I think I remember watching an interview post Licorice Pizza where he’s at home in his kitchen and he says exactly this about using Microsoft Word. I only remembered bc it seems like more work to do it that way but he said that’s his preferred method
For screenwriting, It is undeniably more work to do it that way. My guess is the extra steps inherent to Microsoft Word are part of his rhythm. He seems like a creature of habit.
As incredible as a writer he is, it’s really wholesome to know that he too is a human who is a creature of habit like the rest of us mortals. Some of the user interfaces of the screenwriting softwares out here aren’t the most intuitive and can be annoying. So I understand
He uses an old version of Microsoft Word. It's something he's been ridiculed for in a couple of interviews, but he says it just works for him.
He's also said he prints out physical copies as he's writing and will annotate, cut up, etc. those pages as part of the process.
Yeah, it's the [Bill Simmons interview promoting Phantom Thread](https://youtu.be/m368JBnATHU?si=QbjPLIBg10mmSbEt&t=4980). (around 1:23:00)
In it, Bill severely berates and brutalizes PTA on his MS Word usage for over an hour... Haha, 'ridiculed' was a slightly more serious word choice than I meant it. 'Playfully razzed'\*
There's another interview promoting Licorice Pizza where it comes up again, he mentions an assistant setting up a computer to run a specific old version of Word for him to write on. If I find it, I'll post that one too.
I have seen Woody Allen do that in the documentary about him. Woody uses a typewriter - I want to say an Olympia but don't quote me. In the doc Woody is analogue and edits some of his typed pages with a red felt pen and sometimes cuts passages out and then tapes over a passage. Made me think of Burroughs, the Soft Machine and the cut-up technique in writing
Pretty sure he uses Microsoft Office Word Documents, or if he’s traveling he keeps a notebook and pen.
Literally me!
I think I remember watching an interview post Licorice Pizza where he’s at home in his kitchen and he says exactly this about using Microsoft Word. I only remembered bc it seems like more work to do it that way but he said that’s his preferred method
For screenwriting, It is undeniably more work to do it that way. My guess is the extra steps inherent to Microsoft Word are part of his rhythm. He seems like a creature of habit.
As incredible as a writer he is, it’s really wholesome to know that he too is a human who is a creature of habit like the rest of us mortals. Some of the user interfaces of the screenwriting softwares out here aren’t the most intuitive and can be annoying. So I understand
He uses an old version of Microsoft Word. It's something he's been ridiculed for in a couple of interviews, but he says it just works for him. He's also said he prints out physical copies as he's writing and will annotate, cut up, etc. those pages as part of the process.
Source?
Bill Simmons Podcast 2017 https://youtu.be/m368JBnATHU?si=QbjPLIBg10mmSbEt&t=4980
Thanks!
Where was he "ridiculed" for it?
Definitely one of the Bill Simmons interviews
Bill Simmons? I'll have to relisten but I'm sure they were all just joking around. "Ridiculed" made it sound more serious.
Yeah, it's the [Bill Simmons interview promoting Phantom Thread](https://youtu.be/m368JBnATHU?si=QbjPLIBg10mmSbEt&t=4980). (around 1:23:00) In it, Bill severely berates and brutalizes PTA on his MS Word usage for over an hour... Haha, 'ridiculed' was a slightly more serious word choice than I meant it. 'Playfully razzed'\* There's another interview promoting Licorice Pizza where it comes up again, he mentions an assistant setting up a computer to run a specific old version of Word for him to write on. If I find it, I'll post that one too.
I have seen Woody Allen do that in the documentary about him. Woody uses a typewriter - I want to say an Olympia but don't quote me. In the doc Woody is analogue and edits some of his typed pages with a red felt pen and sometimes cuts passages out and then tapes over a passage. Made me think of Burroughs, the Soft Machine and the cut-up technique in writing