Screenwriting 101: Larry McMurtry

“It might be, indeed, that literary genius is a kind of encumbrance in Hollywood, but then even literary geniuses don’t need to wear their genius every minute of their lives. Bringing genius to Hollywood is like wearing the new blue suit to the beach — a bathing suits works better. What’s needed in screenwork is imagination, an agile mind, and a facility for on-the-spot invention; also tolerance, a sense of humor, and a willingness to compromise, the qualities of which are also useful in marriage. Genius, if one happens to have it, can be left at home; surprisingly enough, it will keep, and money needn’t necessarily taint it.”

— Larry McMurtry

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