Let's Talk Turkey: There's Value in What We Create
Some Thanksgiving gratitudes, putting a price tag on art, and what's to come
This newsletter has shown up in your inbox just before American Thanksgiving, which my family continues to celebrate despite having left the country seven years ago. It remains my favorite American holiday, in fact, in no small part because of the community that my wife and I like to assemble around our dining room table every year. It is a time of year to be grateful for the good in your life, which — at least for me — feels harder and harder to do every year as dead loved ones accumulate and the world as we knew it, in seemingly every way, seems to be crumbling around us. So much death, so much despair, so much unchecked greed. But there is also beauty, which I try to cling to. My children, a partner I adore, friends who provide me so much joy. And there is also art, which, if you’re a regular reader here, you know is the beating heart of my existence. It can be an ugly partner in life, the truths it reveals often crushing, but somehow it manages to magnify the wondrous, as well. Which is why I want to express to you how grateful I am to you, the one reading this newsletter, for your willingness to be part of this conversation I am trying to have at 5AM StoryTalk.
Six or so months ago, I launched this Substack as a way to build a dynamic community as passionate about art in all its forms as I am. You’ve shown up in droves, and many of you have even opted to become paid subscribers to read more of my artist-on-artist conversations and in-depth break-downs of films and TV series. Thank you for doing so.
There’s a singer I admire,
. We’ve flirted a bit with her joining me for one of my artist chats, which will hopefully come together at some point. She has her own Substack here, Ask Amanda. While reading one of her recent pieces — “REMEMBERING SINÉAD: CARE ABOUT YOUR MUSICIANS. WE NEED YOU.” — I was struck by her observation about how odd it is to be an artist, to create in a way that has value, and then get paid for it. “We have value, we artists,” she writes. “We keep being told that we do. And we have to pay rent, we have to eat.”It’s not the first time something she’s said has reminded me that what I create has value to people. We artists create something and hope it provides some kind of meaning to those who consume it. While most of my professional life is spent creating more tangible forms of art — screenplays and novels — talking about it here also has value and, as a producer friend of mine recently reminded me, it’s my responsibility to monetize anything I put this much effort into.
Which is all a long-winded way of saying, 5AM StoryTalk is a labor of love on my part. I hope it matters to you, I hope it makes you think, I hope it inspires you in some small way on your own creative journey. Much of it will — and always will — remain free for those who cannot afford it, but dream of becoming professional artists themselves.
But for those of you who can afford it, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today. I’m even offering a 20% off Black Friday sale that really is a Thanksgiving weekend sale running from now until the end of what some late-stage capitalist d-bags decided is Cyber Monday.
And if you can’t afford a subscription, that doesn’t mean you can’t support 5AM StoryTalk in other ways - such as sharing articles on social media and restacking them here. Spread the word when you can. More, just post the following link to your social media platforms and email it to friends, telling them to subscribe for free, too. If you get three or more people to sign up for those free subscriptions, you’ll earn a paid subscription.
I also wanted to take this opportunity to tell you what is coming your way from 5AM StoryTalk over the next few months:
More in-depth articles about the arts including a reconsideration of MR. MOM on its 40th Anniversary with producer Lauren Shuler Donner joining me, “Luke Skywalker Isn’t the Hero You Want Him to Be”, “A Tale of Two Aging Heroes: LOGAN and INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY”, an exploration of Detroit through the lens of Steven Soderbergh’s OUT OF SIGHT and NO SUDDEN MOVE, an argument for CHILDREN OF MEN as the greatest film of the 21st century, a second and final installment of “The WGA Strike in Photographs: A ‘People’s History’”, and an epic piece on the ongoing struggles of disabled screenwriters in the film and television industry.
More arts resources, from curated screenplay compilations to an upcoming series that sees professional artists answer reader questions about art.
More artist-on-artist conversations with Lena Waithe (actor/creator, “THE CHI”), Jed Mercurio (creator, “LINE OF DUTY”), Ryan Condal (showrunner/co-creator, “HOUSE OF THE DRAGON”), Eric Heisserer (writer, ARRIVAL), Riki Lindhome (actor/writer/musician, Garfunkel & Oates), John Romita Jr. (comic book artist), Susanna Fogel (writer/director, “THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT”),
(writer/director, A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS), (comic book writer), John Lee Hancock (writer/director, THE BLIND SIDE), Dawn Prestwich & Nicole Yorkin (showrunners/co-creators, “HIT & RUN”), and Charles Soule (comic book writer/novelist).In early 2024, I’ll also be launching a unique new podcast. More on that soon.
I hope to see you in the comments sections, my friends - happy Thanksgiving and happy silly season!
Cole
