Screenwriting 101 — Steve Martin

Call me Ishmael. It was cold, very cold here in the mountain of

Kilimanjaroville. I could hear a bell. It was tolling. I knew exactly for

who it was tolling, too. It was tolling for me, Ishmael Twist. [Author’s

note: I am now stuck. I walk over to a rose and look into its heart.] That’s

right, Ishmael Twist.

This is an example of what I call “pure” Writing, which occurs when there is

no possibility of its becoming a screenplay. Pure writing is the most

rewarding of all, because it is constantly accompanied by a voice that

repeats, “Why am I writing this?” Then, and only then, can the writer hope

for his finest achievement: the voice of the reader uttering its complement,

“Why am I reading this?”

— Steve Martin (The Jerk, Roxanne, L.A. Story)