Quentin Tarantino
Joe Rogan is a comedian, podcast host, and UFC commentator. On Episode #2240 of the Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan interviewed Roger Avary & Quentin Tarantino to promote the second season of their Video Archives podcast.
At the 1:19:00 mark(above), Rogan discussed his writing process for comedy, and Tarantino also discussed his writing style for film. Their styles significantly contrast each other.
Dialog Transcript below:
JR: I’ve heard many people say this about comedy, that they have to write on paper. I don’t. I write on a laptop, I’ve always written on a laptop.
JR: To write the word appreciate, it’s longer, so there’s more thinking[as opposed to typing it] When you have more thinking, there’s more ways you might alternatively branch off your ideas.
JR: When I type I can type quicker than I can write by hand. The problem with comedy is it comes quick and slippery, especially if you’re a little lit.
JR: I’ll write a 1,500-word essay and I’ll use one line. There’s one thing in there that might be a bit. But I’ll write all this other shit on transportation.
RA: It’s like strip mining…you’ll pull all this dirt out and process it and get a little ore.
JR: Exactly. I’m not trying to be funny, I’ll find something funny in it. That’s the starting point. I’ll take that, cut it, copy it into a fresh document, now what is this.
JR: I type good. I get into a zone.
JR: I also write things down on pieces of paper. If I have an idea I have to catch it.
QT: You can’t write poetry on a computer. I’m going for a rhythm. There’s a connection between this paper and pen, as opposed to…this other thing[the computer]. It’s vomit. It’s absolutely vomit.
QT: When you write by hand you overwrite. blehhh you’re just getting it out there. Then you sit down with a typewriter and you tame it…you make the sentences work. Now you make it work like a writer.
Making The Canvas
Joe Rogan, Quentin Tarantino, and Roger Avery, write by vomiting everything out, and cleaning it up. This is a theme shared among the best artists and writers–get it out then clean it up. Get it all out.
Getting it all out is like a sculpter making sure he has enough marble to cut down to a masterpiece; you need to have enough to cut to perfection.
The Chainsaw artist needs a large log.
The Idea Net
Catch your ideas. Never let an idea go, never trust your memory. If you have an idea, you track it, no matter how stupid it may seem. An idea could be useless on its own but made golden when combined with a different idea.
Leave a notepad and pen by your bed to act as an idea net, without the blue light of your phone that will damage your sleep.
If you have an idea in bed, you must write it down. Sleep clears the brain’s cache and you will not remember the idea you had when you wake up.
Not capturing ideas conjured at night has cost the world quintillions. (1,000,000,000,000,000,000)
Try:
