Hah! Enjoyed that little blurb. One of my favorite writers.

There's never only one way to write anything.

What fascinates me, however, is how people can approach telling stories from so many different angles and still end up with some of the same elements that work well. That's what Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell discovered in looking at stories (myths) from all over the world.

Guillermo Arriaga does outline. He does it in his head and it stays in his head.

Read Paul Laverty interview today (thanks for Screenwriters' Masterclass book rec, Scott! Fabulous, now awaiting Making Movies, Lumet, excited), in prepping to write, he fills up notebooks... and never looks at them again. Made me snicker (I do same thing), don't feel quite so stupid (ha, but let's see if my outcome is as moving as Sweet Sixteen, I suspect not).

Per your comments and the main reason I quote Arriaga is to make the point ascribe makes: There is no right way to write. Every writer must determine what works for them. I also think DSC is right and if you read more of the interview with him in the book, Arriaga admits as much: The story / plot is all internal to him.

BTW Arriaga started following my GITS Twitter feed today.

I love that quote. Because this is how I first approached screenwriting. Now the outcome was not that good. Maybe I'm just not a good writer (yet?). But after trying to outline very meticulously and knowing all the details up front, I immediately lost interest in telling the story. Because it was already told of some sort, beginning, middle, end... boring. Outlining is essential for so many writers that I felt kind of stupid for not doing it. I'm still wondering what is best. I guess with an outline the script might be better in the end but without a tight beat sheet and character charts it is more interesting for me.

Of course there is a great danger to lose focus on the story. Maybe it might be nice if you just let it flow in a first draft and then see what you have in the end, than try to weave it into the original plot-idea you had in the second draft. I don't know. I'm still trying to figure out what the ideal way to write is. I really can see why they say it takes ten years to become an overnight success.

But these little segments on GITS always make me think and rearrange my writing process and help to make me feel not so silly. So thanks Scott and Guillermo.