Comments on: ROBIN HOOD and “Creative Ownership”

By: Pass the Gravy « Café Lopez

Pass the Gravy « Café Lopez — Sat, 08 May 2010 01:11:41 +0000

[...] script, writes David B. Coe, is little more than dialogue and plot. The meat of it belongs to the directors, [...]

By: David B. Coe

David B. Coe — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:54:10 +0000

Thanks for the comment, SBU. Delving into characters’ minds is what keeps me writing. That’s what I find fun and fascinating about my job.

By: S0BeUrself

S0BeUrself — Thu, 06 May 2010 22:48:11 +0000

With your article in mind, I’m willing to admit that all we ever write are adaptations. Plot devises and dialogue are presented to us daily, through repetitive usage and our interactions with others. Only when we go where no one has ever truly been, in the minds of others, do our stories become the rich, vicarious experiences that they are. The internal conflict is key – you’ve proven that everything else is gravy. Thanks for the lesson ~

By: David B. Coe

David B. Coe — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:30:51 +0000

CC, I think that in an ideal world, every author here would agree with you. Writing should be individual. We should be able to focus our work on our own projects if we so choose I also agree that we should never be ashamed about making whatever money we can from this crazy business. But in a way those two things are contradictory. The fact is that in order to make a living as a writer, one sometimes has to resort to work for hire. And I guess the point of my post was, though it was a difficult project, filled with new challenges, it was, ultimately, a positive experience.

By: CC

CC — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:10:59 +0000

I don’t know, that toys thing makes me think that writing should be individual. Its not that expanding your horizons is a bad thing, never is. Its just that, as writers, you really struggle sometimes just to find the right prose and style and such to begin with. Throw in a time limit like 5-weeks, dialogue that’s not yours…I give you a lot of credit for tackling that project, and thanks for the post, now I’m 90% sure that I’m never doing that. I have enough trouble as it is. And writers should be just a interesting the whatever money they can get, considering all the looks we get when we say we write….

By: Moia Young

Moia Young — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 22:53:50 +0000

“Playing with someone else’s toys” is exactly how it feels. I recently did something similar on a much, much smaller scale, with a bit more freedom – I guestwrote a script for a webcomic I adore. (Actually, you word choice made me laugh, because I used the same analogy. It’s so true! )

For me, I found it to be a great exercise. I stretched muscles I don’t normally use, and I feel as though I’ve benefitted from doing so. But you’re right—it took finding my own voice within the constraints of another person’s characters and universe in order to tell the story without feeling stifled.

I don’t normally read movie adaptations, but I think I’m looking forward to this one!

By: David B. Coe

David B. Coe — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:55:54 +0000

Elias, you raise a good point. On the one hand I want to avoid the appearance that I’m just in this for the money, or that payment is the only reason I write. On the other hand, professionals in other fields don’t apologize for getting paid; neither should writers. Many thanks for the reminder!

By: Elias McClellan

Elias McClellan — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 15:25:51 +0000

Mr. Coe had to burden you again with my opinion (or tangent) on your comment @ 6. I absolutely despise the idea that if we want to actually eat and live a comfortable life as writers, we’re sell outs or mercenaries. I’ve worked two jobs since college. A four year degree and I’m a glorified referree at a State agency to remain nameless.

My Mrs just insisted that I stop driving a limo on the weekends so I could finish my novel and start pimping it. The average working writer makes, what around $5K a year on their work? I’ve also read that early in the merch-books, that the writer was often paid a flat $5-7K. That’s it. WB, Lucasbooks, et all are expected to be mercenary in pursuit of their ends. I must advocate that we should be just as mercenary in pursuit of parity.

By: David B. Coe

David B. Coe — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:27:13 +0000

Thanks for the comment and question, Doug. I’ve never been a big fan of novelizations either, which makes the self-promotion in this case a little tricky…. If you do pick it up, I hope you enjoy it.

As for the tie-in, I’d have to think about it long and hard. A few factors: I would have to just love the show passionately. I loved Buffy and TNG enough, but the others…I’m not so sure. The money and contract provisions would have to be right. Knowing now how difficult this kind of work can be, I’d want to be paid accordingly. That probably sounds terribly mercenary, but it’s the truth. And, of course, I would also need to be passionate about the tie-in concept. I’d have to really WANT to write that particular book. Interesting question. I’ve been in this business too long to rule out anything absolutely, but as I say, I’d have to consider it carefully.

By: Doug Hulick

Doug Hulick — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:16:50 +0000

David,

Thanks for the overview of the peaks and valleys of the process. It’s a process I’ve always been curious about, so the information is appreciated. (And I’ll check the other blog, too.) I never realized the constraints were so tight — I can well imagine needing to find something…anything…to latch onto to make the narrative your own in some way.

I’ve never been much for novelizations, but I’ll pick this one up since I think it will be fun to see how it all came together as a final product. Having the insights from your end will add some nice context, too.

So, after all this, do you think would you ever do a tie-in if you had the chance?