Rod Serling on Writing

Part 8 of a 16-part series featuring the master storyteller on video.

Ever since I launched Go Into The Story, I have regularly gone down the Internet’s rabbit hole in search of unique video clips featuring renowned writers. In 2010, I hit the Mother Lode: A series of 16 clips featuring Rod Serling chatting with what appear to be college students circa 1970.

Most well-known for the long-running TV anthology series “The Twilight Zone” (148 episodes, 1959–1964), Serling has over 70 writing credits including the screenplays for movies such as Seven Days in May and the original Planet of the Apes.

Back in 2010, I went through each clip and extracted some key quotes from Serling. Then as is often the case with the Internet, the videos disappeared.

However, they have emerged once again, a big hat tip to Doc Kane for surfacing them. As long as they are up, I will reprise the series. Today Serling takes on the question, “Are writers born or made?”

“You pose the age-old question: Can I learn to write? Can I be taught to be creative? Can I be taught further to analyze and dissect and observe — because observation is key, it’s paramount for the writer, the creator… to observe life. No, but you can say those are where your eyes are. And you can say use those eyes in that ghetto over there. Or you can say take that typewriter and take it up to your room, and spew it out, that gut level feeling that you have, you can them how that’s done. You can teach them a sense of timing, a sense of discipline, which is paramount to the writer. You must be the most self-disciplined beast walking the Earth. I don’t think there’s anything on Earth as difficult as writing.”

For Part 1 of the series, go here.

Part 2, here.

Part 3, here.

Part 4, here.

Part 5, here.

Part 6, here.

Part 7, here.

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Tomorrow: Another installment in this series featuring Rod Serling.