet that lists your main characters and key aspects about them (age, style of dress, personality, eye color, hair color, etc.). Have it handy when you’re writing. If they drive, have the make, model, and color of their cars available. Any basic factual information about the setting, locations, and basic geography of the area can also help. This will help you keep these things consistent and avoid the lengthy process of changing them later once they are in the novel.
Change Is Fine, But Make The Changes Consistent
As you draft your story, nothing is really set in stone. This also means the info on your cheat sheet. If you decide to make changes to a character, a location, or some other story aspect, make sure those changes are reflected in your cheat sheet for future reference. You should also make the changes throughout the manuscript right away for assurance purposes.
You can do a word search in your writing program to find the item you want to change, or you can do a find and replace to do it automatically. Even if you use this method, still read through the manuscript to ensure the changes exist and make sense.
Where Are Your Characters?
It’s important to keep tabs on where characters are, where they aren’t, and how long it would take them to get from point A to point B. If you have a character leave the room in one draft of a chapter, then merge it with another draft, make sure that character is still absent all the way through. I’ve done this where I merge drafts, and characters who are absent at the beginning are mysteriously present later on.
It’s also important to keep track of who knows what and when they know it. If a character is talking about an event they weren’t around for, how do they know about it? Who told them? This can also happen when multiple versions of the same chapter exist. Just make sure to create a continuity that won’t confuse the reader.
Big Picture To Small Picture
While it’s good to go into the story with an outline and cheat sheet, getting the story out and on the page is a priority. You can’t revise and edit what doesn’t exist, which is why you want to start with the big, broad strokes and get into the smaller stuff as you fine-tune future drafts.
As you write, you may change a character, a location, or story element. All fine. But make sure you notate the change, so you know to check for continuity issues later on.
This is important since once the book is in the reader’s hands…
Details Count
While a reader probably won’t fact-check the hourly wage of a baker during the Renaissance, they will notice if a character’s eye color changes or if they suddenly have an umbrella with them for no reason during a freak storm. If a character’s clothing is referenced during a chapter, make sure that any mentions of their clothing are consistent (if she walks in wearing heels, make sure she’s not wearing flats a few pages later).
I believe a continuity pass should come toward the end of the drafting phase because it can become a distraction from what you really need to do: write the story. If you want to get into the detailed minutiae, save it for once the story is solid, and you’ve reached the end. Then you can dig in and make sure everything else has the continuity to keep the reader reading.
What glaring errors have taken you out of a novel, a movie, or a TV show? Leave a comment and let me know!
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you in two weeks!
October 27, 2021
Writers Workshop Wednesday: Mark Twain (1835 -1910)
An icon of American Literature, Mark Twain was born Samuel Clemens in 1835. It would be his life experiences and the people he encountered that would inspire characters in his two most well-known novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Known for his wit and his unique perspective on life, Twain’s real life was filled with struggle and hardship as he navigated a world dominated by the Civil War, the Gilded Age, and the tail end of the Industrial Revolution. Twain would see a monumental amount of change during his life, even being one of the first subject of a new medium called moving pictures.
His writing career started at a newspaper, and evolved into writing about his travels, and finally into fiction. Twain’s life is a fascinating one, and one worth exploring to see how a man whose life began with a decade of childhood illness would go on to become one of the most-read authors in all of American Literature.
Check out more about his life from
The History Channel.
You can also learn more about him at this link to
The Mark Twain House and Museum.
Below are links to biographies, books, and interviews about Mark Twain. I also added a link the aforementioned moving picture featuring Twain that was filmed by Thomas Edison.
Enjoy!
Mark Twain 1
Mark Twain 2
Mark Twain 3
Mark Twain 4
Mark Twain 5
Mark Twain 6
Mark Twain 7
Mark Twain 8
Mark Twain 9
Back in two weeks with another great writer!
Known for his wit and his unique perspective on life, Twain’s real life was filled with struggle and hardship as he navigated a world dominated by the Civil War, the Gilded Age, and the tail end of the Industrial Revolution. Twain would see a monumental amount of change during his life, even being one of the first subject of a new medium called moving pictures.
His writing career started at a newspaper, and evolved into writing about his travels, and finally into fiction. Twain’s life is a fascinating one, and one worth exploring to see how a man whose life began with a decade of childhood illness would go on to become one of the most-read authors in all of American Literature.
Check out more about his life from
The History Channel.
You can also learn more about him at this link to
The Mark Twain House and Museum.
Below are links to biographies, books, and interviews about Mark Twain. I also added a link the aforementioned moving picture featuring Twain that was filmed by Thomas Edison.
Enjoy!
Mark Twain 1
Mark Twain 2
Mark Twain 3
Mark Twain 4
Mark Twain 5
Mark Twain 6
Mark Twain 7
Mark Twain 8
Mark Twain 9
Back in two weeks with another great writer!
October 24, 2021
Writing Tip of the Week: The Importance of Conflict in Your Story
Most of us go about our daily lives determined to avoid conflict. In the real world, it can be a real pain dealing with angry, disagreeable, and aggressive people, which can, in turn, negatively impact your day as a whole. If we find ourselves involved in a conflict, our primary goal is to end it or get away from it as fast as possible.
Obviously, there are those in the world that thrive on conflict and cause trouble for others, but for the most part, people like to have a semblance of peace in their day-to-day lives.
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, Conflict equals Drama, and it’s true. Conflict is a must-have in the fictional world of a novel, a TV show, or a movie. Conflict helps drive the story forward, reveal character, and create an intense dialogue between those in conflict.
Suppose a story lacks a conflict for your protagonist. In that case, it can drag, feel aimless, and even cause the reader or viewer to lose interest. So, let’s talk about conflict and how to keep things alive in your story.
How Big Should the Conflict Be?
Not all conflict revolves around world-ending superhero movie stakes. A conflict can be as simple as a disagreement between the main character and another character. It can also be during the final showdown between the protagonist and antagonist. It’s something that puts a wrench in the protagonist’s day, and it’s something they have to work to overcome to get to their sense of normalcy once again.
Let’s look at story conflict on a scale of 1 to 5. One is the bare minimum. Maybe it’s a couple who can’t agree where to go to dinner or siblings who can’t decide whether to get a cat or a dog. Simple, low-stakes conflicts that will probably have an amicable resolution sooner than later.
A five is a relentless assault on the main character that has no clear end in sight, and the antagonist has the upper hand from the start. Horror movies are often a 10. Superhero movies can be up in the 10s. Disaster movies as well. High-stakes and a lot to lose if the main character is defeated.
In the middle are stakes and conflicts that can mirror real life, raise stakes, and create consequences for the main character. They aren’t easy to resolve but have some kernel of hope of a win nesting inside them.
Think about what you’re currently writing. What are the main conflicts the protagonist faces? Are they Ones? Fives? In the middle? Then ask yourself if the conflict is big enough for your main character to fight to defeat whatever the conflict is. Will the struggle? Will they suffer in some way? Have setbacks? Will these conflicts help them grow as a character?
Don’t Fear Conflict
It’s okay for your main character to argue with someone. It’s okay for the protagonist to disagree with other characters. If your protagonist gets their way from chapter one to the final page, it’s going to be a dull and predictable story.
Hallmark movies have conflict. As you read this, Hallmark Channel has started airing Christmas movies 24/7. Never seen one? Watch one and jot down the main conflicts that the main character faces throughout the story. On our scale, they are probably 1s and 2s (if you want 3-level conflict, flip over to Lifetime), but there is still conflict present.
When we hear the word Conflict, we think of shootouts, explosions, fistfights, and screaming matches. But conflict can take many forms rooted in a more realistic world than Batman versus The Joker.
Sitcoms can create a conflict out of a minor situation and expand upon it for 22 minutes. One of my favorite shows, Frasier, does this beautifully. From minor disagreements, misunderstandings, past rivalries, and more, these smaller conflicts can be a well-spring of material that can be used that don’t have to result in Metropolis or Gotham City being destroyed.
And just because your main character argues with someone doesn’t make them unlikeable. It makes them appear more human, which is a good thing.
External & Internal Conflict
What's causing the conflict in the story? If it's something outside the main character's control, it's an External Conflict. It disrupts the protagonist's world that has to be resolved to return to their sense of normalcy.
Most stories revolve around External Conflicts. There's a threat, a natural disaster, an antagonist creating chaos. Whatever it is, it's outside the main character.
Internal Conflicts can be a direct result of an External Conflict. Still, these are things the main character is struggling to overcome that are causing issues within.
Maybe they were just served divorce papers. The divorce is an External Conflict, but the feelings the main character has are an Internal Conflict. The protagonist must resolve the External Conflict (why does the partner want a divorce? Where are they? How can we fix this problem?). At the same time, they must deal with the Internal Conflict (what did I do to lead up to this moment? How can I change and become better? Is there something wrong with me as a partner?).
All characters, like real people, need to have an External and Internal life, which assists in creating the External and Internal Conflicts that serve the story and help the character grow and change within and without.
As you work on your story, think about how the external events are affecting the main character internally. How are their thoughts, feelings, and fears impacting their ability to stop the External Conflict they've been thrown into?
Conflict as a Driving Force
Conflict creates problems for the protagonist. In turn, the active protagonist sets out to resolve and end the conflict. Other conflicts may pop up in the meantime that must be tamped down as the main character continues their pursuit toward their goal of ending the conflict.
The majority of main characters in mainstream entertainment want to end the conflict they’re dealing with and go back to their life before everything got out of control. Of course, in working to stop and resolve the conflict, they will grow as a person and learn from their experiences, which creates their Character Arc.
Viewing for Conflict
Grab a couple of your favorite movies, a few episodes of your favorite TV shows, a novel you’ve read before, a notebook and a pen, and analyze the conflicts in each. Make a note about the main conflict, how the main character sets out to resolve it, and how they evolve throughout the story to end the conflict.
Now, look at your story and see where conflict can be increased and the stakes raised for your main character. What is your protagonist’s goal? How do they initially plan to resolve the conflict that has presented itself and upturned their calm state of being? How will they change as they work to resolve the conflict? Will they become a better or worse person by the story’s end?
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you in two weeks!
Obviously, there are those in the world that thrive on conflict and cause trouble for others, but for the most part, people like to have a semblance of peace in their day-to-day lives.
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, Conflict equals Drama, and it’s true. Conflict is a must-have in the fictional world of a novel, a TV show, or a movie. Conflict helps drive the story forward, reveal character, and create an intense dialogue between those in conflict.
Suppose a story lacks a conflict for your protagonist. In that case, it can drag, feel aimless, and even cause the reader or viewer to lose interest. So, let’s talk about conflict and how to keep things alive in your story.
How Big Should the Conflict Be?
Not all conflict revolves around world-ending superhero movie stakes. A conflict can be as simple as a disagreement between the main character and another character. It can also be during the final showdown between the protagonist and antagonist. It’s something that puts a wrench in the protagonist’s day, and it’s something they have to work to overcome to get to their sense of normalcy once again.
Let’s look at story conflict on a scale of 1 to 5. One is the bare minimum. Maybe it’s a couple who can’t agree where to go to dinner or siblings who can’t decide whether to get a cat or a dog. Simple, low-stakes conflicts that will probably have an amicable resolution sooner than later.
A five is a relentless assault on the main character that has no clear end in sight, and the antagonist has the upper hand from the start. Horror movies are often a 10. Superhero movies can be up in the 10s. Disaster movies as well. High-stakes and a lot to lose if the main character is defeated.
In the middle are stakes and conflicts that can mirror real life, raise stakes, and create consequences for the main character. They aren’t easy to resolve but have some kernel of hope of a win nesting inside them.
Think about what you’re currently writing. What are the main conflicts the protagonist faces? Are they Ones? Fives? In the middle? Then ask yourself if the conflict is big enough for your main character to fight to defeat whatever the conflict is. Will the struggle? Will they suffer in some way? Have setbacks? Will these conflicts help them grow as a character?
Don’t Fear Conflict
It’s okay for your main character to argue with someone. It’s okay for the protagonist to disagree with other characters. If your protagonist gets their way from chapter one to the final page, it’s going to be a dull and predictable story.
Hallmark movies have conflict. As you read this, Hallmark Channel has started airing Christmas movies 24/7. Never seen one? Watch one and jot down the main conflicts that the main character faces throughout the story. On our scale, they are probably 1s and 2s (if you want 3-level conflict, flip over to Lifetime), but there is still conflict present.
When we hear the word Conflict, we think of shootouts, explosions, fistfights, and screaming matches. But conflict can take many forms rooted in a more realistic world than Batman versus The Joker.
Sitcoms can create a conflict out of a minor situation and expand upon it for 22 minutes. One of my favorite shows, Frasier, does this beautifully. From minor disagreements, misunderstandings, past rivalries, and more, these smaller conflicts can be a well-spring of material that can be used that don’t have to result in Metropolis or Gotham City being destroyed.
And just because your main character argues with someone doesn’t make them unlikeable. It makes them appear more human, which is a good thing.
External & Internal Conflict
What's causing the conflict in the story? If it's something outside the main character's control, it's an External Conflict. It disrupts the protagonist's world that has to be resolved to return to their sense of normalcy.
Most stories revolve around External Conflicts. There's a threat, a natural disaster, an antagonist creating chaos. Whatever it is, it's outside the main character.
Internal Conflicts can be a direct result of an External Conflict. Still, these are things the main character is struggling to overcome that are causing issues within.
Maybe they were just served divorce papers. The divorce is an External Conflict, but the feelings the main character has are an Internal Conflict. The protagonist must resolve the External Conflict (why does the partner want a divorce? Where are they? How can we fix this problem?). At the same time, they must deal with the Internal Conflict (what did I do to lead up to this moment? How can I change and become better? Is there something wrong with me as a partner?).
All characters, like real people, need to have an External and Internal life, which assists in creating the External and Internal Conflicts that serve the story and help the character grow and change within and without.
As you work on your story, think about how the external events are affecting the main character internally. How are their thoughts, feelings, and fears impacting their ability to stop the External Conflict they've been thrown into?
Conflict as a Driving Force
Conflict creates problems for the protagonist. In turn, the active protagonist sets out to resolve and end the conflict. Other conflicts may pop up in the meantime that must be tamped down as the main character continues their pursuit toward their goal of ending the conflict.
The majority of main characters in mainstream entertainment want to end the conflict they’re dealing with and go back to their life before everything got out of control. Of course, in working to stop and resolve the conflict, they will grow as a person and learn from their experiences, which creates their Character Arc.
Viewing for Conflict
Grab a couple of your favorite movies, a few episodes of your favorite TV shows, a novel you’ve read before, a notebook and a pen, and analyze the conflicts in each. Make a note about the main conflict, how the main character sets out to resolve it, and how they evolve throughout the story to end the conflict.
Now, look at your story and see where conflict can be increased and the stakes raised for your main character. What is your protagonist’s goal? How do they initially plan to resolve the conflict that has presented itself and upturned their calm state of being? How will they change as they work to resolve the conflict? Will they become a better or worse person by the story’s end?
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you in two weeks!
October 18, 2021
A Look at “I Love Lucy” Writer Jess Oppenheimer’s Book: Laughs, Luck…and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time
Jess Oppenheimer was not one to sit down for interviews. I couldn’t find any interviews with Oppenheimer with the Academy of Television, The Writers Guild Foundation, or even talk shows. However, he did give us a treasure trove of insight about his time on I Love Lucy in his book, Laughs, Luck…and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time.
Assembled by his son, Gregg Oppenheimer, the book gives readers plenty of insight into the behind-the-scenes drama, excitement, and pressure that goes into making a half-hour of TV in the 1950s.
Laughs, Luck…and Lucy delves into Jess Oppenheimer’s relationships with Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, his fellow Lucy writers, and others in the industry at the time. It also gives us a look at his upbringing and life before and after the series, showing how his life experiences shaped his comedy sensibilities and work ethic that made him a very popular and in-demand TV writer.
Along with his interpersonal relationships, the book discusses TV production of the 1950s and how I Love Lucy revolutionized the way shows were filmed, edited, and distributed.
There is a wealth of information included in the Appendices at the end of the book, including I Love Lucy scripts; a script from My Favorite Husband; an unperformed episode of I Love Lucy (the only script Lucy and Desi refused to do); and articles about the production of the series.
Laughs, Luck…and Lucy is a must-read for Lucy fans and a great historical document about the Golden Age of television.
Click HERE for interviews with others talking about working with Jess Oppenheimer from the Television Academy.
Assembled by his son, Gregg Oppenheimer, the book gives readers plenty of insight into the behind-the-scenes drama, excitement, and pressure that goes into making a half-hour of TV in the 1950s.
Laughs, Luck…and Lucy delves into Jess Oppenheimer’s relationships with Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, his fellow Lucy writers, and others in the industry at the time. It also gives us a look at his upbringing and life before and after the series, showing how his life experiences shaped his comedy sensibilities and work ethic that made him a very popular and in-demand TV writer.
Along with his interpersonal relationships, the book discusses TV production of the 1950s and how I Love Lucy revolutionized the way shows were filmed, edited, and distributed.
There is a wealth of information included in the Appendices at the end of the book, including I Love Lucy scripts; a script from My Favorite Husband; an unperformed episode of I Love Lucy (the only script Lucy and Desi refused to do); and articles about the production of the series.
Laughs, Luck…and Lucy is a must-read for Lucy fans and a great historical document about the Golden Age of television.
Click HERE for interviews with others talking about working with Jess Oppenheimer from the Television Academy.
October 17, 2021
An Interview with “I Love Lucy” Writers Bob Schiller & Bob Weiskopf from The Archive of American Television
Writing team Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf joined the I Love Lucy writing staff during the show’s fifth and sixths seasons, which saw the Ricardos and Mertzes wrapping up their trip to Hollywood, travelling to Europe, and moving to the country.
Prior to their work on Lucy, Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf worked in radio, writing their first script together for the radio series, Our Miss Brooks. Their writing partnership would lead them to write for Make Room for Daddy and The Bob Cummings Show, which would lead to their hiring on I Love Lucy.
If you’re familiar with the sitcoms of Norman Lear, the names Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf are frequently credited for their comedy writing, especially on the Bea Arthur series, Maude. They also were involved with All in the Family and its spin-off, Archie Bunker’s Place.
Fun fact: Fellow I Love Lucy writer, Jess Oppenheimer, was roommates with Bob Weiskopf in college 13 years before Oppenheimer hired Weiskopf and Schiller to work on the series.
Below is their interview with The Archive of American Television where they discuss their career in TV (the clips were not numbered, so I organized them the best I could).
Enjoy!
Schiller & Weiskopf 1
Schiller & Weiskopf 2
Schiller & Weiskopf 3
Schiller & Weiskopf 4
Schiller & Weiskopf 5
Schiller & Weiskopf 6
And as a bonus, here’s their interview with The Writers Guild Foundation:
Schiller & Weiskopf 7
Another day, another I Love Lucy writer. Stay tuned!
Prior to their work on Lucy, Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf worked in radio, writing their first script together for the radio series, Our Miss Brooks. Their writing partnership would lead them to write for Make Room for Daddy and The Bob Cummings Show, which would lead to their hiring on I Love Lucy.
If you’re familiar with the sitcoms of Norman Lear, the names Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf are frequently credited for their comedy writing, especially on the Bea Arthur series, Maude. They also were involved with All in the Family and its spin-off, Archie Bunker’s Place.
Fun fact: Fellow I Love Lucy writer, Jess Oppenheimer, was roommates with Bob Weiskopf in college 13 years before Oppenheimer hired Weiskopf and Schiller to work on the series.
Below is their interview with The Archive of American Television where they discuss their career in TV (the clips were not numbered, so I organized them the best I could).
Enjoy!
Schiller & Weiskopf 1
Schiller & Weiskopf 2
Schiller & Weiskopf 3
Schiller & Weiskopf 4
Schiller & Weiskopf 5
Schiller & Weiskopf 6
And as a bonus, here’s their interview with The Writers Guild Foundation:
Schiller & Weiskopf 7
Another day, another I Love Lucy writer. Stay tuned!
October 16, 2021
An Interview with “I Love Lucy” Writers Madelyn Pugh Davis & Bob Carroll, Jr. from The Archive of American Television
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. began their writing careers in radio, most notably on the comedy series, My Favorite Husband (1948-1951). On the show, their paths would cross with an actress, Lucille Ball, who - upon the radio series ending in 1951 - would be doing a TV series for CBS with her husband, Desi Arnaz. The series, I Love Lucy, would initially be staffed by three writers: Pugh Davis, Carroll, Jr., and Jess Oppenheimer.
Pugh Davis and Carroll would remain with I Love Lucy for its six-year run, moving on as a writing team on future series like The Lucy Show, The Mothers-In-Law, Alice, and Sanford & Son.
Below is the entire interview with Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. conducted by The Archive of American Television, where they talk about their multi-decade careers.
Enjoy!
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 1
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 2
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 3
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 4
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 5
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 6
And here’s a bonus interview with The Writers Guild Foundation:
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 7
Back with another set of interviews with two more I Love Lucy writers tomorrow! Stay tuned!
Pugh Davis and Carroll would remain with I Love Lucy for its six-year run, moving on as a writing team on future series like The Lucy Show, The Mothers-In-Law, Alice, and Sanford & Son.
Below is the entire interview with Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. conducted by The Archive of American Television, where they talk about their multi-decade careers.
Enjoy!
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 1
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 2
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 3
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 4
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 5
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 6
And here’s a bonus interview with The Writers Guild Foundation:
Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. 7
Back with another set of interviews with two more I Love Lucy writers tomorrow! Stay tuned!
October 15, 2021
It’s the 70th Anniversary of “I Love Lucy”! - A Salute to the Show’s Amazing Writers
On October 15, 1951, a new sitcom premiered on CBS starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The series was I Love Lucy, a show that would forever change the way sitcoms are filmed and produced. It was the first sitcom to feature an interracial couple and to show a pregnant woman (GASP!) on TV.
Married in real life, Ball and Arnaz were looking for a project to keep them together instead of traveling around making films or doing concerts. When the idea for the series fell in their lap, they jumped at the opportunity, taking the initial concept on the road to see how it was received by audiences. Assured that they had a workable idea, the show was developed into I Love Lucy.
I Love Lucy Theme
I Love Lucy was also the birth of Desilu Productions, which would produce many notable series, including The Lucy Show, Mission: Impossible, and Star Trek. Following Lucy and Desi’s divorce, Lucille Ball would take the reins of Desilu, becoming the first female studio president in Hollywood.
Seven decades after its premiere, Lucy is as popular as ever and is an ever-present staple in pop culture. Generations of families have sat down to enjoy the antics of Lucy Ricardo in black-and-white and in color; on small tube TVs and giant OLED screens; on DVD and streaming.
Lucille Ball was a comedic genius; her influence on other female comedians over the decades is a tribute to her skills and talents as a genuine comedienne. I Love Lucy was a vehicle to showcase Ball’s talents, but we can't overlook the comic contributions of her three fantastic co-stars. Desi Arnaz, who doesn’t get enough credit for his role as Ricky, was a great straight man and a powerhouse behind the scenes. Vivian Vance, the world’s greatest second-banana, Ethel Mertz, was a talented woman who brought her comic and singing talents to the role. William Frawley, the cranky and cheap Fred Mertz, was a character actor that never missed an opportunity to deliver a one-liner.
Despite any off-camera drama that may have occurred over the show’s production, these four collectively created some of the most memorable moments in TV history. Their chemistry on-camera is undeniable, and it’s still evident 70 years later.
Classic Lucy Clip 1
But Lucy Ricardo remains silent and with no crazy ideas without the geniuses who gave her and the other characters that populated I Love Lucy life. Throughout its six seasons and 180 episodes, five writers delivered the scripts that would be turned into comedy gold by Ball, Arnaz, Vance, and Frawley each week. We owe as much to these five writers as we do to the actors who brought I Love Lucy to life.
Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller, and Bob Weiskopf are the writers whom Lucille Ball has credited many times for giving her comedy gold to work with throughout the series' run. I can only imagine the pressure these five were under to create a fresh, creative, and funny script each week that would please Ball and Arnaz, who weren't just the stars of the show but their employers as well. And they did it, creating comedy gold week after week, giving Lucy new motivations to get into Ricky's show, taking the gang to Hollywood, Europe, and the country. One-liners, slapstick, physical gags, sight gags, big guest stars, and some of the best facial expressions in the business.
Classic Lucy Clip 2
Lucille Ball had previously worked with Oppenheimer, Pugh, and Carroll, Jr. on her radio series, My Favorite Husband, where Ball played housewife Liz Cugat (later Cooper) for 124 episodes. Liz was a devoted, loving, and zany woman who got into comedic situations every week (sound familiar?). The series ended its run in March 1951, the same year I Love Lucy would hit the airwaves in October.
With Husband ending and Ball and Arnaz needing writers for their new series, it was common sense to use writers familiar with Ball’s comic sensibility and who came with a vast knowledge of the situation comedy formula. Obviously, bringing this trio along was a choice that helped keep I Love Lucy so widely known seven decades later.
Classic Lucy Clip 3
Seasons one through four came from the creative minds of Oppenheimer, Pugh, and Carroll, Jr. Seasons five and six would see the addition of Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, with Jess Oppenheimer leaving after season five. All five writers would continue to write in the sitcom genre for decades to come on series like Alice, All in the Family, Maude, The Carol Burnett Show, Here’s Lucy, and Get Smart.
Sadly, while these talented writers were nominated for Emmys for their work on I Love Lucy, they never won. However, I think the longevity of the series and the legacy of their work is an even greater reward.
Needless to say, I’m a huge fan of I Love Lucy. No matter what’s going on in the real world, the antics of Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel, always manage to bring a smile to my face and make me laugh even if I’ve seen the episode dozens of times. I’m sure they had no clue when director Marc Daniel yelled action seventy years ago that I Love Lucy would still be on the air today; on TVs worldwide, translated into dozens of languages, and still enjoyed by millions.
Classic Lucy Clip 4
Thank you, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley; Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller, Bob Weiskopf; directors Marc Daniels and William Asher; and the hundreds of other people who brought I Love Lucy into homes in the 1950s so that we could still enjoy the show today. Your legacies, talents, and positive contribution to the world have not gone unnoticed.
Classic Lucy Clip 5
Check back this weekend for a few more posts about the writers of I Love Lucy! Stay tuned!
What are your favorite episodes, moments, lines, or characters from I Love Lucy? Leave a comment and let me know!
Married in real life, Ball and Arnaz were looking for a project to keep them together instead of traveling around making films or doing concerts. When the idea for the series fell in their lap, they jumped at the opportunity, taking the initial concept on the road to see how it was received by audiences. Assured that they had a workable idea, the show was developed into I Love Lucy.
I Love Lucy Theme
I Love Lucy was also the birth of Desilu Productions, which would produce many notable series, including The Lucy Show, Mission: Impossible, and Star Trek. Following Lucy and Desi’s divorce, Lucille Ball would take the reins of Desilu, becoming the first female studio president in Hollywood.
Seven decades after its premiere, Lucy is as popular as ever and is an ever-present staple in pop culture. Generations of families have sat down to enjoy the antics of Lucy Ricardo in black-and-white and in color; on small tube TVs and giant OLED screens; on DVD and streaming.
Lucille Ball was a comedic genius; her influence on other female comedians over the decades is a tribute to her skills and talents as a genuine comedienne. I Love Lucy was a vehicle to showcase Ball’s talents, but we can't overlook the comic contributions of her three fantastic co-stars. Desi Arnaz, who doesn’t get enough credit for his role as Ricky, was a great straight man and a powerhouse behind the scenes. Vivian Vance, the world’s greatest second-banana, Ethel Mertz, was a talented woman who brought her comic and singing talents to the role. William Frawley, the cranky and cheap Fred Mertz, was a character actor that never missed an opportunity to deliver a one-liner.
Despite any off-camera drama that may have occurred over the show’s production, these four collectively created some of the most memorable moments in TV history. Their chemistry on-camera is undeniable, and it’s still evident 70 years later.
Classic Lucy Clip 1
But Lucy Ricardo remains silent and with no crazy ideas without the geniuses who gave her and the other characters that populated I Love Lucy life. Throughout its six seasons and 180 episodes, five writers delivered the scripts that would be turned into comedy gold by Ball, Arnaz, Vance, and Frawley each week. We owe as much to these five writers as we do to the actors who brought I Love Lucy to life.
Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller, and Bob Weiskopf are the writers whom Lucille Ball has credited many times for giving her comedy gold to work with throughout the series' run. I can only imagine the pressure these five were under to create a fresh, creative, and funny script each week that would please Ball and Arnaz, who weren't just the stars of the show but their employers as well. And they did it, creating comedy gold week after week, giving Lucy new motivations to get into Ricky's show, taking the gang to Hollywood, Europe, and the country. One-liners, slapstick, physical gags, sight gags, big guest stars, and some of the best facial expressions in the business.
Classic Lucy Clip 2
Lucille Ball had previously worked with Oppenheimer, Pugh, and Carroll, Jr. on her radio series, My Favorite Husband, where Ball played housewife Liz Cugat (later Cooper) for 124 episodes. Liz was a devoted, loving, and zany woman who got into comedic situations every week (sound familiar?). The series ended its run in March 1951, the same year I Love Lucy would hit the airwaves in October.
With Husband ending and Ball and Arnaz needing writers for their new series, it was common sense to use writers familiar with Ball’s comic sensibility and who came with a vast knowledge of the situation comedy formula. Obviously, bringing this trio along was a choice that helped keep I Love Lucy so widely known seven decades later.
Classic Lucy Clip 3
Seasons one through four came from the creative minds of Oppenheimer, Pugh, and Carroll, Jr. Seasons five and six would see the addition of Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, with Jess Oppenheimer leaving after season five. All five writers would continue to write in the sitcom genre for decades to come on series like Alice, All in the Family, Maude, The Carol Burnett Show, Here’s Lucy, and Get Smart.
Sadly, while these talented writers were nominated for Emmys for their work on I Love Lucy, they never won. However, I think the longevity of the series and the legacy of their work is an even greater reward.
Needless to say, I’m a huge fan of I Love Lucy. No matter what’s going on in the real world, the antics of Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel, always manage to bring a smile to my face and make me laugh even if I’ve seen the episode dozens of times. I’m sure they had no clue when director Marc Daniel yelled action seventy years ago that I Love Lucy would still be on the air today; on TVs worldwide, translated into dozens of languages, and still enjoyed by millions.
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Thank you, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley; Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller, Bob Weiskopf; directors Marc Daniels and William Asher; and the hundreds of other people who brought I Love Lucy into homes in the 1950s so that we could still enjoy the show today. Your legacies, talents, and positive contribution to the world have not gone unnoticed.
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Check back this weekend for a few more posts about the writers of I Love Lucy! Stay tuned!
What are your favorite episodes, moments, lines, or characters from I Love Lucy? Leave a comment and let me know!
