Getting it 'write'

What do the world's best movies, books, plays, musicals and television shows have in common?
The answer is simple: great writing.
You can have all sorts of cutting edge technology, the latest in special effects, CGI, and so forth. But without great writing, you have nothing.
It's something that's been true since human beings scrawled the first images on cave walls, and something that's not likely to change anytime soon. People just love a good story. Or more accurately, they love a good story that is told well.
So what goes into great writing? Well, as I just said, you've got to start with a good story -- one that people can -- or want to buy into. It can be a tragedy, a comedy, a quest story, or some semblance thereof. It doesn't really matter.
What is just as important, if not more so, is the characters. They must be credible and the audience must be able to relate to them. For that matter, the world the writer puts them in must also be believable.
Throw in a healthy dose of conflict and you've got all of the basic ingredients.
The rest is a matter of talent -- or luck -- -- or training -- or some combination thereof. I suppose it depends on whom you ask. Many turn to the masters for the answers. And personally I wouldn't mind picking Julian Fellowes' brain... True he writes for TV (or at least that's what he's been doing most recently) and I write books (among other things). But he's responsible for creating one of my most favorite TV shows, (Downton Abbey) and one of my all-time favorite characters, the Dowager Countess -- who has uttered some of the most awesome lines in the history of TV.
In closing, here are just a few:
- "Vulgarity is no substitute for wit."
- "I don't dislike him. I just don't like him. Which is quite different."
- "Don't be defeatist, dear, it's very middle class."
- “Is this an instrument of communication or torture?”
- “It always happens when you give these little people power, it goes to their heads like strong drink.”
- “There can be too much truth in any relationship."
- “If I were to search for logic, I would not look for it among the English upper class.”
Until next time, "That's life..."