Agatha Catchrain · Writing Advice
I’ve been devouring every possible writing course on MasterClass, so of course I stumbled on dramatic writing by David Mamet. And oh boy was this something else.
It’s filled with writing advice I would love to argue over. Even if I had the right to argue with a successful writer about writing (which I don’t!), there’s also the fact that it has been extremely useful to hear a very different take on writing from all the usual tips.
So exactly what made David Mamet’s advice so unusual?
First off: who is David Mamet?
He’s an American playwright, author, and filmmaker who won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations. Starting his career in the theatre, throughout this entire MasterClass course he calls himself lucky, not special. And that was one of the signs that this guy knew what he was talking about.
100 Things You Need to Know About Your Character: Cut the Crap
During his MasterClass, David Mamet grabbed writers where it hurts. He called most of us out — blaming actors for a similar deadly sin — which is telling ourselves we can’t write, we can’t play, if we don’t know all these 100 things about our character first. That we always need to know one more thing before we truly know them.
David Mamet calls that procrastinating.
And while I’m a deep believer in understanding your character in depth, there is a sliver of truth in this. Cut the crap. Focus on what actually matters, and keep making progress instead of spending all your time overthinking.
But remember: nothing here is a one-size-fits-all kind of deal.
Dialogue in Drama Is, in Essence, Gossip
Mamet says that when it comes to writing good dialogue, in essence it’s just gossip. People are entertained by gossip. That’s the origin of drama, the origin of storytelling — and even, if you dig far enough into anthropology, the origin of language itself. Evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar has argued that we didn’t develop language to coordinate hunts or describe landscapes. We developed it to keep track of who’s doing what to whom. Gossip, basically.
Which means Mamet isn’t just giving craft advice. He’s pointing at something much older.
Don’t Give People Lessons — They’re Paying for Entertainment
This one hit real hard for me, since I love giving life lessons through storytelling. That’s what I love about novels. Learning through story.
But as with all of Mamet’s writing advice, there’s a sliver of truth here too. Even in genres like dark academia, you can never forget that you’re there to entertain.
Entertain above all.
Great People Are Just Buffoons Doing One Thing Really Well
Another one of Mamet’s radical takes. He says that the people we consider great are, in essence, buffoons who are just very good at one thing. So instead of trying to be special, focus on being really good at one thing.
That’s already challenging enough.
Nothing less, nothing more.
You Know What’s a Reason Not to Go Into Writing?
At the end of his course, David Mamet asks:
Do you know what’s a reason not to go into show business? If you’re still listening, you’re not cut out for it. People who listen to other people, they usually give up.
And I can’t help but agree. With everything I’ve learned about writing, it seems like it’s not a battle of talent or skill — it’s a battle of resilience.
I’ve been testing my own resilience while writing my dark archaeological alternative history novel Other Island. It tells the story of a protagonist who wants to do the right thing without putting her future at risk. But when her sister gets selected as the next sacrifice, she has to make an impossible choice.
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