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Michael Landon said that writing his first script for Bonanza was ''one of the toughest jobs I ever had.''
"Now that I earn my living as an actor, director, and writer, I'd have to say that the writing part is the hardest."
For Michael Landon, acting wasn't the finish line of his career. Rather, it served as an opportunity to diversify himself and become one of the most talented people in Hollywood. In addition to acting, Landon also worked as a television writer and director, gaining experience in both these crafts while playing Little Joe Cartwright on the hit television series Bonanza.
By the time Landon put pen to paper and began writing his first episode of Bonanza that would eventually make it to air, he had long been a cast member, which he believed would only benefit him as a writer. However, in an article for the Shreveport Journal, the actor said that the reality was nothing simple.
"I thought writing would be easy, especially since I knew the characters involved so well - but I was wrong," Landon said. "I wrote that first script in two days, but it was one of the toughest jobs I ever had."
Landon hunkered down to finish a first draft, though the concentration didn't last long. "For those brief few days, I had one of the most important things any writer needs — discipline! It was nearly three years before I could discipline myself enough to sit down and write another script."
"It's easy to think up ideas and stories, but very few people can force themselves to sit down at a typewriter or notebook and put that story on paper," Landon said.
Luckily, Landon fought his way out of his writer's block, though it took some time. "After that three-year dry spell, I finally managed to knock out my second script, and I've been at it with regularity ever since."
"Now that I earn my living as an actor, director, and writer, I'd have to say that the writing part is the hardest. There are various little ways that an actor or a director can 'cheat' his way through a scene - but there's no way in the world for a writer to speed through what is the blueprint for the whole thing."
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