5AM StoryTalk Reflections: The Art of Interrogating Art
A collection of articles and essays about learning directly from film/TV, novels, and other artworks yourself...rather than from how-to books
On the third Friday morning (EST/PST) of every month, 5AM StoryTalk Reflections shines a spotlight on a single theme or subject that this Substack has explored during its existence. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the critical role of interrogation in developing and honing your skills as a storyteller.
If you’re a regular reader of this Substack, then you know that I have been a professional screenwriter, novelist, and comic book writer for nearly two decades. In that time, I’ve come to believe that how-to guides are pretty damn useless outside of providing you some basic language about the medium you’re thinking about creating in. After that, I worry they primarily exist to confuse you and even, especially when it comes to cinema and television, teach you how to climb into a creatively stunting box you will spend years trying to free yourself from. You can read more about my opinions on this matter here: “How Do You Like Them Apples?! (or: Why Screenwriting Books Can Be Harmful)".
What, you might be asking, should you do instead if you want to learn about how to write?
Great question. So, I think the number one answer in all cases is to seek out and consume works in that medium. For example, if you want to write a book, you better be a fanatical reader. If you want to sculpt, you visit museums and galleries. If you want to write films or TV, you watch films and TV - but just as important, you need to read every screenplay you can get your hands on to understand the written side of the medium (in fact, this is why I curate so many screenplay lists here at 5AM StoryTalk).
What else should you be doing? Well, that’s easy. For my money, you need to learn how to properly interrogate all these artworks you’re cramming into your eyeholes. You can’t just observe them or read other people’s commentaries about them. You have to learn how to take them apart yourself, piece by piece, to understand how the end result was achieved, why you and others in the audience reacted (or didn’t react) to it, and so on and so forth. In developing this all-important skill, you will develop your own tools to understand art, appreciate it in a more sophisticated way, and then create better art yourself (and on your own terms, not someone else’s).
To help you better understand how to interrogate art, I’ve compiled a collection of essays I’ve written on this very subject. They’re not how-tos, so to say. They’re how I do its, which means I’m providing you a route to develop your own skills in this regard. Please feel free to pop into the comments section here or on the individual articles/essays shared here with ideas, thoughts, or questions of your own. As long as my other obligations permit, I will try to reply as thoughtfully as possible.
If this article added anything to your life but you’re not up for a paid subscription, consider buying me a “coffee” so I can keep as much of this newsletter free as possible for the dreamers who couldn’t afford it otherwise.
And don’t forget to read last month’s 5AM StoryTalk: Reflections installment:
I’ve enjoyed looking back at some pieces I’ve previously missed here. Thank you. I particularly enjoyed the art pieces on Norman Rockwell and Artemisia Gentileschi. “It feels like a Biblical buddy comedy starring Aubrey Plaza and Rebel Wilson” is officially my favourite quote of the day, but in all seriousness, juxtaposing Gentileschi’s painting with the other interpretations lends it so much power. It is a work of real storytelling, which the others are not. Likewise, the positioning of the viewer in the Rockwell painting really made me sit up and think.
Your reflections on the art of storytelling are refreshing and direct. I appreciate the focus on learning from the source rather than how-to guides. The collection of essays you’ve compiled offers practical insights for any creator.