Playing By Ear: Diablo Cody & the Ritz Cracker

Diablo CodyDiablo Cody is everywhere these days. And why not? She has a charmed back-story any screenwriter would strike for: ex-stripper, blogger, and now, Oscar nominee. Callers to NPR’s Talk of the Nation, nascent novelists one and all, clamored for how-to tips. Her advice? Give it away on a Ritz cracker.

No, she didn’t say it that way. That’s the business model for this blog. Diablo said: “self-publish.” Once upon a time, that meant paying some crook of a vanity press to print your books. Now it means the net. Writers don’t need a middle-man or an M.F.A. to reach readers. They do need to write and write and write, follow their hearts, and put it out there. Listen to her. She’s right-on.

Here’s how NPR’s Barrie Hardymon shilled the show:

I don’t believe that there’s only one successful ex-stripper in Hollywood — but I do believe that out of all of them, Diablo Cody may be the coolest. And the smartest. Here are a few reasons to hate her — she’s 29, and her screenplay for the darling little film Juno is up for an Oscar. Ah, but check out the reasons to love and admire her: she’s a former stripper, author, and blogger (hey! I’m one of those! Blogger that is.). I want to say right here that I would love to link to her blog, but I think that its title wouldn’t be welcome here on NPR’s servers, so I’ll just tell you to type “Diablo Cody,” and “blog” into Google, and enjoy. Anyway, today we’ll be talking to Diablo about her careers (all of them), her writing, and of course, her name. (She was born Brook Busey, which also ain’t bad on the hip scale).

That’s pretty racy writing for NPR, if a bit coy on the relevant details.

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