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BEST OF: A Writing Lesson From Citizen Kane · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Writer, where we share a lesson each day to help you cultivate the habits for creative success.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: This week on the podcast, we're celebrating the release of a hundred weekday episodes of the show.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: And these are those short little episodes you hear Monday through Friday.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: And these have been a big hit with listeners.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: It never ceases to amaze me how much people like these little short episodes.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought it would be fun to choose five of the most popular weekday episodes over the last few months and share those again on the podcast this week.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Today's episode is titled A Writing Lesson from Citizen Kane.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Citizen Kane is universally recognized as one of the greatest films of all time.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Orson Wells and his collaborators created a masterpiece that was well ahead of its time in storytelling, cinematography, and special effects.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yet for all its achievements, Citizen Kane is also one of the saddest movies ever made.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: The film tells the story of Charles Foster Kane, who's a wealthy businessman who began his career with good intentions, but over time he tries to control everybody around him, and in the end, he dies alone with a mansion full of treasures and a heart full of regrets.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: In a powerful scene late in the movie, Kane's former friend and employee, Jed Leland, says to a reporter, That's all he ever wanted out of life was love.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: That's the tragedy of Charles Foster Cain.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: You see, he just didn't have any to give.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: So let me ask you a simple but profound question.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Do you love to write?
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now we're not talking about whether you love having written.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: We're talking about the actual work of writing.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Do you love the creative process?
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Do you love the opportunity to set down words on a page or screen, knowing they can make a difference for somebody?
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Do you love telling a story, teaching something new, or knowing that you helped someone with your words?
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Well, if the answer is yes, that's awesome.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: But if the answer is no, or maybe not so much, I want you to consider the reason why.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Is it because writing is hard or unpleasant?
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Is it because somebody said long ago that you weren't a writer?
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Could it be that the inner critic inside you is trying to convince you that you're not worthy of being called a writer?
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Well, even if writing feels hard and some days you don't love it so much, remember the amazing benefits that come from writing.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: And keep in mind the words of Ray Bradbury, the great science fiction writer.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: He said this: You must write every single day of your life.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: May you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days, and out of that love, remake a world.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: One of the greatest ironies of Citizen Cain was that Charles Foster Cain was a newspaper publisher.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: He started his journey with a love of words, and he used those words to serve people.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: But by the end of the movie, he was an empty shell of a man with no love to give.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: And the single word he spoke right before he died, which was rosebud, pointed to a time in his life where he felt more secure and loved.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: So today, as you sit down to write, may your heart and your pen be filled with love.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thanks so much for listening to today's episode.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: For more, you can visit us at dailywriterlife.com.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, and I'll see you tomorrow.