You’re all smiles and silly conversation
As if this sunny day came just for you
You twist your hair, you smile and you turn your eyes away
C’mon, tell me what’s right with you
Now it dawns on me probably everybody’s talkin’
And there’s something here I’m supposed to realize
‘Cause your secret’s out, and the universe laughs at it’s joke on me
I just caught it in your eyes, it’s a beautiful surprise
When did you fall in love with me?
Was it out of the blue
‘Cause I swear I never knew it
When did you let your heart run free?
Have you been waiting long?
When did you fall in love with me?
When did you fall in love?
Make your way over here, sit down by this fool, and let’s rewind
C’mon, let’s go back and replay all our scenes
You can point out the hints, the clues, the twists and the smiles this time
All the ones that slipped by me
I bet my face is red, and you can hear my heart poundin’
Well I guess it don’t matter now that I realize
‘Cause baby I missed it then, but I can surely see you now
Right there before my eyes
You’re my beautiful surprise
When did you fall in love with me?
Was it out of the blue
‘Cause I swear I never knew it
When did you let your heart run free?
Have you been waiting long?
When did you fall in love with me?
When did you fall in love?
Was it at the coffee shop
Or that morning at the bus stop
When you almost slipped, and I caught your hand
Or the time we built the snowman
The day at the beach, sandy and warm
Or the night with the scary thunderstorm
I never saw the signs
Now we’ve got to make up for lost time
And I can tell now by the way that you’re looking at me
I’d better finish this song so my lips will be free
Have you been waiting long, when did you fall in love
I kept you waiting so long, when did you fall
Have you been waiting long
When did you fall in love with me
When did you fall in love?
- "When Did You Fall" by Chris Rice
Thursday, May 24, 2007
I was Engaged to be Married Last Night
To some real Prince Charming too. There was some upset at the end though. I can't remember if we broke off the engagement because I was in love with someone else or I proved how much I was into him to his queen mum. Either way, I think the dream ended up happy. Wish I could remember it.
I didn't write yesterday, but that's ok because I was working on things from my 101 list. Making It is almost done, too, which is a little strange. I'm at 88 pages on a script I'm not even passionate about. Can I talk anymore about the importance of discipline?
When I was at Old School Land, I went to visit my old theatre professor. It's an amazing feeling to be able to sit on the most comfortable couch in the world and hold your own in a conversation with a very intelligent man that you used to ask advice from all the time, sitting on that very same couch. He's teaching a class on playwriting right now, so we discussed the industry and the writing process and ragged on prewriting a little.
Granted, I know prewriting actually works for some people. Maybe if I had done some prewriting for Making It it would be a salvageable story - or at least I would have recognized that I wouldn't like it before I started writing it. I've done some prewriting for my Script Frenzy screenplay, some notes on Acts I and II, but in general, I'm not a big prewriter. There are a couple of reasons why.
"Planning to write is not writing. Outlining...researching ...talking to people about what you're doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing." - E.L. Doctorow
Prewrite all you want, baby. Nothing's actually getting written until you're putting down the real stuff. We have an old joke in the writer's community about people, when they hear that we're writers, say "Oh, I have a fantastic novel idea." Prewriting is a form of not writing.
A lot of times it comes out contrived and irrelevant . When I sit down and try to write a backstory for Eileen Charles of Banesberry, Virginia, usually what I come up with is a lot of irrelevant history. At this point, I'm not really sure what my character needs, or if I do, it's stuff that's inherent in her character to move the plot along. For Grace in The 4:05, I just needed to know that she had been let down and disappointed by people her entire life. As I wrote the story, examples came out. I didn't have to write down the whole saga about how her ex boyfriend had run off with her best friend because I didn't need to make her untrusting and disillusioned. She already was that way when I thought up the story. Maybe I think backstory is a little irrelevant too because what you're writing is a story about now. If you're backstory is too interesting, maybe you're writing the wrong story. But for me, writing backstory just feels like throwing a bunch of random character traits and boring bits of history. Some backstory is good, for character motivations and such, but I think inherently the writer already knows that backstory. I just don't see the point of writing out your character's favourite color and how she gets to work.
Reason number three: it's boooo-ring. For us short attention span writers, the best way to kill a story is to obsess over it before the actual work or writing begins. It kills some of the joy in writing, at least for me, because of the next reason, I think.
"For me, writing is exploration; and most of the time, I'm surprised where the journey takes me." - Jack Dann
"I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear." - Joan Didion
I mean that's it for me, really. When I write I'm hoping to learn something, to discover a story, to reach an emotional level that prewriting, I find, constrains. I usually don't write around a plot. I write around an idea or a question. The 4:05 was about unconditional love and forgiveness. In Making It I tried to explore the coming of age of five teenagers and how they struggle with immaturity and maturity. In my Script Frenzy screenplay, I'm going to try to answer the question of what happens when people really love unselfishly. When I discover the answers to these questions, I get more invested in the story. And to be honest, I think that's why Making It hasn't worked. Not because I didn't do any prewriting on it, but because the themes were not ones that I could really get emotionally invested in.
Besides, when you write without a set plot/outline, you leave more room for the characters to take over. When I wrote The 4:05, I didn't have the ending nailed yet. Together or not together? And when I got to the last scene, I had a struggle because I didn't want them together but the story did. I tried to balk and say I was going to write two endings to see which I liked best, but when I started writing it, it just came out right. I didn't have to worry about an alternative ending because the journey in the story had been completed, the question had been answered, and the plot had been resolved.
Prewriting really works for some people. If there's one thing I've learned throughout my discussions with other writers, the books I've read, the blogs I've stalked, it's that there are as many different ways of writer as there are writers. And I realize that my lack of prewriting usually means more rewriting. I'd rather have it that way. And I'm not going to feel guilty if the whole of my prewriting notes is just a couple of sheets of paper.
Now, I have to go watch Lost. I came home in the middle of the season finale, and once I watch the tape I can release the whole family to finally discuss their theories. We always have great Lost theories.
I didn't write yesterday, but that's ok because I was working on things from my 101 list. Making It is almost done, too, which is a little strange. I'm at 88 pages on a script I'm not even passionate about. Can I talk anymore about the importance of discipline?
When I was at Old School Land, I went to visit my old theatre professor. It's an amazing feeling to be able to sit on the most comfortable couch in the world and hold your own in a conversation with a very intelligent man that you used to ask advice from all the time, sitting on that very same couch. He's teaching a class on playwriting right now, so we discussed the industry and the writing process and ragged on prewriting a little.
Granted, I know prewriting actually works for some people. Maybe if I had done some prewriting for Making It it would be a salvageable story - or at least I would have recognized that I wouldn't like it before I started writing it. I've done some prewriting for my Script Frenzy screenplay, some notes on Acts I and II, but in general, I'm not a big prewriter. There are a couple of reasons why.
"Planning to write is not writing. Outlining...researching ...talking to people about what you're doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing." - E.L. Doctorow
Prewrite all you want, baby. Nothing's actually getting written until you're putting down the real stuff. We have an old joke in the writer's community about people, when they hear that we're writers, say "Oh, I have a fantastic novel idea." Prewriting is a form of not writing.
A lot of times it comes out contrived and irrelevant . When I sit down and try to write a backstory for Eileen Charles of Banesberry, Virginia, usually what I come up with is a lot of irrelevant history. At this point, I'm not really sure what my character needs, or if I do, it's stuff that's inherent in her character to move the plot along. For Grace in The 4:05, I just needed to know that she had been let down and disappointed by people her entire life. As I wrote the story, examples came out. I didn't have to write down the whole saga about how her ex boyfriend had run off with her best friend because I didn't need to make her untrusting and disillusioned. She already was that way when I thought up the story. Maybe I think backstory is a little irrelevant too because what you're writing is a story about now. If you're backstory is too interesting, maybe you're writing the wrong story. But for me, writing backstory just feels like throwing a bunch of random character traits and boring bits of history. Some backstory is good, for character motivations and such, but I think inherently the writer already knows that backstory. I just don't see the point of writing out your character's favourite color and how she gets to work.
Reason number three: it's boooo-ring. For us short attention span writers, the best way to kill a story is to obsess over it before the actual work or writing begins. It kills some of the joy in writing, at least for me, because of the next reason, I think.
"For me, writing is exploration; and most of the time, I'm surprised where the journey takes me." - Jack Dann
"I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear." - Joan Didion
I mean that's it for me, really. When I write I'm hoping to learn something, to discover a story, to reach an emotional level that prewriting, I find, constrains. I usually don't write around a plot. I write around an idea or a question. The 4:05 was about unconditional love and forgiveness. In Making It I tried to explore the coming of age of five teenagers and how they struggle with immaturity and maturity. In my Script Frenzy screenplay, I'm going to try to answer the question of what happens when people really love unselfishly. When I discover the answers to these questions, I get more invested in the story. And to be honest, I think that's why Making It hasn't worked. Not because I didn't do any prewriting on it, but because the themes were not ones that I could really get emotionally invested in.
Besides, when you write without a set plot/outline, you leave more room for the characters to take over. When I wrote The 4:05, I didn't have the ending nailed yet. Together or not together? And when I got to the last scene, I had a struggle because I didn't want them together but the story did. I tried to balk and say I was going to write two endings to see which I liked best, but when I started writing it, it just came out right. I didn't have to worry about an alternative ending because the journey in the story had been completed, the question had been answered, and the plot had been resolved.
Prewriting really works for some people. If there's one thing I've learned throughout my discussions with other writers, the books I've read, the blogs I've stalked, it's that there are as many different ways of writer as there are writers. And I realize that my lack of prewriting usually means more rewriting. I'd rather have it that way. And I'm not going to feel guilty if the whole of my prewriting notes is just a couple of sheets of paper.
Now, I have to go watch Lost. I came home in the middle of the season finale, and once I watch the tape I can release the whole family to finally discuss their theories. We always have great Lost theories.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Travel Plans
Three things you don't want to hear aboard an airplane:
"Well, folks, you may have noticed that we've shut our engines down..."
"I have just a small electrical glitch on one of my instruments here. I'm going to do a control-alt-delete and basically shut down the entire system for about 30 seconds and see if that doesn't clear it up."
"I'm not lost, folks..."
Why do airline pilots call us "folks" so much? It's infinitely better to have a window seat than an aisle seat; it changes the trip drastically. And flying behind the wing may be safer (nobody from the front of the plane survived the crash on Lost, huh?), flying in front makes it seem more like a carnival ride. And don't get up before the pilot turns off the seat belt sign or the whole crew will come after you over the PA system with public humiliation on their minds (that poor woman...).
For the best view of the New York skyline, fly into La Guardia. It's even better if there's someone there waiting for you.
"Well, folks, you may have noticed that we've shut our engines down..."
"I have just a small electrical glitch on one of my instruments here. I'm going to do a control-alt-delete and basically shut down the entire system for about 30 seconds and see if that doesn't clear it up."
"I'm not lost, folks..."
Why do airline pilots call us "folks" so much? It's infinitely better to have a window seat than an aisle seat; it changes the trip drastically. And flying behind the wing may be safer (nobody from the front of the plane survived the crash on Lost, huh?), flying in front makes it seem more like a carnival ride. And don't get up before the pilot turns off the seat belt sign or the whole crew will come after you over the PA system with public humiliation on their minds (that poor woman...).
For the best view of the New York skyline, fly into La Guardia. It's even better if there's someone there waiting for you.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Amy's Song
You asked me to write a tune
All about the things that go wrong
And then you asked me to come home soon
To the place where I belong
But you stand on the other side
Of the line in this place
And you can't see me, you are blind
And this you can fake
No, this you can fake.
And sometimes, sometimes I wanna be
I scream that I wanna be
Anyone but me.
And I don't know if I can write about
Chosen walls and the things you feel
And I don't know if I can sing aloud
Closing doors showing you what's real
But I know when I close my eyes,
Late at night, there's only one thing
The night's shown that she can lie
Its your face, show me something
Can you show me something
And sometimes, sometimes I wanna be
I scream that I wanna be
Anyone but me.
What do you want me to say
All I know is love - it's ok
I'll write what I know
And you do the same
Tell me I'm sane.
And sometimes, sometimes I wanna be
I scream that I wanna be
Anyone but me.
- Joshua Radin
All about the things that go wrong
And then you asked me to come home soon
To the place where I belong
But you stand on the other side
Of the line in this place
And you can't see me, you are blind
And this you can fake
No, this you can fake.
And sometimes, sometimes I wanna be
I scream that I wanna be
Anyone but me.
And I don't know if I can write about
Chosen walls and the things you feel
And I don't know if I can sing aloud
Closing doors showing you what's real
But I know when I close my eyes,
Late at night, there's only one thing
The night's shown that she can lie
Its your face, show me something
Can you show me something
And sometimes, sometimes I wanna be
I scream that I wanna be
Anyone but me.
What do you want me to say
All I know is love - it's ok
I'll write what I know
And you do the same
Tell me I'm sane.
And sometimes, sometimes I wanna be
I scream that I wanna be
Anyone but me.
- Joshua Radin
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Comeback Tours
Today my roommate from sophomore year is getting married. I luckily am getting to go to her wedding, which is halfway across the country, and visit Old School Land for the first time in a year.
I don't know how many people get to revisit their pasts a lot. It sorta happens a lot for me. Ever since I came back from England, every single place I have lived/visited has been an important place for me in my past. Sometimes it's hard because I don't feel like I'm making any progress forward. Sometimes it's hard because I realize that I have. It was a little ironic, because I flew back to campus on the same day that I got into England exactly a year ago.
I was on the plane Thursday, and I almost started crying a couple times. I was so excited to finally be going back to what had been my home for two years to see some of my closest friends, but I was also a little sad. I have no regrets in the way I've lived my life the past year. But at the same time, I thought of everything I had missed at my old school for the past year, what my life could have been like if I stayed. Now that I'm here, it doesn't feel like I've been gone for a year. Except when I'm hanging out with people.
One of my writing buddies for Script Frenzy has a plot that involves someone coming back to a place after being gone for a while. And as soon as I get home, I'm going to start typing out a whole bunch of notes for him about what that's like. Because, when you stop to think about it, it's crazy the cyclical nature my life has taken. But if that's really what my life is like, if I'm going around in circles, it's more like a spiral that's expanding outwards. We're at the same place again, only we're enjoying those memories as we pass by. I'm here again, but I'm not the same person I was then.
And sometimes moving forward is going back.
But for now I have a ridiculously cute dress that I have been patiently waiting to wear and lunch with one of my best friends in Old School Land ahead of me. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot!
I don't know how many people get to revisit their pasts a lot. It sorta happens a lot for me. Ever since I came back from England, every single place I have lived/visited has been an important place for me in my past. Sometimes it's hard because I don't feel like I'm making any progress forward. Sometimes it's hard because I realize that I have. It was a little ironic, because I flew back to campus on the same day that I got into England exactly a year ago.
I was on the plane Thursday, and I almost started crying a couple times. I was so excited to finally be going back to what had been my home for two years to see some of my closest friends, but I was also a little sad. I have no regrets in the way I've lived my life the past year. But at the same time, I thought of everything I had missed at my old school for the past year, what my life could have been like if I stayed. Now that I'm here, it doesn't feel like I've been gone for a year. Except when I'm hanging out with people.
One of my writing buddies for Script Frenzy has a plot that involves someone coming back to a place after being gone for a while. And as soon as I get home, I'm going to start typing out a whole bunch of notes for him about what that's like. Because, when you stop to think about it, it's crazy the cyclical nature my life has taken. But if that's really what my life is like, if I'm going around in circles, it's more like a spiral that's expanding outwards. We're at the same place again, only we're enjoying those memories as we pass by. I'm here again, but I'm not the same person I was then.
And sometimes moving forward is going back.
But for now I have a ridiculously cute dress that I have been patiently waiting to wear and lunch with one of my best friends in Old School Land ahead of me. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Insert Cute Title Here
Note to self (and all others listening): even in case of extreme and sweltering heat, beware opening a window sans screen to catch that cool summer breeze. Not only will the breeze come in, but all the other crap that's floating in around the air. I may wake up in a blanket of leaves.
I'm happy to see that the number of posts labeled "real life" exceeds the number labeled "song lyrics." Though I have yet to finish labeling.
My excessive need to organize things is so fickle. Where was this in the middle of the school year when I had two notebooks and four legal pads for five classes?
I've been spending some time on the Script Frenzy forums (let's just be honest. The past three weeks I have been spending waaaay too much time online), and someone started a thread about people who write more than just SF and NaNo. I am so far the only person who's responded. The thread is titled "Writers for Real." Aren't we presumptuous? And it gets better - both of us are only students. We're too cocky, too confident for our own good (more on this later). It may all end in tears.
Nah.
I've been dialogging with another Frenzier about plots. Remarkably, I've come up with a whole slew of ideas for character development/interaction from examples from my own life. I'm very excited about the potential for his script. I just hope now that mine doesn't turn into a dud.
Poor people who have only been coming to my blog for the past month or so. You must think that all I really ever talk about or think about is writing. If only it were so.
Tomorrow I am flying back to Old School Land for a wedding of my old roomie. This will be the first time I've been back on campus since I left a year ago to go to England and then the cold, strange land of Michigan. The last day I was there was a huge rush of activity, and then there was a few quiet moments in the Valley with my friend Jeremiah while we waited for my mom and aunt. And it was when he started chasing a squirrel that I finally started crying. I blame the beautiful day and the absurdity of the squirrel. I don't regret leaving Old School Land, but I miss it. I am super excited, practically bouncing. And yes, Ben Titter, you can quote me on that, like you have before.
I'm happy to see that the number of posts labeled "real life" exceeds the number labeled "song lyrics." Though I have yet to finish labeling.
My excessive need to organize things is so fickle. Where was this in the middle of the school year when I had two notebooks and four legal pads for five classes?
I've been spending some time on the Script Frenzy forums (let's just be honest. The past three weeks I have been spending waaaay too much time online), and someone started a thread about people who write more than just SF and NaNo. I am so far the only person who's responded. The thread is titled "Writers for Real." Aren't we presumptuous? And it gets better - both of us are only students. We're too cocky, too confident for our own good (more on this later). It may all end in tears.
Nah.
I've been dialogging with another Frenzier about plots. Remarkably, I've come up with a whole slew of ideas for character development/interaction from examples from my own life. I'm very excited about the potential for his script. I just hope now that mine doesn't turn into a dud.
Poor people who have only been coming to my blog for the past month or so. You must think that all I really ever talk about or think about is writing. If only it were so.
Tomorrow I am flying back to Old School Land for a wedding of my old roomie. This will be the first time I've been back on campus since I left a year ago to go to England and then the cold, strange land of Michigan. The last day I was there was a huge rush of activity, and then there was a few quiet moments in the Valley with my friend Jeremiah while we waited for my mom and aunt. And it was when he started chasing a squirrel that I finally started crying. I blame the beautiful day and the absurdity of the squirrel. I don't regret leaving Old School Land, but I miss it. I am super excited, practically bouncing. And yes, Ben Titter, you can quote me on that, like you have before.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Some Covers Should not be Made
Like a country version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy." What? I know, right.
I did something terrible this weekend. I went to Connecticut to visit a Red Sox fan. But no, that's not the terrible thing. I broke my habit. My '5 page a day' habit. It was only for Saturday and Sunday. But I found Monday... I didn't really want to write. So I didn't. And today, the first thing I did when I got up? Played Zelda on the Wii. Well, it *is* on my 101 list.
This just goes to show how important discipline is. Writing is tough, especially something you're not too enthusiastic about writing (ahem, Current Draft). But really, Current Draft is all about practice and discipline. That's why I don't really care if it's crap. It's reinforcing important aspects of being a writer - most importantly sitting your butt in a chair and writing.
When David Koepp told me that the best thing to do was make time to write, every day, I believed him. But I don't think I really believed the every day thing. Just, most every day. Five days a week. Twenty minutes on a regular basis. Not anymore. A daily page count. It's the only way I've made it to 70 pages on Current Draft.
Since Current Draft has hit 70 pages and will soon no longer be the Current Draft (it's going to be done before Script Frenzy), I thought maybe I should start referring to is by its title. I called it "Making It," and it's a story about a teenage garage band that goes on a road trip to Nashville. It's a terrible, underdeveloped idea, and I'm a little embarrassed by the lack of enthusiasm, dedication, and professionalism I show it. And I've complained about it a lot, it's true, but I was writing today and I noticed something. I really liked the sequence I was working on.
In fact, there are a couple of sequences where I really think I'm hitting some good dialog, some worthy plot points, and some of the intended themes. It's horribly awkward and everyone sounds the same and the lack of research is appalling, but there are some things I'm getting right. And that makes me happy, even if my justification for all the things gone wrong is that Making It really is about teaching me discipline. Now it's more than just an exercise. It's a bit of fun, too.
I did something terrible this weekend. I went to Connecticut to visit a Red Sox fan. But no, that's not the terrible thing. I broke my habit. My '5 page a day' habit. It was only for Saturday and Sunday. But I found Monday... I didn't really want to write. So I didn't. And today, the first thing I did when I got up? Played Zelda on the Wii. Well, it *is* on my 101 list.
This just goes to show how important discipline is. Writing is tough, especially something you're not too enthusiastic about writing (ahem, Current Draft). But really, Current Draft is all about practice and discipline. That's why I don't really care if it's crap. It's reinforcing important aspects of being a writer - most importantly sitting your butt in a chair and writing.
When David Koepp told me that the best thing to do was make time to write, every day, I believed him. But I don't think I really believed the every day thing. Just, most every day. Five days a week. Twenty minutes on a regular basis. Not anymore. A daily page count. It's the only way I've made it to 70 pages on Current Draft.
Since Current Draft has hit 70 pages and will soon no longer be the Current Draft (it's going to be done before Script Frenzy), I thought maybe I should start referring to is by its title. I called it "Making It," and it's a story about a teenage garage band that goes on a road trip to Nashville. It's a terrible, underdeveloped idea, and I'm a little embarrassed by the lack of enthusiasm, dedication, and professionalism I show it. And I've complained about it a lot, it's true, but I was writing today and I noticed something. I really liked the sequence I was working on.
In fact, there are a couple of sequences where I really think I'm hitting some good dialog, some worthy plot points, and some of the intended themes. It's horribly awkward and everyone sounds the same and the lack of research is appalling, but there are some things I'm getting right. And that makes me happy, even if my justification for all the things gone wrong is that Making It really is about teaching me discipline. Now it's more than just an exercise. It's a bit of fun, too.
Monday, May 14, 2007
I may live in a cardboard box... but that's ok
There was a discussion over at the Wordplay forums about screenwriting jobs and careers, how to best prepare for it and how stable it is. It's funny, there's not much support for a formal education in film, especially screenwriting. I think it's because some programs are just lame and won't really help you and because sometimes it doesn't matter how much training you have in the end, it's about you and your ability to tell a good story. A college education is usually closely related to a career, and that sort of correlation just doesn't happen with screenwriting. So before I go into my rant and rave, I want to acknowledge the fact that I will, for the first several years, make no money off of screenwriting and I will need another job doing something else. I have no illusions of grandeur. But I'm still going to school for screenwriting. And in my post on Wordplay, as copied below, I explained why.
I *avoided* screenwriting for a long time. When I first started school, I knew I wanted to write. But I also knew that writing wasn't going to support me for a while, if ever, so I tried to pick majors that would give me a day job. I put down nursing for "intended major" but changed my mind about that halfway through my senior year. Then it was English so I could go into publishing and editing. And then I tried English education, but I couldn't stand the psychology aspect of the department. I ended my second year doubling in English and Theatre with my career path veering more toward theatre. But by that time I already knew I was going to switch to film.
The thing is, I spent the first half of my collegiate career trying to find a day job. In the end I decided that I needed to study what I love, because really, your job is pretty much your life. If I had stuck with nursing, that would have been 40+ hours a week that I wouldn't be writing or working on film, and I would be so drained from my real job that writing would seem even more exhausting. Someone above said you need to feel "compelled" to write. I don't necessarily agree with that. Writing isn't like breathing to me. But I love it, and I think it's powerful, and I want to spend the rest of my life doing it. Not being a nurse. I finally asked myself why I was wasting my time.
Now, I'm not stupid. I know I'm not going to get a "job" in screenwriting when I graduate, because like someone else said, "this is not a career of jobs." However, I *do* plan on getting a job in the industry. In addition to screenwriting, I'm going to try to get on the production staff of as many shorts as possible. It's very likely that I will come out of college with a short that I've written and directed. I want to learn and become skilled in as many aspects of the trade as possible.
And even then, I'm still doubling in English. And education still interests me, so if all else fails, I might take a page out of Emily's book and do Teach for America.
So do I think that my degree in screenwriting is going to get me a job? No. But the way you get better at writing, any kind of writing, is practice and interaction. You can read as many books on screenwriting as you want and learn a lot of stuff. I've read a couple, and I've learned a lot. But now they're starting to bore me. Because they all say the same thing in slightly different ways. And truth be told, there are as many different ways of writing as there are writers. By reading those books, I feel more prepared for my classes than my peers, but I know that books cannot replace the learning you get from being in a classroom and writing a script under the guidance of a teacher and the feedback of your peers. Becoming a great writer requires practice, and that's what my degree will give me. When I graduate college, I should have at least six completed feature length scripts. And don't they say your first sale comes around your seventh?
Honestly, going to school for screenwriting scares the crap out of me, and that's why I'll argue so much for it. Is it for everyone? Of course not. Everyone's got their own method to their own peculiar madness. It's just, going to school for screenwriting - or any aspect of film - is a perfectly good method, all on its own.
Here's to living life as you really want to, instead of how everyone else thinks it should be lived.
I *avoided* screenwriting for a long time. When I first started school, I knew I wanted to write. But I also knew that writing wasn't going to support me for a while, if ever, so I tried to pick majors that would give me a day job. I put down nursing for "intended major" but changed my mind about that halfway through my senior year. Then it was English so I could go into publishing and editing. And then I tried English education, but I couldn't stand the psychology aspect of the department. I ended my second year doubling in English and Theatre with my career path veering more toward theatre. But by that time I already knew I was going to switch to film.
The thing is, I spent the first half of my collegiate career trying to find a day job. In the end I decided that I needed to study what I love, because really, your job is pretty much your life. If I had stuck with nursing, that would have been 40+ hours a week that I wouldn't be writing or working on film, and I would be so drained from my real job that writing would seem even more exhausting. Someone above said you need to feel "compelled" to write. I don't necessarily agree with that. Writing isn't like breathing to me. But I love it, and I think it's powerful, and I want to spend the rest of my life doing it. Not being a nurse. I finally asked myself why I was wasting my time.
Now, I'm not stupid. I know I'm not going to get a "job" in screenwriting when I graduate, because like someone else said, "this is not a career of jobs." However, I *do* plan on getting a job in the industry. In addition to screenwriting, I'm going to try to get on the production staff of as many shorts as possible. It's very likely that I will come out of college with a short that I've written and directed. I want to learn and become skilled in as many aspects of the trade as possible.
And even then, I'm still doubling in English. And education still interests me, so if all else fails, I might take a page out of Emily's book and do Teach for America.
So do I think that my degree in screenwriting is going to get me a job? No. But the way you get better at writing, any kind of writing, is practice and interaction. You can read as many books on screenwriting as you want and learn a lot of stuff. I've read a couple, and I've learned a lot. But now they're starting to bore me. Because they all say the same thing in slightly different ways. And truth be told, there are as many different ways of writing as there are writers. By reading those books, I feel more prepared for my classes than my peers, but I know that books cannot replace the learning you get from being in a classroom and writing a script under the guidance of a teacher and the feedback of your peers. Becoming a great writer requires practice, and that's what my degree will give me. When I graduate college, I should have at least six completed feature length scripts. And don't they say your first sale comes around your seventh?
Honestly, going to school for screenwriting scares the crap out of me, and that's why I'll argue so much for it. Is it for everyone? Of course not. Everyone's got their own method to their own peculiar madness. It's just, going to school for screenwriting - or any aspect of film - is a perfectly good method, all on its own.
Here's to living life as you really want to, instead of how everyone else thinks it should be lived.
Another Cool Band I Discovered First
I have (I have) you breathing down my neck (breathing down my neck)
I don't (don't know) what you could possibly expect under this condition so
I'll wait (I'll wait) for the ambulance to come (ambulance to come)
Pick us up off the floor
What did you possibly expect under this condition so
Slow down.. this night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room when I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning down
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning 'til there's nothing but dark blue..
Just dark blue
This flood (this flood) is slowly rising up swallowing the ground
Beneath my feet, Tell me how anybody thinks under this condition so
I'll swim (I'll swim) as the water rises up, the sun is sinking down
And now all I can see are the planets in a row
Suggesting it's best that I slow down
This night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room when I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning (burning) down
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning dark blue
We were boxing
We were boxing the stars
We were boxing (we were boxing)
You were swinging for Mars
And then the water reached the West Coast
And took the power lines (the power lines)
And it was me and you (this could last forever)
And the whole town under water
There was nothing we could do
It was dark blue
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning (burning) down
Dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you
I said the room could be burning now there's nothing but dark blue
If you've ever been alone in the dark blue
If you've ever been alone you'll know (you'll know)
- "Dark Blue" Jack's Mannequin
I don't (don't know) what you could possibly expect under this condition so
I'll wait (I'll wait) for the ambulance to come (ambulance to come)
Pick us up off the floor
What did you possibly expect under this condition so
Slow down.. this night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room when I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning down
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning 'til there's nothing but dark blue..
Just dark blue
This flood (this flood) is slowly rising up swallowing the ground
Beneath my feet, Tell me how anybody thinks under this condition so
I'll swim (I'll swim) as the water rises up, the sun is sinking down
And now all I can see are the planets in a row
Suggesting it's best that I slow down
This night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room when I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning (burning) down
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning dark blue
We were boxing
We were boxing the stars
We were boxing (we were boxing)
You were swinging for Mars
And then the water reached the West Coast
And took the power lines (the power lines)
And it was me and you (this could last forever)
And the whole town under water
There was nothing we could do
It was dark blue
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning (burning) down
Dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you
I said the room could be burning now there's nothing but dark blue
If you've ever been alone in the dark blue
If you've ever been alone you'll know (you'll know)
- "Dark Blue" Jack's Mannequin
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