Writing Quotes by John Sayles

John Sayles

As a screenwriter I’m often writing in genres where there have been thousands of movies; whereas when I direct movies they tend to be in between genres. They tend to have a little bit of a genre to them, but they’re really about the people, and they’re people we haven’t met before.

Littles

People

Writing

Share

John Sayles

But compared to writing a novel, where you can be God, I did the Bay of Pigs invasion in six pages once, and there were 50,000 guys with boots that I didn’t have to pay, and all those extras; we didn’t have to pay them.

Guy

Pigs

Writing

Share

John Sayles

For me the writing, when I’m going to direct it myself, is really just the first draft, and I don’t change it very much; I only change it on average about two lines per movie.

Average

Two

Writing

Share

John Sayles

I certainly grew up seeing more movies and television than I read books, but when it came time to do the thing itself you don’t have to hire a lot of people to sit down and write a book, so that was the story-telling medium that was available to me.

Book

People

Writing

Share

John Sayles

I don’t write [screenplay character] biographies beforehand. I usually go in knowing some sequences: this is where I want to start, this is where I want to end.

Character

Knowing

Writing

Share

John Sayles

I never actually do rehearsals. That’s one of the reasons that I write those bios and if I can meet with the actors I’ll meet them or talk to them on the phone. What I want is for them to come on set knowing their lines and knowing who the character is.

Character

Phones

Writing

Share

John Sayles

I remember being out here at the Sunset Marquis, and whoever knocked on the door, I would take that picture that I was writing and I would put that in the typewriter, so when I had the meeting, they would say: ‘Oh, you’re working on it right now?’

Sunset

Typewriters

Writing

Share

John Sayles

I think I got spoiled and that writing a short story and getting it published, or writing a novel and getting it published, you pretty much get to do the first, second and third draft yourself without a whole lot of interference.

Stories

Thinking

Writing

Share

John Sayles

If you write a movie for Roger Corman, it’s going to get made. You saw it almost the next day.

Next Day

Roger

Writing

Share

Follow The Behaviour University in order to get the greatest quotes from the greatest people of all time so that you can tap into your own greatness.

Follow Us:

Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington

Jeanette Winterson

Richard Blanco

Josh Peck

How to Dress Well

Acting

Actors

Agendas

Agents

America

Argument

Art

Assumption

Average

Be Careful

Believe

Book

Cameras

Care

Character

Clothes

Contracts

Country

Couple

Cowboy

Democracy

Dog

Done

Editors

Fall

Firsts

Fronts

Giving

Good Movie

Grew Up

Guy

Hate

Hate Him

Hollywood

Horse

Important

Independent

Inspirational

Investing

Jobs

Kind

Knowing

Knows

Lines

Littles

Loss

Lucky

Mean

Media

Mind

Needs

New Projects

Next Day

Night

Once Upon A Time

Opposites

Outfielders

Pay

People

Phones

Pigs

Play

Plot

Problem

Projects

Roger

Should Have

Sides

Size

Social

Sometimes

Stories

Stuff

Style

Sunset

Talent

Television

Thinking

Three

Tough

Trying

Tv Shows

Twenties

Two

Typewriters

Victory

Water

Way

Weekend

White

Wings

Writing

Years

Young

Menu

Menu

The Behaviour University ©