WHY YOU SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT DECIDE TO BE A WRITER

By MICHELE WALLERSTEIN
Screenplay & Novel Consultant
www.novelconsultant.com
email: novelconsult@sbcglobal.net


Writers write for all sorts of reasons. Some of these reasons are perfectly right and reasonable but many are heartbreaking mistakes.

There are people who go to movies and say to their friends and families: “I could have written a better movie than that!” Come on, admit it, you’ve all said it a few times. But if that is your only real motivation, it is pure ego and narcissism. Writing well is tough, grueling work. It takes years to become a really good writer, to be recognized in the film community and to make a living doing it.

There are many, many reasons that bad movies get made. Many of them start out as good screenplays. Perhaps the Producer uses the wrong casting director and the Star wants the dialogue changed to fit his mood, then the Director steps in and wants some changes to fit is “vision” of the film. Then the Producer has some problems with the financier so the film must
be set in Lithuania but it must look like Chicago. By now the original writer has been replaced many times by cheaper writers who are just happy to have some work and will do whatever they are told by anybody. There are so many permutations of the above-mentioned scenario that you can’t even imagine. Everyone starts out trying to make a good film. That’s a given.
What happens after that is a real crap shoot.

No one sits down and simply writes a terrific script. It doesn’t happen that way.

Another reason some people choose to write is to get something personal out of their system and off their chest. They feel that they have to get their story told. Perhaps it is their relationship with their mother or father. Maybe there has been abuse in their family or some other family drama that they need to explore or expose.

Again, this is not a good reason to write a screenplay. This is a very personal situation that may need to be told, confronted, and worked on in therapy, dealt with with loved ones or written about, perhaps, in a journal. It most likely is not a movie.

There are people who think that writing is easy, or that it’s cool, or that it’s fun. There are those who love to read so they think they can write. There are others who don’t know what else to do with their time.

To write a really good screenplay you need to take professional writing classes. You need to go to as many seminars on writing as possible. You need to read as many books on script writing as you can get your hands on. You need to write three or four screenplays then stick them in a closet and really start writing. Screenwriting is like learning how to play the violin or baseball, you have to practice, practice, practice.

A real screenwriter has to love the movies and has to be a real storyteller with a great imagination. This person must understand plot, character development, the three act structure, know what audiences love to see, understand what drama and comedy really are. The great screenwriter understands that any genre must touch upon the inner soul of their audience and make that audience feel something special, learn something special and come away with something new inside of them.

Becoming a professional writer is a long and serious road. It is not for the feint of heart. The rejections are horrible, but the rewards are great. Be sure you are devoting yourself to this process for all the right reasons and you can make it.