Cole Haddon

Katherine Hepburn on the set of THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940).

Photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt.

“I'm grateful for the lessons one learns from great writers, but also from imperialists, sexists, friends, lovers, oppressors, revolutionaries-everybody. Everybody has something to teach.” — Arundhati Roy

Where I’m writing today: Hotel Frangos’ courtyard in Daylesford, on a gloriously sunny but cool day. (Victoria, Australia)

Sam Cooke's 'A Change Is Gonna Come' and the Audacity of Hope Sixty years after the iconic song's release, its message couldn't feel more naive...or more necessary

Sam Cooke was murdered 61 years ago today (11/12/64). In this essay — part historical fiction, part cultural reflection — I explore the origin of his greatest song, “A Change Is Gonna Come”, while wrestling with its message given the state of the world six decades after it was recorded.

This piece frustrates me, because two art gallery sites listed it as 2011 when, you are correct upon an even deeper dive, it's 2001. You would think the galleries hosting the photog's work could report it correctly. Thanks for the tip!

'Think of England [Bowling, Bristol]', 1995.

Photograph by Martin Parr (British).

Parr died this past week, a terrible loss for the art world.

The Coen Brothers, 2011.

Photograph by Kevin Westenberg.

“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” — Andy Warhol

From the making of ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES (1972): Cast and extras dining during the production in Century City (which at the time was a futuristic corner of Los Angeles; now, it’s just kind of a weird anachronism of an aborted future).

Photograph by Ralph Crane.

Every screenwriter ever taking notes.

Lena Horne in New York City, 1954.

Photograph by Vivian Maier.

“To write with total devotion and with all the energy summoned up from the depth of one's being, that is a very hard life.” — Ha Jin

Every screenwriter ever taking notes.

Maximalism is my jam - which is probably why I love this contemporary poster for THE FIFTH ELEMENT (1997). What do you make of it?

Art by Skinner.

Screenwriter Cinco Paul Keeps Gambling on Himself ('Schmigadoon!' - 'Despicable Me' - 'The Secret Life of Pets') Podcast Episode · 5AM StoryTalk · 12/04/2025 · 57m

The latest ep of the 5AM StoryTalk Podcast has dropped! @cincopaul.bsky.social conquered the animation world – including writing three ‘Despicable Me’ films – but he wanted more. This is how the ‘Schmigadoon!’ creator reinvented his career. A must-listen for screenwriters!

We're All Made of Horrible, Beautiful Scars Australian rocker Nick Cave, Native American activist/poet John Trudell, and a 14th-century Japanese shogun have thoughts about how to put ourselves back together through art

Native American poet, musical artist, and activist John Trudell died ten years ago today (Dec. 8, 2015). His story, which is marked by tragedy of the worst kind, has long haunted me. Tragedy also forced musician Nick Cave to similarly reimagine himself. Both used art to put themselves back together.

This week on 5AM RealTalk, a 5AM StoryTalk plog about the highs and lows of my life as a writer: big personal news, my favorite Christmas film (spoiler: it stars Cary Grant), how I ended up Down Under, Joey Ramon and what punk really means, and more...

pod.link/1807437928/e...

Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, 1995.

Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

“Truly creative things happen when one thinks differently, yet nobody wants to think differently.” — Shonda Rhimes

'Street Embrace, New York City', 1948.

Photograph by Ruth Orkin (American).

Jean Harlow, 1934.

Photograph by George Hurrell.

“The writer's job is to get the main character up a tree, and then once they are up there, throw rocks at them.” — Vladimir Nabakov

Writing and Whatnot — Benson Sisters Julie Benson is a professional TV writer who, for once, doesn't know the ending. Join the journey to discover her next chapter. Whether it be writing, producing, project management, mixology, theme pa...

To read the rest please visit my new site Writingandwhatnot.com. The plan is to post a new blog entry a week. For free. For anyone who cares to read anything I write anymore. Forever? Who knows, but for now. I still have something to say and it’s time to say it. Thank you for supporting my journey.

Everything You Think You Know About 'Edward Scissorhands' Is Wrong Careful comparison of the screenplay and film reveals how Tim Burton's fairy tale about a tortured young artist evolved into an allegory for America's dark, hateful heart

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS was released 35 years ago today (Dec. 7, 1990). A careful comparison of the script and film reveals how Tim Burton's fairy tale about a tortured young artist evolved into an allegory for America's dark, hateful heart and the commodification of Blackness by white suburban culture.

From the making of APOCALYPSE NOW (1979): Francis Ford Coppola directs a river of extras in his war epic.

Photograph by Chas Gerretsen (who was a photojournalist Coppola invited to be his official set photographer after learning of his experiences covering various wars and violent conflicts).

5AM StoryTalk is celebrating the festive season by offering 35% OFF YEARLY SUBSCRIPTIONS. Get exclusive access to hundreds of screen/writing articles and bonus episodes of my podcast, in which my guests break down seminal pieces of art from their lives.

colehaddon.substack.com/915eba7a

Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament, performing at Lollapalooza in Bremerton, Washington (U.S.), 1992.

Photograph by Kevin Westenberg.

“Learning to make films is very easy. Learning what to make films about is very hard.” ­– George Lucas

How to Become a Better Filmmaker by Studying Fine Art Let's look at 22 examples of directors visually referencing paintings and consider what you can learn from their example

You can't become a master of any creative medium without studying other mediums. If you’re a screenwriter, study fine art. If you’re a fine artist, study music. If you’re a musician, study fiction. And so on until your tool box is probably more interesting than the art you actually create with it.

YouTube video by Saturday Night Live Lonely Christmas - SNL

One of “SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’s” best — and most deranged — Christmas sketches. This one features Billie Eilish inviting her lonely neighbor over for Christmas dinner…but thinks go dark very, very quickly.