THE STORY SPOT

Make of this what you will.

“Famous Literary Drunks & Addicts” (all 46 of ‘em) from LIFE Magazine.
Click through to the LIFE site to read the captions (and names, sheesh!) about each author.
Thanks to Mike H. for the linkage.

Author Christina Baker Kline (Bird in Hand, The Way Life Should Be) did us the great favour of transcribing a recent interview with director James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic) in which he offers storytelling wisdom that is simple but oh so true:

It’s always about the characters and about how those characters express something that the audience is feeling.  So it has to have some universality to it, having to do with relationships, whether it’s male-female, parent-child, whatever it is. And then you have to take them on a journey. And then you have to make it excruciating somehow.

Like that? Sounds so simple, no? Need a hand getting started? Try this: Is Your Hero Sympathetic and What the Heck Does That Mean?

And by the way, you can catch up on Ms. Kline’s latest right here on THE STORY SPOT: she’s now part of our Literati (updated live as bloggers post–if you don’t see her now, try again later.) Click through to read more and subscribe.

Read “The Essential Elements of Storytelling … according to James Cameron” on Christina Baker Kline’s blog, “A Writing Life”
Watch James Cameron interviewed by Charlie Rose

Last night, Anvil! The Story of Anvil won Best Documentary at the 25th Independent Spirit Awards here in downtown Los Angeles. If you haven’t seen it, do. You will witness — and be a part of — lives profoundly changing right before your eyes.

Anvil is Robb Reiner, Steve 'Lips' Kudlow,
and Glenn 'G5" Gyorffy

Congratulations Sacha Gervasi, Jeff Renfroe, Andrew Dickler, Chris Soos, and Rebecca Yeldham. And much respect to you Lips, Robb, and G5 for just being you. I’m honoured to have witnessed and shared this journey with all of you.

This, people, is how you change the world: vision, honesty, and killer filmmaking.

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The 25th Independent Spirit Awards
Anvil! The Story of Anvil – Official Film Site (signed DVDs and posters available)
anvilmetal.com – Official Site of Anvil

Author JK Rowling speaks of failure and imagination as crucial to a life well-lived.

[E]ven if you remember not a single word of mine, you remember those of Seneca, another of those old Romans I met when I fled down the Classics corridor in retreat from career ladders, in search of ancient wisdom: As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.

Read the full transcription at “The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination” at HarvardMagazine.com
On Vimeo as: “J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement“. June, 2008.

As we love to do, congratulations go out to this year’s nominees in outstanding screenwriting for the 82nd annual Academy Awards — the Oscars to you and me. Never mind that the writers were last on the Academy’s list…

Original Screenplay

• “The Hurt Locker“. Written by Mark Boal.
• “Inglourious Basterds“. Written by Quentin Tarantino.
• “The Messenger“. Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman.
• “A Serious Man“. Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen.
• “Up“. Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter. Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy.

Adapted Screenplay

• “District 9“. Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell.
• “An Education“. Screenplay by Nick Hornby.
• “In the Loop“. Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche.
• “Precious“. Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher.
• “Up in the Air“. Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner.

The full, printable list of Oscar nominees (useful for ballot making!)