Perfectly Imperfect
Argentine screenwriter Nicolas Giacobone was on the radio recently to talk about his new book "The Crossed-Out Notebook". It really strikes a nerve in me. As a matter of fact, I think that any artist or anybody who tries to seriously pursue craft would probably find a lot of truth in what Giacobone has to share.
Here are excerpts that I find particularly thought-provoking for me.
". . . when you are an egotistic and you truly want to create something that's unique that is going to be studied for ages, the pressure is immense because what you face, first of all, is your limitations. And it becomes, like, not a pleasurable venture."
"I think that perfectionism in that is, like, it's a mistake. I feel that we are basically imperfect. Everything we will ever do is going to be imperfect in a way. But at the same time, like, it's a contradiction because you have to do the best you can. You have to make sure that you're doing the best you can. There's nothing left there, that if you can fix a line, you can fix a word, if you can fix a transition from scene to scene or - like, you should do it. Just take your time. You should become obsessed with the thing. But at the same time, you have to know that it's going to be completely imperfect."
Giacobone reads part of his book: "If you reach the end of a screenplay feeling that writing it was easy, that there's no great secret to screenwriting, then the draft isn't worth [expletive]. You have to suffer. You have to beat your head against the wall. You have to feel like it's all for nothing. You have to look at yourself in the mirror and realize your face is idiotic because we all have idiotic faces - even worse, idiotic eyes. You have to laugh like crazy at least once a week. You have to cry. You have to read what you wrote and cry, not because the scenes are sad but because they are pathetic. You have to spend hours and hours imagining other possible professions. You have to spend hours and hours thinking up valid excuses, even if they are lies, to justify the failure."
But then, as human beings, after mourning over what a failure we are, we get back to trying again. At the end, isn't that what being human is all about? This is exactly what makes life so compelling and beautiful.
[Interview of Nicolás Giacobone on NPR's All Things Considered]
Here are excerpts that I find particularly thought-provoking for me.
". . . when you are an egotistic and you truly want to create something that's unique that is going to be studied for ages, the pressure is immense because what you face, first of all, is your limitations. And it becomes, like, not a pleasurable venture."
"I think that perfectionism in that is, like, it's a mistake. I feel that we are basically imperfect. Everything we will ever do is going to be imperfect in a way. But at the same time, like, it's a contradiction because you have to do the best you can. You have to make sure that you're doing the best you can. There's nothing left there, that if you can fix a line, you can fix a word, if you can fix a transition from scene to scene or - like, you should do it. Just take your time. You should become obsessed with the thing. But at the same time, you have to know that it's going to be completely imperfect."
Giacobone reads part of his book: "If you reach the end of a screenplay feeling that writing it was easy, that there's no great secret to screenwriting, then the draft isn't worth [expletive]. You have to suffer. You have to beat your head against the wall. You have to feel like it's all for nothing. You have to look at yourself in the mirror and realize your face is idiotic because we all have idiotic faces - even worse, idiotic eyes. You have to laugh like crazy at least once a week. You have to cry. You have to read what you wrote and cry, not because the scenes are sad but because they are pathetic. You have to spend hours and hours imagining other possible professions. You have to spend hours and hours thinking up valid excuses, even if they are lies, to justify the failure."
But then, as human beings, after mourning over what a failure we are, we get back to trying again. At the end, isn't that what being human is all about? This is exactly what makes life so compelling and beautiful.
[Interview of Nicolás Giacobone on NPR's All Things Considered]
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