Hey CNFers, I didn’t have an interview in the can for this week, so I figured I’d try something a little new. Kinda new. Sorta.
This podcast is something of a craft essay. It’s similar to my parting shot … if I only published the parting shot. (Sidebar: This has me thinking, maybe I should bottle up my parting shots and run them on, say, Wednesday, as a mid-week pick me up. If they’re craft based, not if it’s personal. You can email me if you think you’d like that, similar to my flounder (defunct?) Casualty of Words, a writing podcast for people in a hurry. How did it not catch on?)
In order to have a successful career in the this business…whether you’re writing, acting, directing, or producing, or whatever the case may be…
There are components that are necessary for that to come about. One is talent. You really do [need it]. You have to work hard and get educated and learn your craft and learn your business. Aside from that is personal development, patience, and perseverance, but there’s also a component that is necessary that’s the wild card…And that’s luck.
You have to have a healthy dose of luck to become successful. That’s just the way it is. You can’t prepare for it, but you can be ready for it if does come to you.
Speaking of luck, Breaking Bad was one of the greatest beneficiaries of said luck. The show had a cult following through four seasons, teetered on the brink of cancellation, yet was a masterpiece before it got barrels of attention. Here’s how Breaking Bad got lucky:
Between Seasons 4 and Season 5 it went on Netflix at the beginning of the Binge Watching Boom. This show was hyper-serialized to begin with so it leant itself to the Binge. This allowed the show to simmer and then instantly boil.
The writers delivered on what was one of the most satisfying final seasons in the history of television, this in an era that puts far too much weight and pressure on finales. RIP Lost.
As a big fan of Breaking Bad, I’m as enamored with the process of Breaking Bad as much as the show. Its creator, Vince Gilligan, has always been forthcoming with the creative process. It’s reassuring. A finished product, whether movie, book, or television show—when done well—gives the illusion of having been effortless. Emphasis on illusion.
For a single episode of Breaking Bad, the team of writers spent 8-10 hours a day hashing story ideas for a week or two to create the beats and scenes, for an episode. They then put those on note cards and tack them to the board. The writer for that episode then takes the board and spends about two weeks writing the episode. That’s a lot of work.
The Value of Story Boarding
I was inspired.
I’m a product of daily journalism, sports journalism specifically. I go out, cover a game, then have 45-60 minutes to write and edit a story. It doesn’t have to be good. Just good enough. I carried this mentality too much over to my narrative work. My notes are pretty scattered, unorganized, and I just write. Sometimes thousands of words at a crack just by the seat of my pants. And, if I’m being honest, I think the work has suffered. It’s sloppy.
Many great writers take their time with structure. John McPhee, a hero of mine, hangs up note cards. They’re his scenes and it allows him to move them around. Spending time on this, on organizing, on thinking, makes the writing flow from the beats of the notes.
My stories have largely felt stagnant. They’ve been acceptable, but nothing of the stuff that ends up in year-end anthologies. I figured a logical step would be to adopt Gilligan’s outlining, his story boarding.
1/4 “, 2′ x 4′ product panel from Home Depot, two 4-packs of 12″x12” cork from Target, Smarty and Jack optional.
The Down and Dirty Cork Board: $21 to better storytelling
I went to Home Depot looking for a sheet of plywood I could adhere cork to. I found—on an end cap—these sheets of wood. Several kinds. I picked up a few and liked how sturdy this one felt. It was 1/4″ thick and 2′ x 4′. And it cost only $6.71. Bonus.
I got the cork from Target, two four packs, for $7.27 each. Two for $14.54.
All my parts were only $21.25, a savings of 44 percent over the one from Staples. Double bonus.
Almost done.
The cork came with stickers, so I just used them to space out the cork evenly. It wasn’t a perfect four feet across so there’s tiny gaps in between the boards.
The finished product. Thanks, Vince Gilligan!
So, there you have it. For my longform magazine projects and book projects, I’ll be rockin’ this board. Maybe once I have my notes, I’ll spend an entire day or two writing out my scenes and tacking them up, giving the story order and shape. To see an entire story in one flash will be of such value. The bricks are in place and just need the prose, the mortar to lock them in place.
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