Screenwriting : “I was never conscious of my screenplays having any acts. It’s all bullshit.” – John Milius by David Levy

Good stuff. Writers who love formulas take that stuff far beyond any practical definition and try to make it mathematical equation. Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. That's good enough for me.

Once you find what works for you, the training wheels come off.

Write the story, and if it's too long, make it a series. : )

I have been reading Truby's book 'Anatomy of Story'. I liked the idea that he was wanting writers to move away from the '3 Act Structure'. The more I read of it, the denser it becomes, so now all I use the book for is if I have a problem I can't quite figure out. Otherwise I'd slash my wrists from despair of having to follow all the steps he offers. I think you grow as a writer when you begin to understand what your characters want, or as Ray Bradbury said "Find out what your hero wants...and then just follow them." So I guess that's as far away from Truby's 22 step structure as you can get. The one step 'structure' to storytelling!

Thanks for posting this, David! It is refreshing to read a point of view that pushes away from formulaic screenwriting. :)

This snippet is interesting, he definitely has a strong opinion: "A lot of that probably goes back to the demystification of screenwriting through all the books and seminars and tapes… It is mystical. All creative work is mystical. How dare they demystify it? How dare they think they can demystify it? Especially when they can’t write. These guys who write these books, what’s their great literary legacy to us? What have they done? They don’t even write television episodes. A writer’s greatest fear now is not that he’s going to be no good when he sits down to write. A writer’s greatest fear is that he’s going to be brilliant and that no one will read it, that no one can read it, that no one knows the difference because they read these stupid “How to write a screenplay” books."

Mr. Milius was certainly one of the go-to writers in the 1970's, when filmmaking and screenwriting was more auteur-based and less formulaic than today. He even considers himself as more of a novelist than a screenwriter. Check out the documentary about him (Milius) - a lot of great filmmakers, producers, execs and writers share their personal stories about him.

Beth, you picked out what I thought was the highlight quote of the article. It sums up how most feel but don't come out and say. I guess some successful screenwriters who didn't use screenwriting books feel they're not really needed if the education comes from elsewhere. We all have to learn somehow.

Yes, except I left out the part where he calls everyone "idiots." LOL!

I really appreciate his point about the demystification of screenwriting; I feel that is very true and has caused much damage to the craft.

Thanks for sharing that @Beth. I have come across many supposed ways into the industry and the gatekeepers all seem to believe the how to books. It's apparently the only way they can judge the 'quality' of your work!

Darn I love his work. But I have to say he sounds about as gruff as the characters he writes about... Likewise I love his position on myth but he sounds a bit dogmatic - "my way or the highway" kind of. All of this qualifies for a great writer I presume, but maybe if he had been more flexible we could still see his work today? "They don’t even write television episodes." It says it all.

I love you guys! And watch the Milius documentary it it's still on Netflix. The guy's a visionary.

Immediately after reading the article I watched 'Jeremiah Johnson' 1972. Fabulous movie. Milius was right, he did have a mountain man voice. But I think if you listen closely, there's a couple of lines Robert Redford wasn't keen on. (it seems).

Great article! I recall reading it a while back and it was good to re-read it a year or so on. I loved this part, too: "Write what you want to see. Because if you don’t, you’re not going to have any true passion in it, and it’s not going to be done with any true artistry." It made me think fondly of this: When I was starting out, many, many moons ago, a late great elderly friend of the family and also Oscar winner led me into a book shop and to the screenwriting section. He pointed to rows of 'How to write the super hot screenplay that sells' type titles', along with 'as taught by 'x' in their new book '. "You see these?" he asked me. "Never buy them. Liken them to a book titled 'How to find the loving man or woman of your dreams and be with one another, in love, for the rest of your lives.'" "But that would be magic." I replied. "But what is magic?" he asked. "A trick." I said. "A trick. Indeed. Sleight of hand. Smoke and mirrors." "I've been accepted at film school." I said. "but can't afford to go. Who will teach me how to write a script?" "You have an imagination and you can already write. Come on." We then went, silently, to a pub where he gave me a present to unwrap. "Here are your teachers for this month." My presents were: . A cinema gift card. "See films. All kinds of films. European films. Far Eastern films. Sub-titled films. You'll think you have seen good and you'll think you have seen the not-so-good, but with that said, appreciate the effort made and passion felt in making hem all." he said. . A postcard with the word 'Life' on it. "Experience life. Listen to people. Look at people. Be patient. Laugh at yourself. See places if you can and if you can't, buy a travel book and imagine the rest." he continued. . A very dusty, slightly faded, note-ridden copy of the 'Casablanca' screenplay, as well as an original copy of 'Notorious' , by Ben Hecht. He said no more, other than to tell me to put them all back in the bag, sat back and enjoyed his drink. Every month I would receive two more original hard copies. From 'Butch Cassidy' to 'Dirty Harry' to 'Tootsie' to 'Die Hard'. Scripts, studying those different styles. I must say those scripts were brilliant teachers. There's more to my wonderful mentor, but another time perhaps.. Here's to you, 32-ers! Thanks for reading, Ben - @BenTrebilcook