Why did you become a writer?

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  • Why did you become a writer?

    What movies/tv shows inspired you?

    More important, what's your goal as a screenwriter?
    How can you make an impact in the world with your writing?

  • #2
    Re: Why did you become a writer?

    i'll just say it before anyone else does. i got in it for the chicks. they dig guys who are broke pretty much of the time, don't go outside much unless there is a good reason to, have a lot to say it seems, but it seems they always try to grind down what they're saying into one good word, etc. chicks did all that. chicks flock around struggling writers.

    i have been inspired by the people i've known and the stories of their lives.

    my goal used to be to write something great...strange, but being all this time has passed and i'm a long way down the river from where i started...it still is. what i believe is great to me, btw.

    as far as trying to change the world and so on, i have a character in one of my stories named Homer. another character is trying to get him to agree to do something and tells him he will be a hero if he does...he replies, "I never cared much about being a hero." he ends up being one.

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    • #3
      Re: Why did you become a writer?

      I love being moved by film, and I suppose that's something I'd like to strive for in my writing -- to move others. A writer friend gives me a lot of crap about writing and thinking about story with theme in mind, but I think entertainment can only be enriched by bigger ideas, and that even pure, unadulturated silly movies can reflect a thematic element to be more relevant and memorable.... and yes, maybe to change the world in the tiniest way, or at least, the world for a few people

      Film can be cathartic, and take you out of your small world or show you how big your world really is. It's a powerful medium, and it starts with the lowly writer. The collaborative nature makes it even more interesting, as I like to think of the skill and talent that could (conceivably, at any rate) build one's simple words on a page into a living, breathing thing.

      Now that would be a cool legacy.


      (and AnconRanger, LOL!)

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      • #4
        Re: Why did you become a writer?

        I had a particular story I wanted to tell. And then I found another, then another. Then I learned I liked to tell other people's stories, too.

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        • #5
          Re: Why did you become a writer?

          Basically what SBdeb said. When asked about your passion it is a great response to refer to someone else's answer.

          I was quite directionless in my youth and I gave a lot of vague answers about what I wanted to do when I grew up. I always had a great imagination and could tell a story but I never had the initiative to realise that I could actually be all these things I wanted to be. The town I'm from and still reside doesn't instill that kind of confidence. It breeds underachievement. I could have been an astronaut or a professional wrestler if i only knew they were possible, even if the odds were minuscule. Luckily at 16 I realised I wanted to write for a career and there was no reason that I couldn't do that.

          I have a lot of empathy, to the point that I'm tortured by it. And film is the greatest form of expressing empathy. You can make them laugh, you can make them cry, you can move them to realise things they never had before.

          I'm not sure what film originally moved me to want to become a filmmaker. In my head it was Blue Velvet but there could have been something earlier. I distinctly remember seeing The Shining at about 6, one way or another that must have made an impact. I remember what made me BELIEVE that I could be a filmmaker and that was Clerks. Kevin Smith reminded me of myself in a lot of ways and he went out and made something of himself in his own way. A few years ago I went to see a Jay and Silent Bob show and waited outside until about 2am for a chance to meet him. I was nervous but he put me at ease. I explained that I was an aspiring writer and I just wanted the chance to tell him thank you for inspiring me. He caught me off guard after that. I had told him that he inspired me and with genuine curiousity he asked me "why?". I told him that I was a small town kid who was never told to shoot for the moon but wanted to do it anyway. He represented a figure of hope to all the under-privileged and over-talented people out there. He was touched by what I said and gave me a big hug. He told me to keep working because it would pay off in the end and he wanted a shout out in the oscar speech. I came away from that interaction rejuvenated. That can only last so long though. To this day I still feel guilty that I let depression get the better of me and allowed it to stop me writing. I feel like I let someone down that I only met for a few minutes. This leads to my goals as a writer though.

          I'm sick of letting people down. Enough people have pointed out that I have potential only to see me squander it. I want to make my loved ones proud of me. I felt from a young age that I was meant to do great things but I've always had a habit of getting in my own way. I'm trying hard again now. I hope when 2018 rolls around I'll have a body of work that I feel good about. Then next year I want to use that to try and land work, no matter how small.

          From there I don't want to stop until I've made someone's favourite film. Then I can top it with the next one. It's very easy to feel like you're all alone growing up. Finding kindred voices in films and music really helps. I'd love to give that to the generations that follow me. Then someday some nervous kid will tell me that I inspired them, or got them through a tough time, or that I make them laugh. That would mean the world to me.

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          • #6
            Re: Why did you become a writer?

            Personally I don't believe writers 'become' writers. I think we're just innately drawn to the desire to take a story that's spinning around in our heads and get it out there. I actually dislike writing, it annoys me but I still find myself needing to do it most days.

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            • #7
              Re: Why did you become a writer?

              i like the discovery process in finding the story, getting to know the characters like you'd get to know people at a new job or your new neighbors, etc. even enjoy trying to navigate the quirky, strange sinkhole world of query-land and submitting material where people sometimes smile warmly at you one day and don't know you the next.

              i've said this before so that makes me a bore but anyway, so much of it to me is like fishing. i have always enjoyed fishing...when the fishing is good, fishing is bad, weather is good, weather is bad, etc, i get some kind of enjoyment from it all. fishermen have stories to tell. from trying to catch your story to then trying to find someone your story will catch.

              it is frustrating at times, but the most difficult part to me is how long everything seems to take, and dealing with good folks in demanding jobs. i've always thought the people i deal with have lots and lots of eggs in their large baskets. i may have only a few eggs at any one time and can easily carry them in my hat in hand. i may have only one egg sometimes.

              the toughest part to me though is working on something very hard, and come to a realization at some point that i've been trying to write something that i have at some point lost a handle to grab onto. it's like, the story didn't vanish, it just packed its bags and left. no smile, no note why, no goodbye hug, no nothing. but of course i believe she may come back one day. she may even have a great story to tell me. who knows.

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              • #8
                Re: Why did you become a writer?

                Originally posted by eNTerWriter View Post
                What movies/tv shows inspired you?
                To write? None. I got interested in writing from reading.

                Originally posted by eNTerWriter View Post
                More important, what's your goal as a screenwriter?
                To have fun playing with words and making up stories.

                Originally posted by eNTerWriter View Post
                How can you make an impact in the world with your writing?
                I can't. I may get ten to 15 people reading my shorts and snippets on this message board. And that would be in a good week.
                STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I'm a wannabe, take whatever I write with a huge grain of salt.

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