Baseball isn’t one of those sports I intentionally seek out as a favorite; when it’s the off-season I don’t consciously miss it. But every spring I’m reminded of my rather understated love affair with the sport. Is it because it’s “all American”? Is it the slow-paced intensity of plays and the potential for “classic moments in sports”? I have no idea. But every season my excitement for the game comes back with every crack of the bat.
Now that my 7 yr old son is neck-deep in Little League, and I see his obsession and knack for the game, I find myself even more in love with the sport. Watching him play or watch a game, or hearing him spout off names and stats (is that, like, imprinted on the Y chromosome or what?) is fascinating. He loves this sport all on his own, I assure you I had nothing to do with it other than ask if he wanted to try it out last year. He plays soccer and he takes swim lessons and he rather enjoys those activities, but he doesn’t love either one with the same intensity as baseball. You should see his shelves, they’re dotted with pictures of players, random baseball paraphernalia, and a collection of baseball books both fiction and non. He’s seen The Sandlot a thousand times (who hasn’t) and can’t stop talking about going to Texas Rangers games once school lets out. What is it about this sport that America loves so much?
Anyway, back to the screenwriting and film-lovin’ world. While looking for reviews and info on whether or not it would be suitable for a 7 yr old, I came across this interview with the screenwriter of 42, Brian Helgeland, and thought it was interesting and relevant to my own screenwriting journey.
This part, especially, I can relate to:
“Well, just the script itself probably 50 days or something like that, but I outline much more than I write so the outlining is probably three months. Two or three months of outlining and researching and whatever is involved with not actually writing the script. I spend a lot of time outlining.”
You can find the rest of the interview here.
Also, something extra just for fun 🙂
Enjoy!
Mumblings & Musings of a Starving Screenwriter 