 The film was created due to an offer Robert Altman (I) (qv) turned  down. Originally, Altman was offered the chance to direct another  script that took place in Nashville. Altman turned the project down  cold, but became interested in the setting. So Altman sent his  script supervisor, Joan Tewkesbury (qv) to Nashville to observe  the place and take notes. She wrote a diary and that diary became  the basis of her screenplay. From there, several scenes were  rewritten or improvised by the performers, a standard practice on  Altman projects.