“You don’t rewrite what I write!” — Warren Beatty as journalist and activist Jack Reed in the 1981 movie Reds.
Well said, Warren (channeling Jack.)
Maybe I’ve been inspired by all the Oscar talk, but I watched Warren Beatty’s epic Reds again over the weekend, lapping up the scenery, the grand sweep of the film and the depiction of the writing lives of Jack Reed, Louise Bryant and Eugene O’Neill. (The movie got multiple nominations, including Beatty’s win for Best Director.) Those are ancillary to the main points, of course. Jack and Louise were known for much more than their output on the page. He was a communist activist and eyewitness to the Bolshevik Revolution; she was considered an early feminist. But hey, I’m a writer. That’s where I tend to focus.
Jack Reed had an undying passion for his work and his words and there are several scenes where he is shown chewing out those who would have the audacity to edit him. Sometimes rightly (with explosive results, see clip). Sometimes out of stubbornness. But always from a place of utter belief in and passion about the story he needed to tell.
In contrast, Diane Keaton’s character Louise Bryant spends the beginning of the film claiming she writes, and is roundly dismissed by every audience, because her answer (and probably her work) lacks energy and she can’t describe it. Don’t let that happen to you.
If you’re not passionate about a project, why do it? And if you are, but can’t express it, consider polishing your description and delivery at my upcoming workshop Rock Your Elevator Pitch.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Barbara Govednik, Barbara Govednik. Barbara Govednik said: Happy Well Said Wednesday! Do you have passion for your words? http://ow.ly/3KDeX [...]