by Peggy Bechko
“Nobody knows anything…… Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what’s going to work. Every time out it’s a guess and, if you’re lucky, an educated one.” William Goldman
If you’re writing screenplays or teleplays you know who William Goldman is – a writer with many hats who’s been writing, publishing, etc. for many years. Screenwriter is among his numerous hats. Mr. Goldman is approaching 85 now according to what I can find and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that he’s still writing. That’s the glory of being a writer. You do it until you drop dead usually.
I admit to being a bit of a Goldman fan and have read some of his books along the lines of Adventures in the Screen Trade and Which Lie Did I Tell. And I’ve enjoyed Butch Cassidy And the Sundance Kid and loved The Princess Bride. The above quote is pretty plain and right on. And it should give every writer some hope.