Paul Rudnick, author of 'Playing the Palace' - Screenwriter discusses changing the script on set, writing for your heroes, and the precious writing space.
Writer's Routine
Dan Simpson
4.9 • 599 Ratings
🗓️ 3 September 2021
⏱️ 31 minutes
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Summary
Paul Rudnick is an acclaimed Hollywood scriptwriter. He's worked on 'Addams Family Values', 'The Stepford Wives' and the 'Sister Act' movies. Now, he's just published his 3rd novel, 'Playing the Palace'. It's about a New York event planner who falls in love with England's gay Crown Prince, Edgar. It's a satirical look at romance stories and Royal life.
We talk about writing for movies, working with improvising actors, changing things on set and coming up with at least 10 jokes for every line.
Also, he talks about why life revolves around the writing, and his writing revolves around his life, in a syncopated way. Paul discusses his very private writing space that he is very protective of, and what happened after he had his initial idea for the story.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, welcome along. It's a brand new episode of writers' routine this week |
| 0:12.6 | chatting to Paul Rudnick. He's a screenwriter, a playwright, an essayist, and he's got a brand |
| 0:18.3 | new novel out called Playing the Palace. Now we talk about working as a |
| 0:22.6 | screenwriter being on set, molding what you write around what you can actually see the actors doing |
| 0:28.9 | and improvising. Also, he runs us through his very thorough writing routine. And he tells us why |
| 0:36.0 | sometimes when you're working, when you're up against |
| 0:38.6 | it, you just have to go with it. When you're a writer, you don't necessarily get weekends, |
| 0:43.0 | or you can declare your own weekends, or your weekends can last for six months. |
| 0:47.6 | When something's going well, or when I'm on a deadline, I will work seven days a week, |
| 0:52.2 | you know, all straight through. So the days can vary. |
| 0:56.8 | And then when I'm doing something, you know, sort of delightful like this and getting to tell |
| 1:00.8 | people about my work, that's another schedule. |
| 1:06.6 | There is more with Paul Rudnick on the way in this week's writers routine. |
| 1:16.8 | Music is more with Paul Rudnick on the way in this week's writer's routine. Yes, welcome along. Welcome to the show. My name's Dan Simpson. Thanks for finding us. |
| 1:21.7 | Thanks for following. This is a writer's routine where we take a look inside an author's |
| 1:27.3 | working day very simply to find out how they get stuff done. |
| 1:31.6 | This week we're with Paul Rudnick. |
| 1:33.7 | He's a Hollywood screenwriter. |
| 1:35.7 | He wrote Adam's Family Values, personal favourite. |
| 1:38.8 | Also the Steppford Wives, Mid-Norties with Nicole Kidman, I think. |
| 1:46.4 | And he wrote the Sister Act movies too, although he did those under a different name and he's got a brand new novel out I think it's his third it's |
| 1:51.3 | called playing the palace it's been it's been dubbed the must read romance novel of the season |
... |
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