“I hate writing. I love having written.”–Dorothy Parker
How does one find a voice? How does one cultivate style? Answer: You work at it. Sorry to tell you, but this is work. Are you up for this? If it takes writing a million words, are you ready to do it?
Longevity, tenacity, determination. The willingness and hunger to outwork everyone else. That’s one way to develop a voice. Another is actually having something to say, which takes living, which is another discussion.
Cliché? Maybe. But tell me, could you write with the voice needed for Casino?
INT. TANGIERS CASINO FLOOR – NIGHT
Vignette of ACE: through rippling flames, we move in on ACE ROTHSTEIN overseeing the casino. He lights a cigarette.
ACE (V .O.)
Before I ever ran a casino or got myself blown up, Ace Rothstein was a hell of a handicapper, I can tell you that. I was so good, that whenever I bet, I could change the odds for every bookmaker in the country. I’m serious. I had it down so cold that I was given paradise on earth. I was given one of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas to run, the Tangiers . . .
INT. SAN MARINO ITALIAN GROCERY/BACK ROOM, KANSAS CITY – NIGHT
Vignette of MOB BOSSES: sitting at a table surrounded by food and wine like the gods of Olympus.
ACE (V.O.)
. . . by the only kind of guys that can actually get you that kind of money: sixty-two million, seven-hundred thousand dollars. I don’t know all the details.
NICKY (V.O.)
Matter of fact . . .
INT. BAR, LAS VEGAS – NIGHT
Vignette of NICKY SANTORO: standing at a bar with DOMINICK SANTORO, his brother, and FRANK MARINO, his right-hand man.
NICKY(V.O.)
. . . nobody knew all the details, but it should’a been perfect. I mean, he had me, Nicky Santoro, his best friend, watching his ass.
INT. NIGHTCLUB – NIGHT
Vignette of GINGER MCKENNA: a dazzling thirty-one-year-old blonde seated by a small fiery pool.
NICKY(V.O.)
. . . and he had Ginger, the woman he loved, on his arm. But in the end . . .
INT. TANGIERS SPORTSBOOK/ACE’S OFFICE -- NIGHT
ACE looks over the casino he rules.
NICKY(V.O)
. . . we fucked it all up. It should’a been so sweet, too. But it turned out to be the last time that street guys like us were ever given anything that fuckin’ valuable again.
Here, voice is style. And how about switching the POV, Ace and Nicky both with Voice Overs. Scorsese also did that with Goodfellas. Some would say this is his voice. Here’s part of the ending sequence of Casino with the same interchanging V.O.’s:
When one thinks about a writer’s voice, you’d be hard pressed to think of another more original than Chicago’s own, David Mamet.
Here’s a passage from Glengarry Glenn Ross:
INT. RESTUARANT- NIGHT
AARONOW
Yes. I mean are you actually talking about this, or are we just...
MOSS
No, we’re just...
AARONOW
We’re just “talking” about it.
MOSS
We’re just speaking about it. As an idea.
AARONOW
As an idea.
MOSS
Yes.
AARONOW
We’re not actually talking about it.
MOSS
No.
AARONOW
Talking about it as a...
MOSS
No.
AARONOW
As a robbery.
MOSS
As a “robbery”?! No.
AARONOW
Well. Well...
MOSS
Hey.
AARONOW
So all this, um, you didn’t, actually, you didn’t go talk to Graff.
MOSS
Not actually, no.
AARONOW
You didn’t?
MOSS
No. Not actually.
AARONOW
Did you?
MOSS
What did you say?
MOSS
Yes. I said, “Not actually.” The fuck you care, George? We’re just talking...
AARONOW
We are?
MOSS
Yes.
AARONOW
Because, because, you know, it’s a crime.
MOSS
That’s right. It’s a crime. It is a crime. It’s also very safe.
Even without the f-bombs, what voice could be more identifiable than Mamet? Voice here meaning nobody in the real world talks like this, yet it sounds completely grounded in reality. The best writers mesh style and substance, as original as a Van Gogh. When you look at a Van Gogh, you know it. Nobody paints like that.
Sure, the ultimate goal is to make movies. To get paid and make a living at this. To say something and leave a legacy. How does one get there? I would suggest that you develop a style, a voice.
There are lots of talented people out there writing movies. What will set you apart is the hunger to simply outwork them all.
Commence the journey of writing a million words.
Begin today.
