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Interview With Skip
Press
How did you know you were a writer? There's not a point when you know that one way or another. It's a gradual thing that begins to dawn on you, that telling stories is a special thing that people value and that you love to do. You see special significance in events, little details in people's faces, or habits they have that perhaps everyone notices but only you point out. And when someone says "Yes, that's right, I never noticed that, but now that you say it!" then you're on your way.The "nature versus nurture" question-- how much "natural" talent do you think a writer needs versus how much can be learned? It's a matter of perception. Perception can be increased. It can also be decreased, which is why some writers fade with age. Some people start off with a greater depth of perception of life and people than others. It's basically a spiritual thing, and there are those who are able to nurture others in a way that increases their perception, and gives them tools (the craft of writing) to allow them to better communicate their perceptions to others. All of this can be learned, but if you start from a very materialistic, mechanical view of life it is very hard to break through. Are there any areas of writing that are easier to break into than others? Non-fiction (which is, coincidentally, the largest overall market). Okay, so we're thinking big. Say I'm planning on being the next Maya Angelou. Do I start with a novel, or is it smarter to build up credits doing freelance work? You write whatever you can to pay the bills, as long as it doesn't damage your spirit. That qualification is very important. There is a point where you *crack the egg* so to speak. You've been inside a mirrored egg, pecking here and there, trying to break through to the world. It's clear on your side (the inside), but mirrored on the outside. You can see the world clearly, but it cannot see you. Finally, you create something that has enough power that it destroys the egg wholesale with a big crash, and everyone notices. Or, you keep pecking in the same place for a long time and finally little cracks begin and you break through. It's usually one way or another, although some do both. I've *pecked* in a whole lot of places, but the one big peck that lots of people have noticed is my Writer's Guide to Hollywood. It's not the world's best book, but it's in its third edition and people around the world write me daily to tell me how much they appreciate it. How has the Internet affected your career? When putting together the Writer's Guide to Hollywood, and even before that, I was a stay at home dad generally too qualified to get a job in a tight economy. So I began relying on Internet sources to find jobs and meet people, and it's worked out very well. I have friends around the world I've never met: an Argentinian producer, a Dutch detective who is one of his countries top screenwriters while keeping his day job, some the top agents and publishers in England, the proprietor of India's top entertainment Website, etc. It's an amazing cyber-world. You say that part of the reason you've been such a successful writer is because you're an outstanding researcher. Explain this. You hear, "Write what you know." Only you're not told, "You can know anything, if you do the research." That's what top writers do. Louis L'Amour, the world's greatest Western writer, was a master at it. I just don't go with anything until I'm certain I've done the best research I can do before putting it to paper. Tom Clancy and others do the same; when Clancy wrote about the *waterfall* radar apparatus in *The Hunt for Red October* it was all researched at the Naval Academy library as I understand it. I checked it with Dave Ayer (a friend who wrote *Training Day*) who had actually been in the sub service, and he said Clancy was very closed. So later, Clancy got a visit from intelligence people, demanding to know who told him. He proved to them he had researched it. It's amazing what is available if you're willing to look hard enough. Still, you should NOT depend on the Internet. It's very inconsistent and incomplete. What are your views on writers working for free-- free options, free rewrites, publishing in e-zines, etc.? Don't, unless you have absolutely no credits at all, or if you can be part of a new venture that might turn a profit later and pay off your *sweat equity*. Have you ever dealt with a deadbeat publisher or producer? What kind of recourse does a writer have if he/she doesn't get paid as promised? Yes I have, but rarely. Join the Authors Guild (www.authorsguild.org) or some other professional organization I mention in my "How To Write" book and use their grievance procedures. Power in numbers, you know? And don't EVER write anything for Kensington Publishing. You hear from pre-pro writers all over the world. What are some common mistakes you see them making? They assume they're bothering someone by contacting them. If you have a legitimate question and you've looked for answers elsewhere and failed to gain satisfaction, there's nothing wrong with asking an expert, or at least a seasoned veteran. I see a lot of really lazy people on the Net, though. *Hey, anybody know where I can get a free copy of Final Draft?* (an expensive program that people worked very hard to make). Usually, however, I'm contacted by people who have bought one of my books, so they've read what knowledge I can impart and want to thank me. They end up getting a free email newsletter and I some times end up with a new friend. Successful writing can be a lonely profession and you can get a break by trading email or snail mail with people, or talking with them on the phone. What is one thing you wish you'd learned earlier in your writing career? Serenity. I used to get very angry over rejection and burn bridges. Some times, I had something to learn. Some times the rejector was full of crap. Some times I was simply offering the right product to the wrong buyer. Anger generally doesn't do you much good. It's appropriate in some instances -- some people need a good chewing out, and some people are just worthless creeps who need to think you will loose the hounds of hell on them so they'll stop screwing with people. But generally, you need to just figure out if you erred with your work or in contacting that person in the first place (wrong market). If not, just find the right market and keep sending it out. And you must remember this -- some times, you're just ahead of your time. How did you sell your first book? Option your first screenplay? I answered an ad in the L.A. Times of a company looking for people to write books for kids; I was writing for Disney Adventures and Boy's Life magazines at the time, so they thought I was perfect. I sold a lot of kids books after that. My first script got optioned because I knew somebody who was looking for the kind of material I had -- that's how it works in Hollywood more often than not. Tell us about what's on
your horizon now. Anything else you'd like to add? If you want to be a truly successful writer, write for the ages about universal themes. Don't get caught up in the here and now flash or you'll feel unfulfilled at the end of your life. 100 years from now, no one may know who David E. Kelley or Naomi Wolf were, or care. There are a LOT of people writing real crap these days, and just because someone wins awards or gets on TV, it doesn't mean that much, long term. What people care about are real, human stories that tackle great questions of humankind. (OK, they care about crap, too, but I'm trying to being inspiring here...) Writing for radio ("Alien Worlds") television ("Zoobilee Zoo," "Algo's Factory," and "Phenomenon: The Lost Chronicles") and film, Skip Press won a Silver Medal at the New York International Film Festival for a video entitled "A Woman's Guide to Firearms." A generally controversial, seasoned journalist, author and screenwriter listed in an embarrassing number of Who's Who books, his latest tome is the Writer's Guide to Hollywood Producers, Directors and Screenwriting Agents (Prima, 3rd edition). His most favorite recent project is Your Modeling Career for Allworth Press (February, 2000), a contract he secured which his wife Debbie wrote as her first book and Skip edited. His most favorite life moment (other than anything to do with his children) is the joy in another writer's eyes when they make a big breakthrough. Visit Skip's homes on the web here: Your Screenwriting
Career (screenwriting course) Writer's
Guide to Hollywood
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Skip
Press has written and sold advertising copy, advertorials, biographies, press
kits, children's stories, corporate speeches, ghostwritten books, how-to videos,
jokes, magazine articles, marketing materials, non-fiction books, novels,
poetry, radio scripts, screenplays, short stories, slide shows, stage plays,
technical manuals, technical studies, and television scripts. His best-known
book is the Writer's
Guide To Hollywood.
Oh, and in his spare time, he teaches a college screenwriting course available
in almost 400 schools.
