Kyle Curry: 5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer
An Interview With Susan Johnston
Get to Work. The world isn’t waiting around to kiss your ass. Should you choose this life, you will constantly be in competition with a million others who will race ahead of you if you falter. Truly creative souls know that there is no such thing as retirement, because the desire to invent — the necessity to invent — compels the mind above all others.
Some writers and authors have a knack for using language that can really move people. Some writers and authors have been able to influence millions with their words alone. What does it take to become an effective and successful author or writer?
In this interview series, called “5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer” we are talking to successful authors and writers who can share lessons from their experiences.
As part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kyle Curry.
Kyle is an Action writer and occasional producer. He is always hunting for new high-concept attitude. Kyle’s target audience is people who just finished a long day at work and want to kick back with something exciting.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you share the most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career?
Grew up around Army bases. My parents were very protective of my media consumption, but they also fueled my interest in history, art and STEM. They introduced me to science fiction and fantasy, took me to a bunch of landmarks and museums. That kind of thing. I started making movies with the old VHS camcorder, then became a teen writer for the local paper. Quickly moved into video/photojournalism. Got a bunch of awards.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in your journey to becoming a writer? How did you overcome it? Can you share a story about that that other aspiring writers can learn from?
I shifted over to screenwriting from production because, at the time, no one was hiring and writing was cheap. I was also bored with the movies being released and decided to write my own, then kept at it because I enjoyed the challenge. No one movie or book spurred me to this, any more than one single raindrop creates a torrent.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? *
Just the usual: the script you pour your heart into gets no traction. The one you haphazardly cobble together does. Sometimes, when I can’t get the hang of the tempo of a scene, I doodle up storyboards first to see how it flows, and then translate them into script form. This works for both big action scenes and small, intimate ones.
My dad spent five years training peacekeepers in Africa before succumbing to cancer. I took the memories of his stories — or stories he was told by others — and fashioned a script that got me some meetings and accolades.
Years of this have allowed me to compile a lengthy list of rules that, if not making for great writing, prevents falling into the pits of bad writing.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I’m adapting Gustave Flaubert’s novel Salammbo, set during the Carthaginian Mercenary Revolt between the First and Second Punic Wars. It’s epic, shocking, passionate, and brutal. Madame Bovary this is not. I’m banging out some other adventures, too.
Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience, what are the “5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer”? Please share a story or example for each.
1. The world owes you nothing, but audiences deserve your very best. You are an entertainer, not an artist, not an auteur, not the voice of a generation, not a visionary, nor a social critic.
However, that doesn’t excuse trotting out all the old hat clichés. You must be better than that. Above all, never ever ever blame the audience if your work is poorly received. They are the ones giving up their hard-earned money and limited free time. They are not obligated to tolerate your crap.
2. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are; what matters is how good others think you are. There a plenty of writers out there who think their stuff is great until the rejection letters start coming. Get useful feedback. Find people who will give you honest feedback and take it in stride. They don’t have to be writers. Get feedback from non-industry people, too. They may not always know what they like, but they know for damn sure what they don’t like, and will not hesitate from telling you. A pint of sweat at that stage will save a gallon of blood down the road.
3. Try something new. After a bunch of action scripts, I tried my hand at a medieval biopic for the Hell of it. Sure, there was still plenty of head chopping, but the reception from both industry and non-industry readers ended up being among my best ever. I think it’s because I wrote it to be fun and not another po-faced slog.
4. “Write what you know” is the kind of well-intentioned drivel that results in a whole lot of personal stories about miserable people. Stop writing them! Instead, write what’s interesting. Be curious about the world. Do your homework and don’t be afraid to change the story if your findings contradict your plan. Forget what you learn at expensive seminars, classes, and how-to book. The best screenwriting, in my experience, negotiates the tension between character, image, and story.
5. Don’t pop the champagne until the check clears. Anything can derail a project. A natural disaster hits your filming location. Your producer wakes up with a conscience and drops your project in order to make socially relevant films. The star you spent nine weeks courting decides to do little dramas for some clout. The calendar turns over and you’re no longer the flavor of the month. Be patient. Use that waiting period constructively, which leads us to…
6. Get to Work. The world isn’t waiting around to kiss your ass. Should you choose this life, you will constantly be in competition with a million others who will race ahead of you if you falter. Truly creative souls know that there is no such thing as retirement, because the desire to invent — the necessity to invent — compels the mind above all others.
How can our readers further follow you online?
Thank you so much for this. This was very inspiring!
