I think if you're writing a play, it should be its own end game; you'll never get to do a good one unless you know it's not a blueprint for a film; you're not going to get the action right and the story right.
Martin McdonaghRead
Though it may not seem like it, I never try to write about a place, per se; it's always, first and last, about story. Story is everything. Story and a bit of attitude.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The essence of writing is about storytelling, not just the setting or location.
In this quote, Martin McDonagh emphasizes that the heart of writing is the narrative itself rather than the physical environment surrounding it. He suggests that storytelling is the core element that brings depth and engagement to any piece of writing, and attitude adds a unique flavor to the narrative.
Themes
StorytellingWritingNarrativeArtAttitude
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, I shared, 'Though it may not seem like it, I never try to write about a place, per se; it's always, first and last, about story.' to illustrate the importance of narrative.
More from Martin Mcdonagh
All quotes →I guess I've accepted that theatre is never going to be edgy in the way I want it to be. It's too expensive for a start. And, the audience seems to be complicit in the dullness.
Martin McdonaghRead
There have to be moments when you glimpse something decent, something life-affirming even in the most twisted character. That's where the real art lies. See, I always suspect characters who are painted as lovely, decent human beings. I would always question where the darkness lies.
Martin McdonaghRead
Similar quotes
I often will write a scene from three different points of view to find out which has the most tension and which way I'm able to conceal the information I'm trying to conceal. And that is, at the end of the day, what writing suspense is all about.
Dan BrownRead
In music, silence is more important than sound.
Miles DavisRead
I was honoured when they asked me to appear at the president's birthday rally in Madison Square Garden. There was like a hush over the whole place when I came on to sing 'Happy Birthday,' like if I had been wearing a slip, I would have thought it was showing or something. I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, what if no sound comes out!'
Marilyn MonroeRead
I thought we had opposite visions of electronic music. Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk had a very robotic, mechanical approach. I had a more impressionist vision - a Ravel/Debussy approach.
Jean Michel JarreRead
I come from a mixed family, where my mother is art house cinema and my father is B-movie genre cinema. They're estranged, and I've been trying to bring them together for all of my career to one degree or another.
Quentin TarantinoRead
All writing, all art, is an act of faith. If one tries to contribute to human understanding, how can that be called decadent? It's like saying a declaration of love is an act of decadence. Any work of art, provide it springs from a sincere motivation to further understanding between people, is an act of faith and therefore is an act of love.
Truman CapoteRead