Screenwriter Nolan urges students to follow passions
March 16th, 2009
So do we!!
“Be a lucky person,” screenwriter Jonathan “Jonah” Nolan recalled. That was the advice he and his brother, director Christopher Nolan, received from a famous British director about how to enter show business.
“When I first heard it, it sounded smug,” Jonah Nolan said. “The more I think about it, the more humility I see contained in that statement.”
Jonah Nolan, who co-wrote “The Prestige” and “The Dark Knight,” spoke at a Master’s Tea in Trumbull College on Monday afternoon, sharing anecdotes about his experiences writing films and sharing advice with more than 130 Yalies in the audience.
Jonah Nolan, who is currently working on the script for a Steven Spielberg science-fiction film called “Interstellar,” delved into his screenwriting philosophy and offered insight on what he said is the best way to approach creative writing.
Considering the most commonly practiced maxim “write what you know” to be a false search for authenticity, Jonah Nolan proposed his own modification to the principle, which is to “write whatever you want.”
“For me, I don’t have a lot of experience to prepare myself for writing about a vigilante, or a guy with no memory,” he said. “But that’s where my imagination took me. I would encourage you to do the same thing.”
Jonah Nolan said this idea is applicable to all occupations and creative works, not just to screenwriters.
Read more...
“Be a lucky person,” screenwriter Jonathan “Jonah” Nolan recalled. That was the advice he and his brother, director Christopher Nolan, received from a famous British director about how to enter show business.
“When I first heard it, it sounded smug,” Jonah Nolan said. “The more I think about it, the more humility I see contained in that statement.”
Jonah Nolan, who co-wrote “The Prestige” and “The Dark Knight,” spoke at a Master’s Tea in Trumbull College on Monday afternoon, sharing anecdotes about his experiences writing films and sharing advice with more than 130 Yalies in the audience.
Jonah Nolan, who is currently working on the script for a Steven Spielberg science-fiction film called “Interstellar,” delved into his screenwriting philosophy and offered insight on what he said is the best way to approach creative writing.
Considering the most commonly practiced maxim “write what you know” to be a false search for authenticity, Jonah Nolan proposed his own modification to the principle, which is to “write whatever you want.”
“For me, I don’t have a lot of experience to prepare myself for writing about a vigilante, or a guy with no memory,” he said. “But that’s where my imagination took me. I would encourage you to do the same thing.”
Jonah Nolan said this idea is applicable to all occupations and creative works, not just to screenwriters.
Read more...
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