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Master Screenwriter Tony Gilroy's Top 10 Writing Tips

by ScreenCraft on October 4, 2013

Master Hollywood screenwriter and filmmaker Tony Gilroy...one of the big boys, to be sure...recently took part in a lecture series for BAFTA and the British Film Institute and passed along ten little pearls that I thought worth sharing. Gilroy is a tremendously talented writer, and I count Michael Clayton and State of Play (both really underrated, particularly the latter) as two of my favorite movies of the last ten years. Here's what he had to say about the craft, courtesy of BBC News:

State of Play movie poster

1. Go to the movies.

2. Make stuff up but keep it real.

3. Start small.

4. Learn to live by your wits.

5. Write for TV.

6. Learn to write anywhere, anytime.

7. Get a job.

8. Get a life.

9. Don't live in Los Angeles.

10. Develop a thick skin and just keep going.

936full-michael-clayton-poster

Check out the full article here to see his rationales. I'm probably in the minority but #9 is my favorite, and I sure wish I could take that advice.

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