Knowledge VI Flashcards
“O serpent heart hid with a flowering face!
Did ever a dragon keep so fair a cave?
Beautiful tyrant, feind angelical, dove feather raven, wolvish-ravening lamb! Despised substance of devinest show, just opposite to what thou justly seemest - A dammed saint, an honourable villain!”
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
― William Shakespeare
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
― Mark Twain
― Mark Twain
Intermittent repetition of phrases -
A less rhythmic and more spontaneous effect can be had by circling back to the same or nearly identical phrase, less systematically, the speaker doesn’t mean to offer a refrain he just can’t help saying the thing again and again.
” I say we must necessarily undo these violent oppressive acts, they must be repealed. You will repeal them. I pledge myself for it, that you will, in the end, repeal them. I stake my reputation on it. I will consent to be taken for an idiot, If they are not finally repealed”
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”
― Mark Twain
― Mark Twain
Where are you from?
You seem like a classic
ATL-ien
You seem like a yankee/midwesterner/West Cost.
Where are you from?
You seem like a classic
ATL-ien
You seem like a yankee/midwesterner/West Cost.
Unify Your Plot:
: A unified plot consists of one central action and nothing more. Aristotle’s test
of this was to ask of every element of the story (every scene, line of dialogue): If this was gone,
would the story still function? If the answer’s always ‘no’ — you’ve written a unified plot. Relate
this back to Aaron’s advice on rewriting and “killing your darlings” — chip away at anything
that isn’t related to the main conflict.
“This is what poets are paid for—to look at clouds, watch chipmunks. Someone has to keep an eye on these things. And if not the poets, who else has the time for it?”
My writing process consists of two main steps.
Step 1: Make a mess. I write one or two drafts
in long hand, making a mess as a I cross out words or
entire lines. I don’t try to be tidy.
Step 2: Tidy it up. I type the poem up on a
computer, tidying it as I make it into a printed object.
If this method resonates with you, write your
next poem in long-hand in your notebook and feel
free to make a mess with strike-throughs, asides in the
margin, and the like before you type it up on a screen.
How does the typed up version look on the
page? Is it thin, sprawling, even or jagged? Are you
moved to make adjustments in the poem, such as
shortening or lengthening lines, for the sake of giving
your poem a definite shape?
Aries
Aries
Aries always mark the begining of something. Its usually adventurous and passionate.
One Thing Should Lead to Another
Each element of a plot — each scene, each line — should
come out of what preceded it and lead to what follows. Aristotle thinks the worst mistake you
can make in plotting is to have episodes “succeed one another without probable or necessary
sequence.” Remember, each scene has a purpose — it should move the story forward.
Make an executive Opinion—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Once you’ve solicited the opinions of your team,
consider their input, then make an executive decision.
Sometimes things will go exactly as you planned, but
chances are you’ll end up making the wrong call at
some point in your life or career. If a decision goes
awry, then you must own responsibility for it. As long
as you put integrity and character first, you’ll be able
to offer an honest and compelling defense of your
position.
As FDR told his staff members: “You and I
know people who wear out the carpet walking up and
down worrying whether they have decided something
correctly. Do the very best you can in making up your
mind, but once your mind is made up, go ahead.”
“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.”
― Voltaire
― Voltaire
“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.”
― Rumi
“With all the fearful strain that is
upon me night and day, if I did not
laugh I should die.”—Doris Kearns Goodwin
—Abraham Lincoln
• Genre
In a tragedy, your main character should undergo a major change of fortune — almost
always from good to bad, happy to sad. In comedy, even though your characters have defects,
their defects should never wind up being painful or destructive. Tragic characters have to suffer.
Comic characters make it through unscathed.
“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.”
― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
N) Nickleback
What Do You Like But Are Kind Of Embarrassed To Admit?
Adult Alternative. What did nickleback ever do to anyone besides a few bleeding ears.
Time Emphasized
The repetition of time emphasizes it and the fresh language afterwards is emphasized as well, because it is the excuse for saying the word a second time.
” If the government and people of the USA, have a word to speak for the salvation of the world. Now is the time. And now, is the last time, when words will be of any use.”
Churchill speech at London 1938.
In my essay “Poetry, Pleasure, and the Hedonist Reader,” I outline several pleasures of poetry, including the pleasure of dance (rhythm); the pleasure of sound (words); the pleasure of travel (using written work to transport us to different worlds); the pleasure of metaphoric connection (surprise and new perspectives); the pleasure of companionship (memorization); and others. To read more about these multisensory qualities, find the essay in the book The Eye of the Poet: Six Views of the Art and Craft of Poetry (Oxford University Press, 2001).
The Pleasures of Poetry
“You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?”
-Rumi
Credible, Consistent Characters
Credible characters follow, more or less, universal rules of probability. Again, if you’re wondering if you’ve written a credible character, don’t ask, “Could
that person exist?” Instead ask, “Would the audience be likely to understand a person like that?”
“You’re not playing secretary to your thoughts and feelings by just writing them down… the act of composition is an experience.”
Take Marie’s advice and do a free write. In your notebook, give yourself 10 minutes to simply write whatever comes to mind, not letting your pen or pencil leave the page, and not revising. After ten minutes has passed, review what you wrote. How does the subject and tone change from the beginning to end? Is there anything
you might want to lift for a new poem?
Drama Is not History:
Real life is full of confusion, chaos, and contradiction — good storytelling
isn’t. Don’t ever let a dedication to “the facts” get in the way of crafting a tight, understandable story. Relate this to how Aaron writes with the “more important truth” when he’s incorporating research.
Listen and Learn—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Listen and Learn
Make it clear that differing perspectives are
welcome in your business, field, or organization by
creating opportunities for others to voice their
opinions and concerns.
Embrace Failure:
One way of ensuring that your team feels comfortable
taking risks is to embrace failures—recognizing the
good intentions and hard work that went into the
decision making. Turning failure on its head can inspire
the people who work for you and lead to lessons that
may well inform future success.
Y) Yourself
If You Could Send One Letter To Yourself In The Past Without The Goal Of Making Yourself Rich (No Lotto Numbers, Stock Picks, Etc.), What Age Would You Choose And What Would The Letter Say?
Study a lot harder.
“Your voice has an external source. It does not lie within in you… It lies on the shelves of the library, and the shelves of the bookstore. Your voice is in the voices of other poets.”
Think of some of the poets or poems you admire.
These could be poems you’ve discovered in this course
or longtime favorites. Pick one of these poems and
read it over and over again, noting the methods the
poet uses to achieve his or her voice. Notice how the
poem develops stage by stage. How does it find its way
through itself? See if you can write a poem that follows
a similar style of organization or path of development.
This is more than an exercise; it’s a way of opening
yourself to the influences of other poets. It’s a state of
mind that you should cultivate in your reading of the
poems of others and seeing what you can learn (i.e.
steal) from them.
Repeated distortion or smears are persuasive even if it isnt true.
Repeated distortion
“silence is the language of god,
all else is poor translation.”
Rumi
“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”
― George Orwell, 1984
George Orwell
U) Universe
What fictional universe would you want to live in?
Star Trek, Marvel, Mass Effect.
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
― haruki murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
Haruki Murakami
Poetry, in this sense, is perhaps a way for
readers and writers to experience a different sort of
timeline: one that experiences histories not in terms
of boundary disputes, inventions, truces, and wars,
but through the way such events have made us feel.
Poetry is a living history of the human heart: a testa
“Poetry is really the
only history we have
of the human heart.”
“Can’t repeat the past?…Why of course you can!”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
the bully pulpit—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Presidents enjoy the power of what Theodore
Roosevelt coined as “the bully pulpit,” meaning
they possess a unique ability to communicate with
the nation across a variety of platforms. A presidential
address from the White House always has been (and
always will be) a national news event.
An overwhelming majority of American radios were tuned to Franklin
Roosevelt’s fireside chats during the Great Depression
and World War II. Both JFK and Ronald Reagan mastered the style of speaking in the age of three television networks.
President Donald Trump has amassed more
than 65 million Twitter followers.
Communication is crucial to successful leadership.
Through well-prepared and well-delivered messages,
you can mobilize the people around you or change
their perspectives about issues of collective concern.
K) Kinds
Who Are Your Kind Of People?
Curious.
“It’s not just that dialogue
sounds like music to me. It
actually is music.”
—Aaron Sorkin
Dialogue is the most personal part of writing. Aaron likens it
to music — dialogue can follow all of the same rules of music, including pacing, cadence, tone, and volume. How do you know if the dialogue you have written is a beautiful piece of Beethoven,
or clunky and awkward like music on amateur night? Try to be physical with your
dialogue. Say it out loud to hear how it lands.
Remember: you are in the business of writing things that are meant to be performed, not read. Don’t be intimidated if what you’re writing is not how people
sound. Screenwriting is an art — feel free to take liberties to create a fantastic piece of dialogue.
With these lessons in mind, let’s revisit the Ritchie-Bartlet scene in “Posse Comitatus” in “The West Wing.” Rewatch the scene,
this time deconstructing the musicalities of the dialogue. Can you hear the percussion thuds? How about the rhythm in the line
“people who like baseball can’t like books?”
L) language
Do You Speak Any Other Languages? (Teach me)
Probable Impossibilities Are Better Than Improbable Possibilities
(or as Aaron calls it, a ‘possible improbability’): If you’re wondering whether a scene or an element of a story is too ridiculous for
your audience, don’t ask, “Could it happen?” Instead ask, “Would it happen?”
Longer Phrase Repetition
Repetition of longer phrases is gentler on the ear when the phrases are spread apart, which also can enable them to serve as a kind of chorus, or burden, as when showing how different possibilities provoked the same reply.
“Who is here so base that would be a bondmen, if any, speak for him Have I offended, who is here so rude. It would not be a Roman, if any, speak or him Have I offended, who is here so vile that will not love his country, if any, speak for him Have I offended. I pause for a reply.”
Julius Caesar Act Three scene two,
“There I have another bad match a bankrupt, a prodigal who dare scares show his head on the reality of a beggar that was used to come so smug upon the mart. Let him look to his band. He was want to call me user. Let him look to his bond. he was wanting to lend money for a Christian courtesy led him a look to his bond.”
The Merchant of Venice Act Three scene one.
Of the people/by the people/
For the people
Apostrophe
“Here’s to alcohol, the rose colored glasses of life.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/ But in ourselves.”
― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
― William Shakespeare
Metaphor
“The greatest thing by far is to be amaster of metaphor; it is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others; and it is also a sign of genius, since a goodmetaphorimplies an intuitive perception of the similarity in the dissimilar.”
“And iron curtain has descended over europe “
“Ye are the salt of the earth”
“I am the bread of life”
Charismatic presidents use twice as many metaphors
Clinton has “bridge to the future.”
Obama tried to use “winning the future” but it didnt work.
A good metaphor linked something we know or something can explain with something we cant easily explain.
“I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”
― Fitzgerald F. Scott, The Great Gatsby
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.”
― Voltaire, The Age of Louis XIV
― Voltaire
“What would men be without women? Scarce, sir…mighty scarce.”
― Mark Twain
These presidential decisions marred legacies:
—Doris Kearns Goodwin
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans were met with suspicion and racism as the
country prepared for war. Succumbing to national hysteria, Franklin Delano Roosevelt
authorized the forced internment of more than 100,000 people of Japanese descent—most of
them U.S. citizens—in concentration camps. Eleanor Roosevelt saw this violation of civil rights as a
rare stain on her husband’s presidency.
Lacking the self-confidence LBJ radiated in domestic affairs, his handling of the war in Vietnam
will forever remain a scar on his legacy. He narrowed his circle of advisors to only include those
who agreed with his ill-fated policy of slowly mounting escalation.
Theodore Roosevelt’s decision to challenge his friend and successor, William Howard
Taft, for the Republican nomination in 1912 not only split the party—it led to Democrat Woodrow
Wilson’s victory and hurt the very progressive cause that Roosevelt symbolized and led.
Presidents and technology—Doris Kearns Goodwin
donald trump has been called “the Twitter president,” not only communicating with the
world on the social media platform but often using it to make policy announcements, explain his
decisions, and weigh in on live television broadcasts.
Before mass media, the train was arguably the most important means by which
commanders-in-chief could travel to communicate with the public. Harry S. Truman gave
352 speeches on a cross-country whistle-stop tour during the election of 1948.
John F. Kennedy’s soaring rhetoric—as well as his ability to master the relatively recent
medium of television—helped him win a closely contested election against Richard Nixon in 1960.
z) Zzz
Are You A Morning Person Or A Night Owl?
Night is my aesthetic
Stories Have Harmony and Rhythm
Dialogue shouldn’t sound like real conversation and scenes shouldn’t feel like interactions in real life. Almost always they’ll be snappier, more condensed, and more focused. They might also be funnier or more emotionally charged. Choosing certain phrases over others because of the way they sound, or their length, or their emotional resonance are important choices that give a script its harmony and rhythm and often separate the good from the great
Spread the Word:
—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Make a list of people or outlets who can help you share your message. Commit to cultivating these relationships in order to establish a network for sharing news about future endeavors
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
― Ernest Hemingway
“What you have to do in your poetry is tell a little white lie. Harmless, but it’s a lie. And the lie is that you love poetry more than you love yourself.”
Go on a walk and bring your notebook. Look around
and take down some observations on the external
stimuli around you—a tree, a person, a neighborhood,
a pool. See if you can begin a poem by using some of
these external elements. Once you’ve got the poem
underway, have you made a decision about what your
stanzas will look like? Will you use enjambment or will
you use punctuation? Do you want the poem to go
slowly or faster? Do you want to use long sentences or
short?
A) Attribute/ Ass / Adventuroush
What is your favorite physical attribute about yourself?
A) Attribute/ Ass / Adventuroush
What is your favorite physical attribute about yourself?
Sagittarius-
Sagittarius-
Smart girls are my kryptonite. Are you an adventurous Sag?
both passionate adventurous and intelligent. Feed off each other but Aries is more philosophical.
What Amazing Adventures Have You Been On?
I blessed to have seen alot of the world. Which continent are you interested in?
S) Skydiving
Skinny dippingor sky diving? Naked skydiving
“Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it.”
― Leo Tolstoy, A Confession
― Leo Tolstoy
“Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.”
― Mark Twain
Poetry - Reading Exercise
Write a few lines setting a scene that is easy to accept.
Think about the example of snow on pine trees or a
dog lying under a hammock. Establish a scene of your
own. Then have your poem take a twist. Take your
reader and yourself somewhere very different—spatially or thematically—from your original scene
“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood
Haruki Murakami
Use emotion for each line and play to it.
Never over rehearse the big moment. Little moments lead to the bit moment. Rehearse those
Contrast create comedy. A pimp and a nun walk into elevator. find the extra contrast in the material.
Notes to anActor-
“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places.”
― Ernest Hemingway
“Do not be angry with the rain; it simply does not know how to fall upwards.”
― Vladimir Nabokov
“Pleasure is found first in anticipation, later in memory.”
― Flaubert
― Gustave Flaubert
P) Phone
What’s Your Favorite App On Your Phone?
Audible
“Jealousy is a disease, love is a healthy condition. The immature mind often mistakes one for the other, or assumes that the greater the love, the greater the jealousy - in fact, they are almost incompatible; one emotion hardly leaves room for the other.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
Conduplicatio
“A bad cause will ever be supported by bad means and bad men” -Paine
“Butchers we are. That is true, but butchers but the bloodiest butchers have been honored “
Conduplicatio
“A bad cause will ever be supported by bad means and bad men” -Paine
“Butchers we are. That is true, but butchers but the bloodiest butchers have been honored “
Use Your Imagination to Make Things Credible
An audience is very perceptive when they’re
imaginatively engaged in a story — a good writer should be too, to make sure you don’t leave any
glaring errors for the audience to pick up on
“At the end of a scene, we
have to be at least one step
further than we were before.”
—Aaron Sorkin
A screenplay is just a series of scenes. Here are a few tips to help
strengthen your scenes:
• Every scene in your screenplay should move the plot forward.
• Not every scene needs to end dramatically, but you should feel
satisfied with how it does end.
• If you are struggling with what the next scene should be, try
answering a question posed in the previous scene.
• Grab the audience as soon as you can. Try dropping the
audience in the middle of a conversation —it forces the
audience to pay attention and play catch up.
• It’s also satisfying to lay out the theme to your entire movie
right in the first scene.
• If you’re introducing a character in a scene for the first time,
show the audience what the character wants.
• If a character doesn’t want something, then they are
cluttering up your screenplay.
And remember, a great scene clearly shows each character’s
intention and obstacles, the exposition is laid out without
impeding the story, and the stakes are high and clear. Aaron
loves writing courtroom dramas because all of these elements are
built into the setting.
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/ But in ourselves.”
― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
― William Shakespeare
“Love me or hate me, both are in my favour. If you love me, I’ll always be in your heart… If you hate me, I’ll always be in your mind.”
― William Shakespeare
What Are People Often Surprised To Learn About You?
Pacemaker (Story)
“You cannot pretend to be funny. You’re either funny or you’re not. And if you’re not funny, people are staring at you, and they’re not laughing. You know that very quickly.”
Notice in Ruth Schwartz’s “The Swan at Edgewater
Park” how she uses humor in a strategic way. About
half way in, she makes a deliberate joke at the expense of “Clevelanders,” who point and exclaim, “Look at that big duck!” The line occurs deliberately just as the poem switches from the swan (its provisional subject) to Lorie (its discovered or true subject).
The laugh line relaxes us and thus makes us more surprised by the serious turn the poem takes as it details the grim scene that is Lorie’s life. This is an excellent example of a poet using humor with serious intent. Warning: if you are not naturally funny as a person in your life, don’t try to be funny in your poems.
“I’ve always loved you, and when you love someone, you love the whole person, just as he or she is, and not as you would like them to be.”
― Leo Tolstoy
Emotional Intelligence - “I don’t like that man.
I must get to know him better.”
—Abraham Lincoln—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Empathy
A cornerstone of emotional intelligence hinges on your
ability to tap into your empathy. This means leading
while taking others’ feelings, thoughts, and opinions
into account and then acting in good faith to put
yourself in other people’s shoes.
Humility
More than merely being modest about your achievements, you must look inward, learn from your mistakes, and seek out opportunities to learn from others.
Self-Reflection
Considering the perspectives and needs of others
also gives you the opportunity to reexamine your own
actions and approaches.
Openness to Disagreement
You’ll perform best when you’re surrounded by others
who feel comfortable offering contrary viewpoints or
challenging assumed logic.
Greater Ambitions
As an emotionally intelligent leader, you’ll be able to
inspire your team to collaborate on common goals
Sorkin - A Probable Impossibility is Preferable to a Possible Improbability
For Roland’s script, Chronic, Aaron calls out the principle of probable impossibility. Probable impossibilities present
extraordinary events in a way that is believable to an audience.
Improbable possibilities (or as Aaron calls it, possible improbability) take ordinary events that could be coincidental, but presents them in a way that is forced and too convenient for your script to move forward. To create believable scripts, always use a probable impossibility. If you are going to use a possible improbability, Aaron suggests calling it out explicitly.
Repeating the same thing makes you seem more right. Stick to the message and repeat or no matter what.
Repeating
Appanellipsis
Occurs when the same word or phrase is used at the beginning and end of a sentence or set of them.
eg. The king is dead. Long live the king,
Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare.
Emerson - Self reliance 1841
A prominent case of epicellipses occurs in Brutus his speech at the funeral of Julius Caesar, where the device is used twice, and then relaxed at the end, a useful idea, a pattern and relief from it considered more closely in later chapters.
“Romans countrymen and lovers. Hear me for my cause and be silent, that you may hear. Believe me for mine honor and have respect to mine honor that you may believe censure me in your wisdom and awake your senses that you may the better judge.”
Julius Caesar Act Three scene two
“It’s as if Shakespeare
writes this, and then he
looks around and says,
‘I wrote that?’”
Write a poem of any length on whatever subject or
subjects you choose (and it doesn’t need to rhyme),
but try to make each line in iambic pentameter.
Remember, this means five iambic feet (da-DUM,
da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM).
Write a traditional Shakespearian sonnet,
using iambic pentameter and the rhyme scheme ABAB
CDCD EFEF GG.
Make sure your poem has exactly 14 lines, and
use the last 2 lines to make a “turn.” Remember that
the turn often has the poet looking back at the previous
12 lines and making a 2-line comment on them
Read one of your poems aloud at least ten times to
yourself. As you read, mark your paper, noting where
you stumble over your words.
Now, read that poem aloud to another person. (Try to give the dog a break this time, and find a trusted confidant.) Mark your poem where you
stumble.
Do these areas differ from where you stumbled when reading aloud to yourself?
Examine the poem you just read out loud, noting
where you made your marks for fluency. Now, make
revisions based on these marks. Consider editing for
diction, pacing, and clarity. Even consider cutting the
nonessential lines and phrases.
D) Dream
What Would Be Your Dream Job?
Director or own a hostel.
Sorkin - Inciting Incident
You can’t wait very long to introduce the inciting action. Aaron says if you’ve gotten to page 20 or 25 and you haven’t yet
introduced it, you’re in trouble. Use page numbers as road signs to know if you’ve hit a certain milestone in your script.
When setting up your story arc, remember to make the first 15 pages the most memorable. When a producer or studio executive is deciding whether to produce your script, you have to hook them
with the first 15 pages.
Siblings:
Guess which one order.
“You’re the baby aren’t you, you seem spoiled”
What was your ‘identity’ in the family. The goofy one? Goody/goody? Peacemaker, etc
I’m one of 36. I’m the result of an experiment to make the perfect lover. The experiment failed and the released me into the wild on an unsuspecting public. I was TOO good.
Siblings:
Guess which one order.
“You’re the baby aren’t you, you seem spoiled”
What was your ‘identity’ in the family. The goofy one? Goody/goody? Peacemaker, etc
I’m one of 36. I’m the result of an experiment to make the perfect lover. The experiment failed and the released me into the wild on an unsuspecting public. I was TOO good.
Who Is Your Favorite Author?
Hemingway for shorts. Dumas for Longs.
Make important key points rhythm or have a rhythm.
“If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit”
Make important key points rhythm or have a rhythm.
“If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit”
“I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.”
― Mark Twain
• Complex Plots Are Best:
: The two elements of complex plots are reversals and recognitions.
Reversals occur when a character’s intentions result in unexpected and opposite outcomes.
For recognition, the character is destroyed not by what happens but by the knowledge of what really happened. Recognition scenes usually come as surprises to the hero and the audience. And remember, as Aaron says, the best type of reversal happens when the audience doesn’t see it
coming.
J) Jill off
Whats your favorite porn Catagory
J) Jill off
Whats your favorite porn Catagory
Ask not what what your country can do you
But what you can do for our countries.
Say an old truth in a new way
We all was ignore the ones who adore us
And adore the ones that ignore is.
Judge not lest you he judge
Render to ceaser what is ceasers;
Render to god to gods.
Kiasmas
PITCH SESSIONS
Here are some other things to keep in mind for your pitch, particularly for a TV pitch:
• The pilot should be clear in your head — but so should the
second episode.
• Be able to describe several episodes down the line and the
arc of the season. Is each episode dealing with a new crisis
of the day like “The West Wing?” Or is each episode
building on a longer term goal, like “Silicon Valley?”
• Where will it be shot? Is there a “home-base” set that
production only needs to build once?
• Be prepared to answer questions from executives like, “Will
there be a love interest for your characters?”
“It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.”
― Leo Tolstoy
Make time to rest—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Given today’s environment of overstimulation and
instant access, it can feel difficult—even irresponsible—to disconnect from the barrage of digital communication and its many demands. As a successful
leader, you must remain accessible while also making
time for yourself.
Even if rest, replenishment, and
having time to think are three of the most undervalued
elements of leadership, they’re key to meeting challenges with consistency and vigor in the long run.
Devoting time to self-reflection, friends, family, and
personal interests was critical to the success of many
of the presidents Doris has studied.
Abraham Lincoln
immersed himself in the theater. Theodore Roosevelt
fortified himself through exercise and outdoor pursuits.
FDR decompressed during a regularly scheduled
cocktail hour with close friends.
F) Food
What’s Your Favorite International Food?
Ramen. I want to learn how to make it.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Jane Austin
“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?”
― Ernest Hemingway
“Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting.”
― Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance
Haruki Murakami
Lincolns Team of Rivals—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Abraham Lincoln’s Team of Rivals offered
a multitude of perspectives that mirrored
the factionalized dynamic of a nation at
war with itself. This was particularly true
with respect to the question of emancipation: abolitionists called for the immediate end of slavery, but conservatives
in Lincoln’s cabinet sought to prioritize
preservation of the Union over achieving
racial justice. While Lincoln came to his
ultimate decision to free America’s slaves,
conversations with his cabinet were key
to determining the timing and tone of the
announcement.
Abraham Lincoln,
Short words win
“Beware as long as you live of strange words”
Ceaser
Judge not lest ye be judge
To be or not to be
Blood, toil, tears and sweat
I have a dream
― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms
“Maybe…you’ll fall in love with me all over again.”
“Hell,” I said, “I love you enough now. What do you want to do? Ruin me?”
“Yes. I want to ruin you.”
“Good,” I said. “That’s what I want too.”
“I want to see you.
Know your voice.
Recognize you when you
first come ‘round the corner.
Sense your scent when I come
into a room you’ve just left.
Know the lift of your heel,
the glide of your foot.
Become familiar with the way you purse your lips then let them part, just the slightest bit, when I lean in to your space and kiss you.
I want to know the joy
of how you whisper
“more”
-Rumi
I) Inspiration
Who is your Inspiration in life
I) Inspiration
Who is your Inspiration in life
“We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness”
― Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
Two Claims
Big pattern in the use of this scheme involves two initial claims, each of which is then repeated with elaboration or reasons for it.
“Sir, he was a scoundrel, and a coward, a scoundrel, but charging a blunderbuss against religion and morality, a coward, because he had not resolution to fire it off himself, but left half a crown to a beggarly Scotsman to draw that trigger after his death.”
“If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content.”
― Leo Tolstoy
“Before you can do anything else, you have to tell
the audience what they
need to know.”
—Aaron Sorkin
The queen died is a fact. The queen died and left a king with a
broken heart is a story. The queen died, and she was the brains behind the king who is now struggling to keep his throne is
drama. Always keep the stakes of your drama high by strengthening and pressing on your intentions and obstacles.
Now you can begin setting up the arc of your story. Aaron breaks down what happens in each act:
- Act 1: You chase your hero up a tree.
- Act 2: You throw rocks at them.
- Act 3: You get them down (or not).
Be sure to avoid any magical surprises in Act 3 by setting up and introducing everything in Act 1 through exposition.
Exposition is the first part of drama, but it’s not easy. One way to get through
exposition in your screenplay is to have at least one character early on who is a stand-in for the audience; Rashida Jones’s
character in The Social Network, or Chrisann in Steve Jobs for example, because they ask questions of the main character that the audience might have.
After you’ve set up the exposition, introduce the story’s main
conflict with the inciting action.
In Aaron’s example of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the inciting action happens when Hamlet’s father’s ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius murdured him. Hamlet’s intention becomes clear — to avenge his father’s death — and the story begins.
Doublets
“I tell you, sir. I’m serious. And now that my passions aroused. I say this house is mine, sir. This house is mine, and I commend you to leave it directly.” Goldsmith, she Stoops to Conquer 1773.
“The cause then sir, the cause. Let the world know the cause, which has induced one state of the union to bid defiance to the power of the whole and openly to talk of succession.”
Webster speech in the Senate. 1833
Losing things
Losing things
I donate every-time i go out drinking in Atlanta. Im pretty generous that way. I’m a socialist, I like to spread the wealth.
Use props when possible - “how you deprive this cute kid of his parents “
Use props when possible - “how you deprive this cute kid of his parents “
“′Classic′ - a book which people praise and don’t read.”
― Mark Twain
― Mark Twain
Headlines should be like tweets. Short puffy and clever.
Mother nature is just getting warmed up (pun, personification)
Breaking news: energy efficiency programs are working saving consumers millions (sarcasm)
NASA: it rained so hard the ocean fell (metaphors)
Blog posts
Foreshadowing
Candidates want to communicate foreshadowing in order to reveal their character. Link the second half of your life to first half of your life.
Create and defend a plausible story to show how you evolved. Tell them what you came from, then tell them who you are, then tell them what you’re going to do.
Cause and Effect, Not Coincidence
Good stories are driven by the actions of their characters, not by coincidences or forces outside of the main action. Aristotle cautioned against the use of Deus Ex Machina — where a hero is saved by a stroke of good luck that has no relation to his/her own activities over the course of the drama (many films and TV shows fall prey to this sin; keep your
eyes peeled for them)
The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.”
― Joseph Conrad, Under Western Eyes
Joseph Conrad
“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”
― Voltaire
― Voltaire
“Emily Dickinson… is a poet of real delicacy and decorum. She sings her little song in the same way every time… And she doesn’t know what she’s going to say every time, but she always has that common meter waiting for her.”
Remember how Marie and I noted that Dickinson
doesn’t title her poems—instead, the first line serves
as the title. Write a first line that could also work as a
title, and write a poem under this line.
Think about the nouns Dickinson does and
does not capitalize. In your own poetry, do you ever
play with the capitalization of untraditional nouns?
Write a poem that gives weight to unexpected words by capitalizing them.
Dickinson ends “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain”
with a deliberately elusive last word and syntax:
“-then-.” In this way, she keeps readers guessing and
alludes to a continuation of the poem just off the page.
Think of different words or short lines of syntax that
might serve the same purpose in poetry, then write a poem with an ending phrase that alludes to a continuation we don’t see.
“God created war so that Americans would learn geography.”
― Mark Twain
― Mark Twain
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
― Mark Twain
― Mark Twain
“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”
― Mark Twain
“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
― Robert A. Heinlein
Repetition- delay last word
Romeo, Romeo, wherefore are thou Roméo
Repetition- delay last word
Romeo, Romeo, wherefore are thou Roméo
What is something you’re proud of?
Travel experience (Pick a continent)
Character Is Action:
An audience gets the deepest sense of your characters by watching what they
do. A vivid main character must undertake an important action — this will be, of course, the main action of your plot.
Poetry - Reading Exercise
There are two major things poets can learn from the
short stories of Anton Chekhov. One is the use of
very specific detail—the particulars of experience—to
keep the story anchored to external reality. So too can
poets use detail to anchor a poem. The other is the
use of inconclusive or “soft” endings. Chekhov does
not solve problems for the characters. Similarly, the
endings of poems do not need to resolve things. A soft
ending—when a poem just ends in an image—can work.
Read a short story or two by Anton Chekhov,
keeping an eye for those literary techniques that you
can apply to your poems. “Misery” and “The Lady with
the Lap Dog” are highly recommended.
“By my soul I swear, there is no power in the tongue of man to alter me.”
― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
― William Shakespeare
“Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.”
― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
Haruki Murakami
“Sometimes you want to do something beautiful justice and you have to wait for the right form to present itself.”
Reading Exercise
One of the notable things about Sarah’s reading was
the way her speech reflected the physical spacing of the
poem. Read one of your poems out loud, and mark
where the rhythms change. Where should you slow
down? Where should you pause? Where should your
pacing gain momentum? Practice an oral reading.
Writing Exercise
“My (Muslim) Father Seizes the Thing on my
Nightstand” uses space to create suspense, putting the reader on the same level of knowing and not knowing as the speaker. Write a poem that describes one large action and uses spacing as a way to force the reader to pause, creating tension and suspense as the action of
your poem progresses.
B) Binge
What Was The Last Show You Binge-Watched?
“The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.”
― Henry Miller
― Henry Miller
Don’t think about yourself. Stay out of your own head.
Concentrate on something that analogous to what you need to focus on. Instead of Juliet’s face think of something more erotic. Instead of the cherry’s your character loves think of a song they love.
Memorize 1 or 2 lines at a time. Use images and try a chew on the line. Connect it to yourself (or a palace). Let it touch you in a physical/sensual way. Make it a small story. Dont try to remember it all at once.
Notes to anActor-
“Poets are people who can’t
say one thing at a time.”
Look at one of your poems—one you’ve written previously or perhaps one generated for this class—and play with elliptical language. Are there are any words you
might want to omit to heighten the sense of mystery?
How does the omission of different words change the
lines’ potential meanings?
Play with your own ambiguous meanings.
Create a sentence that could be interpreted at least
two ways. (Think of the word “blue”—is it indicating
a color or a mood? Or consider using qualifiers like
“perhaps” or “should.”) Let this sentence constitute the
first few lines of a new poem, and keep playing with
this concept of double interpretation throughout.
We think In extended metaphors
Fight one metaphor with another
We think In extended metaphors
Fight one metaphor with another
“The first draft of anything is shit.”
― Ernest Hemingway
“The first draft of anything is shit.”
― Ernest Hemingway
President Checklist—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Does the candidate acknowledge his or her past
errors? Does he or she demonstrate the ability to learn
and grow from mistakes?
The Company They Keep
How has the candidate built his or her campaign team,
and whom does he or she rely on for advice? Does the
candidate treat his or her team well? Does he or she
inspire and support others?
Storytelling
Does the candidate communicate clearly and effectively? Does his or her storytelling show the potential to inspire and bring people together?
Ambition
Does the candidate have ambitions that extend
beyond him or herself, and does he or she offer a vision for the greater good?
Empathy
Does the candidate acknowledge and respect the
feelings and needs of others?
Resilience
Has the candidate been able to learn from major
setbacks and adversity?
Track Record
What has the candidate accomplished in his or
her past? Do previous experiences and actions
demonstrate his or her abilities to motivate others? Has
he or she bridged divides to accomplish goals?
Plans
Does the candidate seem to have a clear sense of
where he or she stands on the issues? Does he or she
have a sense of how to turn plans into realities?
Roosevelts Path to Power—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Preconceptions and fixed ideas of how success is
achieved or what’s expected of us can present some of
the most formidable obstacles to fostering growth and
resilience. Following a series of devastating personal
losses, Theodore Roosevelt’s own philosophy of leadership was reshaped, leading him to abandon the conventional path to national leadership he had embarked
upon as a state legislator. He sidestepped mainstream
politics to become a federal civil service commissioner,
New York’s police commissioner, assistant secretary of
the navy, and army colonel before becoming governor
of New York. Those unlikely choices gave Roosevelt a
deep understanding of his colleagues as well as his constituents, the system, and how to lead, establishing his
reputation as a reformer and putting him on an unusual
but ultimately successful path to the presidency.
These stories show that our leaders’ lives—like your
own—are often marked by personal and professional
challenges that must be overcome. Success doesn’t
come from avoiding these circumstances but rather by
embracing and learning from them.
Why do you stay in prison
When the door is so wide open?”
― Rumi
“There is no truth. There is only perception.”
― Gustave Flaubert
― Gustave Flaubert
“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope…I have loved none but you.”
Jane Austin
The key to effective leadership is the ability to
respond to circumstances we may not be prepared for—not just by reacting but by embracing the
unexpected as an opportunity for learning and growth.
As Doris outlines, suffering and failure are inevitable in
both politics and life -—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Coping with big challenges can be
hard enough—whether this means coming to terms with the death of a loved one or enduring a major career setback.
However, the best leaders demonstrate the
ability to overcome adversity in the face of frustration
and can extract wisdom from the experience. As Doris
notes, resilience is like a muscle; once developed, “it can grow the next time you face some adversity.”
Good Stories Have a Beginning, Middle and End
Aristotle was the first to formulate this now well-worn formula. He put it this way: “A whole is that which has a beginning, a middle, and an end.” In other words, your audience should be able to watch your story without being distracted
with wondering what happened before the story started, what more happened after it ended, or how the characters got from the beginning to the end.
• A Plot Should Be Serious, Complete, and of a Certain Magnitude: The plot shouldn’t be made up of ridiculous and unlikely episodes. It shouldn’t wander or leave actions unfinished, and it shouldn’t be too long and lofty, or too small and unimportant.
H) Home
Would you rather stay at home for a year or leave for a year
H) Home
Would you rather stay at home for a year or leave for a year
X) Threesome
What Are Some Things Everyone Should Try At Least Once?
A threesome.
Sorkin - STEVE JOBS
Aaron walks us through the first-act scene between Steve Jobs
and Andy Hertzfeld, breaking down the intention and obstacles of
each of the characters and what the scene accomplishes.
Remember from previous chapters that Aaron always advises
showing what a character wants and that their tactics to
overcome obstacles define who the character is. Steve wants the
voice demo to work. His tactics are to threaten Andy with
humiliation in front of his colleagues. Andy’s intention is to have
Steve understand that the voice demo will not work. He uses the
tactics of logic to try to break through to Steve. The scene works
because the conflict is clear. The intentions and obstacles
between the main characters in the scene are properly shown and
understood by the audience.
When writing, Aaron only includes completely necessary
description. The description written in this scene emphasizes
that Andy is being embarrassed in front of his own team,
increasing the stakes for him.
“You never know where a cool story is gonna come from... that’s why you want to talk to as many people as possible.” —Aaron Sorkin
There are two types of research when it comes to writing a screenplay. The nuts-and-bolts research is specific and leads to
hard facts about a place, a subject, or a person. Then there is the research done when you are breaking the plot of a movie.
Avoid meaningless research, and look for nuggets that can lead to an
engaging plot point. When talking to experts, use open-ended
questions like: “Tell me something I don’t know about…”
When it comes to interviewing, keep it under an hour with your subjects. If you have the opportunity to have several meetings with someone, like Aaron did with Lisa Brennan-Jobs while
researching for Steve Jobs, save the difficult questions for later. Focus first on building trust and a rapport with your source
“The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing.”
― Voltaire
― Voltaire
How Much Social Interaction Is Too Much For You?
If you social batteries are running low we can always go back to my place and watch a movie. We dont have to talk.
“You don’t have to be a
child prodigy, you can be a
middle-aged prodigy.”
Go through your own work and come up with a handful
(even just one or two) of poems that you think set the
standard for the quality of your work. Now, submit
three or four poems to one of the literary journals you
respect, or others that you can find listed in the helpful
trade magazine for writers Poets & Writers.
Try not to let your nerves get ahead of you—forge ahead and submit.
Now, if you get accepted, congratulations! If you get
rejected, you should feel energized to write more. To
move forward as a writer, rejection should move you to
write more poems.
Where did you go to school?
Where did you go to school
I got kicked out of Hogwarts for:
Bullshit. Broom-riding while black
(Actual 9 3/4 platform in London)
Im sorry, its not going to work out between us. Jk rolling told me I was gay recently.
“Happiness consists in getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers
Play down your oratory
Brutus/ lincoln play down intellect and talk as a common man. Lincoln quoted brutus when talking about his rhetoric being bad. Be a plain spoken man of the people
“Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.”
― George Orwell, 1984
― George Orwell, 1984
R) Rather
Would You Rather Live In A Cabin In Alaska Or On A Tropical Island?
“The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.”
― Ernest Hemingway, Men Without Women
― Ernest Hemingway, Men Without Women
—Doris Kearns Goodwin
“People don’t care how much you
know until they know how much
you care.”
—Theodore Roosevelt
Credible, Consistent Characters:
Credible characters follow, more or less, universal rules of probability. Again, if you’re wondering if you’ve written a credible character, don’t ask, “Could
that person exist?” Instead ask, “Would the audience be likely to understand a person like that?”
Sorkin - Rules of story
You now know the rules of a story. Your characters have defined intentions and obstacles. It’s time to “bulk up” and prepare to write.
After months and months of thinking about your idea, begin writing. Once you have a strong, formidable intention and
obstacle, you’re ready to write at least the first scene. This gets Aaron typing, and once he starts, it’s hard to stop. If you find
the writing coming out slowly and painfully, you probably aren’t ready to sit down and start writing it yet.
Despite all of Aaron’s accomplishments, he also still struggles with writer’s block. Being a writer comes with days of the mental
anguish of having not been able to write a single word — it comes with the territory. So what tactics can you use to push past that?
“And since you know you cannot see yourself,
so well as by reflection, I, your glass,
will modestly discover to yourself,
that of yourself which you yet know not of.”
― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
― William Shakespeare
Mixed themes
Repetition itself can serve as a motif, with different uses of it combined in a short space to create a sort of reverberation. The second and different round of repetition reminds the ear of the first.
“Ingenious men may assign in genius reasons for opposite constructions of the same clause. They may heap refinement upon refinement and subtlety upon subtlety until they construe away every republican principle. Every right sacred and dear to man.”
Williams speech at New York ratifying convention 1788
Repetition 3x
“Lies,Lies, Lies”
Repetition 3x
“Lies,Lies, Lies”
If you dont repeat, you cant compete
Repeat, repeat, repeat until you’re sick of saying it and that about the time your audience will be sick of saying it.
“Rules are what makes art
beautiful.”
—Aaron Sorkin
Dismiss the idea that art is not a place for rules. Art, much like music and sports, is made much more enjoyable by certain rules.
Learn those rules by watching films, reading screenplays. Deconstruct their parts, and putting them back together. Read Aaron’s bible for storytelling: Aristotle’s Poetics.
Become a diagnostician. Watch TV shows, plays, and movies with the screenplay in your lap. When something doesn’t work, figure out why it doesn’t work. Did it break one of Aristotle’s rules?
Don’t confuse the rules of drama with the rules invented by people about what stories or characters are culturally appropriate or popular enough to appear on TV. Society and cultural norms
shift. The rules of drama are the only principles you need to
concern yourself with.
Slight Repetition
The device adds rhetorical power because each initial clause sounds complete in itself. Then comes a bit of repetition and elaboration slightly against expectations, and then perhaps still another round of the same as here.
“Now all the difficulty about the tribunal has been removed and removed by the simple process of complete surrender on our part of the whole case.” -Churchill speech in the House of Commons 1938.
Among Your Friends, What Are You Best Known For?
Bringing people together (College parties and transformation)
Map It Out:
—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Map It Out:
The next time you’re faced with a major decision, map
out your various options. List the pros and cons and
outline the possible outcomes and consequences. Use
this as a tool for eliciting the opinions of others.
Sorkin - “The properties of characters and the properties of people have very little to do with each other.” —Aaron Sorkin
A character is born from the intention and obstacle — they want
something, and something stands in their way of getting it. How they overcome those obstacles, or what tactics they use, define who the character is.
Stick to the facts of a character that matter to the conflict — this
saves you the trouble of writing long, unnecessary character bios.
Focus on their intention and obstacle, rather than details that are
irrelevant to the story. When writing characters unlike yourself, try to surround yourself with people from different backgrounds and with different
perspectives. This helps inform your writing and maintain realism for the character and the plots that you are writing about.
When writing anti-heroes, it’s important to identify with and not judge them. By believing in their point-of-view, you avoid
creating overly cartoonish villains or, as Aaron says, “hanging Christmas ornaments” on them.
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
Lincoln’s Cabinet—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Sometimes building the most efficacious team possible means forgiving past slights and grievances.
Ascending to the presidency as the nation was
engulfed by civil war, and lacking executive experience
himself, Abraham Lincoln staffed his cabinet with his
challengers from the 1860 presidential election. By
putting aside their differences, Lincoln’s Team of Rivals
saw the country through one of its most precarious
times.
Following Lincoln’s example, try diagnosing the needs
of your own team or organization. What would it look
like if you surrounded yourself with your own Team
of Rivals? Push yourself to work with people whose
opinions, methods, and temperaments are different
from yours.
Regardless of the varying needs of organizations, some aspects of effective leadership never change. All teams benefit from a culture of respect that begins at the very top, reassurance that they will be supported as they execute shared visions or take big risks, and a sense that their leader is aware of how his or her actions impact his or her collaborators.
“Knock, And He’ll open the door
Vanish, And He’ll make you shine like the sun
Fall, And He’ll raise you to the heavens
Become nothing, And He’ll turn you into everything.”
-Rumi
“The way you write, how you write, the style you write in—these are just the mannerisms of your persona.”
Does your personality make its way into your poems?
Think of what kind of social person you are and
consider the feedback you get from others about
your personality—from family, friends and others.
Write a poem that is spoken in your natural speaking
voice. This poem need not exhibit your best self. Try
allowing the poem to be controlled by a voice other
than the one that shows you off. Write a poem that lets the raggedness of your life drive the voice.
These presidents leveraged curiosity and emotional connection to learn about others and bring
people together: —Doris Kearns Goodwin
Amid the tensions of the Cold War, Richard Nixon took the unprecedented step of embarking
on the first presidential trip to China, with the goal of better understanding America’s supposed
enemy. The televised visit was called “the week that changed the world” and provided a window
into Chinese life that challenged long-standing myths about the country and began the process of
clearing up fundamental misunderstandings.
After the devastating mass shooting at Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal
Church in 2015, Barack Obama didn’t just give a speech at the scene of the tragedy but led
the congregation in a rendition of “Amazing Grace.” He made it abundantly clear that the holder
of the highest office in the land shared in the community’s sorrow and sense of profound loss—an
extremely impactful approach to promote national healing.
As the stresses of the Civil War weighed on his administration, Abraham Lincoln devoted
time to each member of his cabinet, from holding his war secretary’s hand as they waited for news
from the battlefield to inviting others along for afternoon carriage rides.
During his tenure as New York’s police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt roamed the
streets in disguise to gain a firsthand understanding of the struggles of the city’s residents.
V)Vacation
What Would Your Perfect Vacation Look Like?
Living in a hostel. Never coming back.
Sorkin - But…Don’t Forget to Write the Pertinent Details
Jeanie’s story E is for Edie is set in the midwest with rolling corn
fields around her characters in the opening scene. However, corn
fields were not mentioned till much later in the script. As a
writer, you’re able to see the whole vision of the scene, but
remember to take the time to jot down key points so you don’t
confuse and lose your audience.
Also, remember to ignore rules that aren’t the rules of drama.
Jeanie’s script is a perfect example of what might not have made
it on the air according to the rules invented by executives from
the past.
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.”
― George Orwell, 1984
George Orwell
“Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.”
― Ernest Hemingway
List and Learn —Doris Kearns Goodwin
During his time in the Senate, Lyndon Johnson and his
staff made daily lists of what had gone wrong and how
they could do better next time around. Take time to
reflect on your successes and shortcomings as a way to improve future outcomes
“If there is to be any peace it will come through being, not having.”
― Henry Miller
― Henry Miller
Collaborators should fill in gaps and weaknesses—Doris Kearns Goodwin
I t may seem counterintuitive to consider your own
weaknesses as you begin building and leading a
team. But, as Doris says, it’s crucial to identify those
areas in which your experience, skill set, and know-how may be insufficient to get the entire job done—and
to then find collaborators who can fill in the gaps.
Acknowledging your own limitations and appreciating
the abilities of others can guide the development of
a team by adding strengths that complement your
own.
As an effective leader, you should have enough
confidence in your own abilities that you won’t feel
threatened by your collaborators’ capabilities. Let your
team members excel at what they do best and encourage them to share their thoughts and perspectives, especially when they may vary from your own
Abraham Lincoln showed unique sensitivity to the
lives of others from an early age. Theodore Roosevelt
was born with a ravenous curiosity. Lyndon Johnson
seemed to have limitless reserves of energy. FDR was
endlessly optimistic.
However, while some talents associated with leadership may be inborn, most leaders improve their skills by magnifying talents that can be honed over time through discipline and focus.
Though brilliance may be
an asset to some leaders, perseverance and hard work
are essential to set a tone that can inspire and mobilize
others. Humility, knowing yourself, and learning from
mistakes are all hallmarks of great leadership. In this
sense, the best leaders are the ones with a willingness
to reflect upon and work to better their own temperament and character.
Humility, often misunderstood as a weakness or insecurity, is in fact the opposite—it
demonstrates a lack of personal pretension and a
commitment to self-improvement that helps leaders
transform personal ambition into a larger desire to
promote the greater good.
Doris draws upon insights from the lives of presidents to distill the qualities of effective leadership.
What motivates teams? How should you respond to
unforeseen crisis? What kind of insight can you gain
from adversity? Even if you aren’t on track to become
the next president of the United States, chances are
you’ll be faced with these questions over the course of
your life and career. The next step? You’ll need to find
answers—and good ones. Doris suggests looking to
her guys for a bit of inspiration.
G) Grandma
What’s your signature drink?
Sailor Jerrys and Air
“It was love at first sight, at last sight, at ever and ever sight.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita
― Vladimir Nabokov
“Desire makes everything blossom; possession makes everything wither and fade. ”
― Marcel Proust
What Pets Have You Had? Pets usually take on qualities of masters and master of pets.
You are definitely a Cat person.
You seem like a homebody. you can be aloof and chilled out but really affectionate and cuddly when you are into someone.
You seem like a dog person.
You seem energetic and extraverted. You like to be outside. You’re probably a good cuddler.
You seem like a goldfish person
Definitely already wet
Triplets
The longer the phrase, the less consecutive repetition, it will stand so the triplets in the case of epiphany tend to be shorter.
“Most lamentable day. Most woeful day that ever, ever I did get the hold oh day oh day oh day oh hateful day”
-Romeo and Juliet act four scene five
“I drink to make other people more interesting.”
― Hemingway, Ernest
W) Weirdest
What is one of the weirdest things you used to do as a teenager?
Be Emo.
“If you put confusion into the mix, even the tiniest bit of confusion, an audience is gonna be apprehensive.” —Aaron Sorkin
The audience does not want to be a casual observer of the movie
you’re writing. They want to participate. They want to be given
the same clues as everyone in your film and to be putting things
together in their head. If you’re able to surprise them with a reversal they didn’t see coming, you’ve given them a very
satisfying experience.
With an audience that loves to participate, you have to be careful not to lose them. They must trust that you know what you
are doing and that their time spent watching the movie will be
rewarded. Treat them as intelligent and don’t lose them by writing something that may seem unbelievable.
You can also lose an audience if you confuse them. Even the
tiniest bit of confusion can ruin the experience. However, be
careful of the antidote to confusion: telling them something they already know. It’s a fine balance to maintain properly informing the audience and to avoid telling them what they already know.
Ultimately, you should never pander to an audience or talk down
to them.
Gemini
Gemini-
Sorry we cant talk. I’m not ready for a lifelong commitment yet.
May 21-June 20 - Compliment each in every respect. Starts projects together but both have trouble finishing them. Prefer to always be talking.
Good Characters Are Complicated
In good drama, a hero undergoes a major change of fortune. If
you want this change of fortune to make an audience feel deep emotions, certain types of heros
work better than others. The most emotionally engaging movement, according to Aristotle,
is when a good man with certain shortcomings meets tremendous suffering. A flawed hero is
someone we can all relate to, and his downfall will fill us with pity and fear
What doesnt matter to leadership—Doris Kearns Goodwin
The 24-Hour News Cycle and the Twittersphere
Don’t get distracted by who had a catchy debate
performance or a viral moment on social media.
Mistakes
Don’t penalize candidates for small slipups or errors
unless they demonstrate a true fault of character.
Money
While fundraising matters, it should not dictate our
choice of leaders.
The Superficial
Height, age, clothing, and appearance have little to
do with whether a candidate has the vitality it takes
to lead.
Professions of Personal Greatness
Leadership isn’t about showing how exceptional you
are but about your ability to bring people together
Personal adversities led these presidents to pursue some of their signature achievements:
—Doris Kearns Goodwin
In 1884, theodore roosevelt’s wife and mother died only hours apart. His grief led him to
the Badlands, where he found solace in nature. Roosevelt left with a mission to protect the nation’s
environment that later earned him the nickname the “Conservation President.”
FDR was diagnosed with polio in his 30s. In response, he founded the Warm Springs Institute
for Rehabilitation to help others facing similar ailments. Through his involvement in daily life at
the institute, Roosevelt developed an empathy that would inform New Deal policies supporting
Americans suffering the worst consequences of the Great Depression.
A progressive reformer during his career, lyndon johnson adopted more mainstream views
as he rose to power, eventually becoming majority leader in the Senate. However, a near-fatal
heart attack in 1955 helped LBJ rediscover his purpose, leading to his championing of the Civil
Rights Act of 1957.
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
― Marcel Proust
“Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.”
― Rumi
“If you want to be happy, be.”
― Tolstoy Leo
― Leo Tolstoy
“I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.”
― William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
― William Shakespeare
“Listen up - there’s no war that will end all wars.”
― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
Haruki Murakami
Poetry - Reading Exercise
Every literary age comes with its own understanding
of what is the appropriate subject matter for poetry.
In the Elizabethan period, the dominant subject was
romantic or courtly love. In the age of the English
Romantic poets, you were supposed to write about
nature. Poetry advances when these rules of acceptability are violated. Think about Walt Whitman: when
he should have been writing about nature, he wrote
about machinery. Thom Gunn wrote a poem about
Elvis Presley when pop stars were not considered
appropriate for poetry. Both poets violated the literary
decorum of their time.
In choosing what to write about, nothing is too
trivial. Don’t censor yourself. Don’t feel that you have
to be serious, or even sincere. You can be playful, even sarcastic in your poems. Think of a subject that may
seem outside of today’s literary decorum and write a
poem about it.
Repetition with delay
“Tactics, tactics, ladies and gentleman we are tired of their tactics”
Repetition with delay
“Tactics, tactics, ladies and gentleman we are tired of their tactics”
“War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
― George Orwell, 1984
George Orwell
“The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.”
― Mark Twain
― Mark Twain
Leo-
Leo-
Were going to be a power couple. The obamas will be scared of us.
aggressive, passionate, and will help Leos finish things aries starts. Don’t discuss past lovers
Drama is Imitation:
: Drama is not “real life.” In other words, the emotions an audience feels when
they’re watching a good dramatic work aren’t exactly what they’d feel encountering the same scenarios in real life. Learning how to imitate life in a way that keeps your audience interested and emotionally involved is the secret to good dramatic storytelling. As Aaron says,
“People don’t speak in dialogue… people’s lives don’t play out in a series of scenes that form a narrative.”
And the rest is rust and stardust.”
― Vladimir Nabokov
― Vladimir Nabokov
Communication and the Press—Doris Kearns Goodwin
A keen awareness of how to tailor your rhetoric to
a given issue and your audience is key to effective
communication. So, too, is an intimate familiarity with
the media of the age. Theodore Roosevelt entered the
presidency during the rise of modern reporting and
the national press. In his communications, he echoed
the punchy style of national newspapers, talking in
headlines like, “Speak softly and carry a big stick”
and “Don’t hit until you have to—and then hit hard!”
He also made a deliberate effort to cultivate relationships with the press, even inviting reporters to join him for a nice conversation during his daily shave. This sensitivity to the nature of the news was crucial to
forwarding his agendas of consumer protection, safeguards against corporate monopolies, and a visionary program of environmental preservation.
As you become more and more well-known in your
industry or field, it’s crucial that you develop good
relationships with the press.
But also bear in mind that you’ll inevitably be subject to media criticism. As Doris notes, though, such scrutiny is central to a democratic society. Principled leaders embrace the press as a “conduit to the people” and respect its role in holding
them accountable
These leaders benefited from the contributions of their critics:
—Doris Kearns Goodwin
As the Civil War raged on, Abraham lincoln struggled to discipline military leaders defending the Union, even in cases of outright insubordination. His secretary of war, Edwin Stanton—who
had been recruited to the cabinet despite his past ridicule of Lincoln—provided a crucial counterbalance, guiding the military with a firm hand.
While forming his cabinet, Barack Obama took a page from Lincoln’s Team of Rivals
approach by selecting Hillary Clinton, who had been his leading challenger for the Democratic
presidential nomination, as his secretary of state. Together they formed a strong and productive
relationship.
While presenting his plans to a team of military leaders in the midst of World War II, franklin
delano roosevelt met unexpected resistance from George Marshall, who at the time was
a relatively low-ranking general. Rather than reprimand him, Roosevelt quickly promoted him.
Marshall later became known as the “organizer of victory” for his leadership of the Allied effort.
“Yield to temptation…it may not pass your way again!”
― Robert Heinlein
― Robert Heinlein
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell
George Orwell
“Respond to every call
that excites your spirit.”
― Rumi
Virgo-
Virgo-
Virgos are my kryptonite. I’ve had 3 virgo gfs and I’ve only dated 5 girls.You are definitely trouble
M) Million
If You Found A Briefcase Filled With 1 Million In 100$ Bills In Front Of Your Door, What Would You Do With It?
Buy a hostel (How I found Loki)
“Nothing is so necessary for a young man as the company of intelligent women.”
― Leo Tolstoy
“I don’t know where I am going, but I am on my way.”
― Voltaire
― Voltaire
“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?”
― Ernest Hemingway
― Ernest Hemingway, The Garden of Eden
“I think it is all a matter of love; the more you love a memory the stronger and stranger it becomes”
― Vladimir Nabokov
“Never to go on trips with anyone you do not love.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
See It Through:
—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Deciding on a course of action is just the beginning.
Throughout the implementation process, meet with
close colleagues and your broader team to explain
your rationale and seek advice for realizing your vision.
Sensitivity to the environment makes you a good actor. Thar way you can get energy from other actors.
People have become callous with everyday life. They need to get desensitized to the world.
Acting I tricking your brain. Use your ability to pretend something bad/great has happened.
Notes to anActor-
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
― Leo Tolstoy
“I don’t like work–no man does–but I like what is in the work–the chance to find yourself. Your own reality–for yourself not for others–what no other man can ever know.
― Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
Create Characters Which Make an Audience Feel
The audience should be able to feel pity for a tragic hero — that means you have to create a situation which the audience can understand in the context of their own lives.
Diverse set of opinions
and perspectives.—Doris Kearns Goodwin
The choices you make in the face of major crises
will inevitably have lasting consequences. You
may not know when or where a crisis will arise, but
Doris encourages you to look for guidance from
American presidential history for examples of decision-making in the face of significant challenge. Great
leaders can serve as invaluable case studies to help us
determine the wisest course of action during our own
moments of extreme challenge.
As Doris has demonstrated in her masterful biographies, effective leaders have dealt with crises by
gathering first-hand information and evaluating a
variety of possible responses, usually through dialogue
and written interaction with others. Weighing a
problem’s potential solutions is one of the best ways to
anticipate the consequences of a major decision.
But remember: As you learned in Chapter 5: Building and Leading Teams, this approach might be most effective if your inner circle represents a diverse set of opinions and perspectives.
“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”
― Leo Tolstoy
― Leo Tolstoy
“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. ”
― George Orwell
George Orwell
“Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it.”
― Voltaire
― Voltaire
Stay calm like Ragnar Lothbrok
Hold Eye contact and keep your voice low. Stay stoic. Dont react when treatened.
“There is not a particle of life which does not bear poetry within it”
― Gustave Flaubert
― Gustave Flaubert
“Travel brings power and love back into your life.”
― Rumi
Set Expectations about availability —Doris Kearns Goodwin
Set Expectations:
To manage expectations about your availability,
communicate clearly with your team and encourage
them to do the same.
Get Serious About Play:
Brainstorm a list of things you’d like to explore beyond
work: revisiting a favorite hobby, cultivating a new
circle of friends or reaching out to old acquaintances,
learning a second (or third, or fourth!) language.
Once you make a choice, commit yourself completely, scheduling dedicated times for pursuing these
outside interests.
“To die, to sleep -
To sleep, perchance to dream - ay, there’s the rub,
For in this sleep of death what dreams may come…”
― William Shakespeare
“A generation which ignores history has no past — and no future.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
― Robert Heinlein
Hone Your Tone:
—Doris Kearns Goodwin
Consider the various communication platforms you use
to reach your team, your followers, or your company.
How can each platform benefit from a unique tone,
and what can they help you accomplish?
“Being right too soon is socially unacceptable.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
“Being right too soon is socially unacceptable.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
“Repeat the same words on the same speech.
There’s not a black america or a white America, or a latino America–”
Obama said “pass this bill” 17 x in one speech.
Lincoln used dedicate/dedication multiple times in Gettysburgaddress
Repeat woRepeated distortionrds within speech
Specialization is for insects.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
Specialization is for insects.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
Where’s The Strangest Place You’ve Ever Been?
(Ketchup party - witch)
Anaphoric
Blessed are the (9x)
I have a dream/ let freedom ring
“Rewriting is a lot easier
than writing, because you
have a problem to solve”
—Aaron Sorkin
You’ve finished your script! Now it’s time to rewrite. Get to the end of your draft first before attempting any rewrites. This allows you to focus on a single problem (fixing your script) versus all of
the problems you need to tackle while you initially write, like story ideas.
Liken rewriting to the idea of a sculpture — your first draft is the hunk of marble. To get to the statue of David, begin to chip away anything that isn’t related to the main conflict. It will certainly be hard to “kill your darlings,” but be comforted by the fact that even Aaron has to take out what he considers are some of his favorite lines and moments.
When receiving notes, be careful who you listen to. You can rely on some people to spot a problem, but unless you’re talking to someone who’s smart, understands scripts, and understands the
way you write, take their notes with a grain of salt.
For those who may have opinions about your script but aren’t necessarily
informed script editors, don’t just disregard their comments. Use
their opinions as a sign of a problem that still needs to be fixed.
“Is it possible, in the final analysis, for one human being to achieve perfect understanding of another?
We can invest enormous time and energy in serious efforts to know another person, but in the end, how close can we come to that person’s essence? We convince ourselves that we know the other person well, but do we really know anything important about anyone?”
― Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Haruki Murakami
Work outside to in.
Try to come up with a small quirk on a way of dressing on the outside before don’t deep character work
If you get stuck work on the inside out.
Actors love props. Give them a prop to boost
Performances. It shifts concentration to the props and outside of their head. Use it as a crutch. Crutches are good.
When you don’t feel the magic, fall back on the material
Notes to anActor-
“Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.”
― Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
― Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
“The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.”
― Gustave Flaubert
― Gustave Flaubert
“The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
“But the hat is a keyhole,
a small aperture through
which larger things, namely
my father, can be viewed”
Try playing with diction. What are some words that,
for some reason, make you laugh when reading them?
(Think, for example, about fork, nose, potato, peas…)
Write a poem that deliberately uses these words to
create a tone.
On a sheet of paper, brainstorm a handful of
words that use a similar vowel sound. Now, using this
brainstorm as a guide, write a poem that utilizes assonance in one or several places (or even throughout the
poem). As you read over your draft, ask yourself how
these sounds add a musicality to the poem, acting as a
kind of sound-glue that holds the poem together.
If you cant love them
Try to picture them seriously hurt to get sympathy/picture them as a small child.
If you cant love them
Try to picture them seriously hurt to get sympathy/picture them as a small child.
“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames”
― Rumi
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).”
― Mark Twain
― Mark Twain
O) Olympics
If There Was An Olympics For Everyday Activities, What Activity Would You Have A Good Chance At Winning A Medal In?
Whiskey.
—Doris Kearns Goodwin Beyond learning from life’s most consequential challenges, growth can also mean responding to everyday
barriers with clarity and purpose.
Denied access to
formal schooling as a child, Abraham Lincoln committed himself to his own education, often walking miles to borrow books from his rural neighbors.
Later he would observe lawyers and politicians to learn from their expertise. As Doris points out, Lincoln’s perseverance and curiosity “allowed him to transcend his surroundings,” launching a poor, uneducated man from the
American frontier to the heights of national leadership.
Lincoln also became a student of humanity, cultivating
the kind of deep empathy required of leaders.
Socratic irony
Cops ask questions innocently to “clear you as a suspect “ or “ the chief is a stickler for detail”
“Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
― Mark Twain
E) Eat
What Do You Like To Eat To Cheer Yourself Up?
Jersey Mikes Subs
“We can know only that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.”
― Leo Tolstoy
Believability is more important than important than emotion. You should seem like a real person.
Everyone in the audience, male or female should want to sleep with you. Lawrence Olivieae
Actors aren’t automatically want to be filled with feelings. They want to WANT to be filled with feelings
Notes to anActor-
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
― George Orwell, 1984
George Orwell
“Trust your own
associations.”
Try an exercise in association. Look around you—
wherever you are—and identify an object or concept
to be your “seed” concept. What associations come up
when you think of that object? What associations stem from those associations? Do a free write detailing the
concepts (objects, events, etcetera) and various associations they generate. Now, are any of these associations
particularly interesting? Try to write a poem using this
exercise as a prompt.
In “Wan Chu’s Wife in Bed,” Richard Jones sets
us up with tender images throughout the poem, and
then you find out in the end that his wife is a habitual
adulterer. Try, as Jones does, to turn a poem with a
shock ending.
#ALLMusic Her: I like all kinds of music.
ALLMusic
Her: I like all kinds of music.
You : Do you like death metal or Mozart more?
What was your Major?
Underwater basket weaving was my major. Actually going for my PHD.
Drama Is Action:
Stories are more than just descriptions of interesting people or interesting
places — they have to be descriptions of events. One way of testing if your story is appropriately “active” is by asking yourself: Do my characters undergo a major change (e.g. from happy to sad,
broken to stable, etc) over the course of the story?
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
― George Orwell, Animal Farm
George Orwell
Good Dialogue Comes From the Characters’ Choices
Audiences come to understand characters in the
context of their choices — when they’re moving toward or away from things. When engaging
characters talk, they exhibit preferences — strong ones and clear ones — they don’t just relate
facts. These preferences are grounded in the tactics they use to overcome obstacles.
“The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight
― Vladimir Nabokov
“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
Use irony to change meaning of words
After a speech that seems like your audience is on board. Change meaning of that word. Honorable men. Repeat their phrase with a more sarcastic tone as you repeat.
Sorkin - THE WEST WING
Aaron explains an infamous scene from the season 3 episode “Posse Comitatus” in “The West Wing.” President Bartlet and his presidential opponent Robert Ritchie meet alone for the first time during the election. The setting is the backroom of a Broadway
theatre. Bartlet’s intention is to convince Ritchie to not waste the opportunity to have an intellectual debate in this campaign.
Ritchie’s intention is to get respect from Bartlet. These intentions have been set up very well throughout the
seasons of “The West Wing” and make for a very satisfying
meeting between the two characters. By building the “drive
shaft” first, you’re allowed to engage with the really fun parts of
writing, like snappy dialogue.
“Some are born great, others achieve greatness.”
― William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
― William Shakespeare
Sorkin - Keep Action Descriptions Pithy
In J.J.’s script, Aaron points out how he likes to write action so it
takes roughly the same amount of time to read it as it does to play on the screen. This allows you to focus on the written words that will be said on screen, while the director only needs the
blueprint of the description and action to translate your vision to the screen.
C) Cat
You are definitely a Cat person.
You seem like a homebody. you can be aloof and chilled out but really affectionate and cuddly when you are into someone.
“I think it is all a matter of love; the more you love a memory the stronger and stranger it becomes”
― Vladimir Nabokov
T)Twist
What’s Been The Most Significant Plot Twist In Your Own Life?
Traveling ( New York, priscilla)
What Are Some Obscure Things That You Are Or Were Really Into?
Books? Have you heard of them? Philosophy?
“It’s only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.”
― Joseph Conrad, An Outcast of the Islands
Joseph Conrad
Find dirt on people you want to replace.
Use whatever means necessary to oust your enemy like a councilman Tate.
Find dirt on people you want to replace.
Use whatever means necessary to oust your enemy like a councilman Tate.
Make yourself essential
If you’re the connect and the cut you out then why are you useful
Make yourself essential
If you’re the connect and the cut you out then why are you useful
Dont make your allies into enemies.
Pull them close and make them better.
Dont make your allies into enemies.
Pull them close and make them better.
I too shall lie in the dust when I’m dead. But for now, let me win noble renown -Illiad
I too shall lie in the dust when I’m dead. But for now, let me win noble renown -Illiad
Generals don’t fight the last war, just the war, but the war they want to fight. First principles.
First principles.
“alas the frailty of words. steel be thou my tongue”
“alas the frailty of words. steel be thou my tongue” -Red Rising
Yea, and if some god shall wreck me in the wine-dark deep,even so I will endure…For already have I suffered full much, and much have I toiled in perils of waves and war. Let this be added to the tale of those.
Homer, The Odyssey
Yea, and if some god shall wreck me in the wine-dark deepen so I will endure…For already have I suffered full much, and much have I toiled in perils of waves and war. Let this be added to the tale of those.
Homer, The Odyssey
