May 09, 2023

Orson Welles

Weekly Writing Tips - William Wordsworth: Letting Nature be your Teacher

Wisconsin Native, Orson Welles, is known today as one of the greatest screenwriters of all time. Known for his gritty Noir style and ability to always keep the viewer on the edge of their seats, his films stand the test of time and are still lauded as some of the greatest ever created.

Having written Citizen Kane at the young age of 23, Welles' career only continued to grow as he both wrote and starred in classic crime dramas like Touch of Evil and The Lady from Shanghai.

Never taking himself too seriously, Orson Welles rarely considered what he did as genius or revolutionary. Yet his ability to craft a story that gives just enough exposition to guide the reader along while also letting them speculate is nothing short of brilliant.

Create your own visual style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others Orson Welles

You were given a life and a voice unique to yourself; use that to your advantage and lean into turns of phrase or writing habits that you enjoy and use often. If you thrive writing in a specific style, chances are, there are plenty of people who adore reading that style.

I can think of nothing that an audience won't understand. The only problem is to interest them; once they are interested, they understand anything in the world. Orson Welles

Don't spend too much time trying to baby your ideas or water them down to be more universally understood. Your job as a writer is not to cater to the average and uninterested reader, but to capture the interest and inspire them to read and hypothesize further.

I want to give the audience a hint of a scene. No more than that. Give them too much and they won't contribute anything themselves. Give them just a suggestion and you get them working with you Orson Welles

Putting too much time into the details of your story leaves readers with little desire to come to their own conclusions. Information should be given like breadcrumbs to guide readers through your narrative while also giving them plenty of time to get lost among their own theories.