Rod Serling: Are writers born or made?

GITS reader David A sent me a link to an amazing set of videos, a sit-down conversation with TV and screenwriter Rod Serling. Most well-known for the long-running TV anthology series “The Twilight Zone” (148 episodes, 1959–1964), has over 70 writing credits including the screenplays for movies such as Seven Days in May and the original Planet of the Apes.

Since last week, I have been featuring Serling’s thoughts on writing each day with short (1–2 minute) interview excerpts. Today Serling takes on the question, “Are writers born or made?”

“You pose the age-old question: Can I learn to write? Can I be taught to be creative? Can I be taught further to analyze and dissect and observe — because observation is key, it’s paramount for the writer, the creator… to observe life. No, but you can say those are where your eyes are. And you can say use those eyes in that ghetto over there. Or you can say take that typewriter and take it up to your room, and spew it out, that gut level feeling that you have, you can them how that’s done. You can teach them a sense of timing, a sense of discipline, which is paramount to the writer. You must be the most self-disciplined beast walking the Earth. I don’t think there’s anything on Earth as difficult as writing.”

Thanks to David for finding these videos.

[Originally posted February 15, 2010]

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