Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Laugh all your way while writing a successful story à la Woody Allen

The other night I watched Woody Allen’s The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. It was not one of his best works but it was still entertaining. I am a fan of his no matter what subject he writes about. I know that not everyone appreciates his quirkiness and cynicism. But I am almost sure most people would agree that his thought-provoking work has inspired many writers. Woody Allen's sense of humor may be the catalyst to his writing style, which has proven to be successful. He has received several prestigious awards throughout his fifty plus years of his multi-faceted career. When I think of Woody Allen, I think of him as a producer, director, actor, and a screenwriter, too. That’s why I was surprised when I learned he has written numerous plays and short stories. And, I was even more amazed that he’s written three anthologies of short stories. I am currently working on my own anthology, and although my stories are not light in tone like those of Woody’s, I am using his writings as an ‘anti-stress-er’ (more like a writer’s block plunger!). Even if you’ve never watched a Woody Allen movie, you can see his writing style through his use of dialogue, diction, character development, and setting (which most of them are set in his hometown of New York). What I am trying to say is that writing should be fun. We should allow ourselves to laugh at our own mistakes and move on. So whenever you’re stuck and your story is not evolving, think of Woody Allen: He made it all the way with humor.

1 comment:

  1. Avevi ragione tu! E'proprio un bell'articolo. Non sapevo che Woody Allen avesse anche scritto antologie. Ora mi tocca leggere anche quelle. Avevo già visto quella statua; mi sono sempre chiesto perché gli spagnoli abbiano dedicato una statua a Woody Allen.
    Ancora congratulazioni per il tuo lavoro e per il tuo ultimo successo! Ciao ciao!

    ReplyDelete