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Too few journalists become screenwriters. I say to all the would-be screenwriters: Become journalists. And I’ll say to working journalists: Do not stay journalists. Become screenwriters.
Nora Ephron
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Ephron encourages journalists to venture into screenwriting and vice versa, suggesting that both fields can enrich one another.

Nora Ephron highlights the interconnectedness of journalism and screenwriting, urging journalists to explore the storytelling potential of screenwriting, while also encouraging screenwriters to have a grounding in journalistic practices. This duality enriches the narrative crafted in films, merging factual storytelling with creative expression, and ultimately fostering a more informed perspective in both fields.

Themes

JournalismScreenwritingStorytellingCreativityArt

In practice

Example use cases

In a workshop discussing career transitions, this quote can inspire journalists to consider creative writing.

More from Nora Ephron

Reading is the unbelievably healthy way _x000D_ my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. _x000D_ Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it's a way to _x000D_ make contact with reality after a day of making things up.
Nora EphronRead
Reading makes me feel I've accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. ... Reading is bliss.
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I just want to go on making movies, and some of them will be completely meaningless, except, of course, to me.
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Every so often I would look at my women friends who were happily married and didn't cook, and I would always find myself wondering how they did it. Would anyone love me if I couldn't cook? I always thought cooking was part of the package: Step right up, it's Rachel Samstat, she's bright, she's funny and she can cook!
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Marriages come and go, but divorce is forever.
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What I love about cooking is that after a hard day, there is something comforting about the fact that if you melt butter and add flour and then hot stock, it will get thick! It's a sure thing! It's a sure thing in a world where nothing is sure; it has a mathematical certainty in a world where those of us who long for some kind of certainty are forced to settle for crossword puzzles.
Nora EphronRead

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