What kind of writer are you?

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  • What kind of writer are you?

    I mentioned this on the female writer thread that got locked and thought it'd be an interesting topic.

    Let me explain what I mean by "kind of writer"...

    I personally consider myself I guess a scientific writer? I really take a very structured approach to my writing and it's probably why I enjoy writing essays/articles because it lends well to my style I guess. To give you a comparison of the other extreme which I'd consider a umm... artistic writer I guess... would be the equivalent of Da Vinci and Pollock or something. Da Vinci paints very realistic, detailed images and obviously learned had a foundation of techniques before he did what he accomplished. While Pollock is famous for his paint splattering (and he does have other paintings, but mentioning these for the sake of explaination).

    So what kind of writer are you? I don't know what all the types would be, but you can make it up if you want.

    I've always been great at mathematics and sciences, so I think that's why my writing tends to be very structured and thought out. I can't just write and let things flow, I think it out first and structure all my creativity (with an outline and what not) and then write. Same goes with all my writing really. I guess that's why I'm attracted to screenwriting rather that prose... it's much more structured.

    So what kind of writer are you?

  • #2
    Re: What kind of writer are you?

    I have a theory that Jackson Pollock was just a mediocre painter with epilepsy.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: What kind of writer are you?

      Originally posted by ihavebiglips View Post
      I have a theory that Jackson Pollock was just a mediocre painter with epilepsy.
      LOL, thank you for that comment, came outta nowhere and I needed a good laugh.

      edit* now back to the topic...

      What kind of writer are ya?

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: What kind of writer are you?

        I'll throw my own here...
        I'm into a lot of researching and I mean lots (from simple little stuff to the mind-numbing one). I also take a lot of time fleshing out my characters background even though this might not necessarily show up in the script per se. I focus on a lot of the visuals and the characters' movements to complement my dialogue.
        A talent for drama is not a talent for writing, but is an ability to articulate human relationships.
        Gore Vidal

        "Aisatsu Yori Ensatsu"
        Money is better than compliments.


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        • #5
          Re: What kind of writer are you?

          Originally posted by JayKid View Post
          LOL, thank you for that comment, came outta nowhere and I needed a good laugh.

          edit* now back to the topic...

          What kind of writer are ya?
          Um... completely unstructured and floundering because of it. I'd rather disembowel myself with a used KFC spork than write an outline, but realize it's a necessity to a solid script. So, I'm learning.

          Otherwise, I write purely on instinct.

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          • #6
            Re: What kind of writer are you?

            It's not necessarily needed for a solid script... some people are good as instinctual writers. I kind of wish I had better instincts when it came to writing. I have to write an outline to do anything, I use far more logic when it comes to writing than instinct.

            No idea if that's good or bad, but that's me.

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            • #7
              Re: What kind of writer are you?

              When I outline I write from my head, when I 'write' I write from my heart/gut. It kinda works.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: What kind of writer are you?

                Well, outlines are definitely helpful, but it depends what kind of writer you are. You should really just follow that (my opinion of course).

                I think outlines are going to be somewhat necessary regardless, but it doesn't have to be something really fleshed out... very rough outlines can be fine if you know a thing or two about structure. For some, especially for those who already have the outline/treatment stuff down from doing it already and subconsciously utilizing correct structure, you can just write. Some can start doing this quicker than others if they are good instinctual writers (or storytellers).

                I'm not an instinctual writer for the most part though. I am at times obviously because you need to write from your heart and instinct to do anything creatively, but I really use my head most of the time when I write... it's how I am. I just can't write something without outlining it and having an idea of the story scene by scene first.

                It's why when I try writing anything more than a short story (which includes lengthy short stories, lol) I can't do it. Unless the story itself takes a long time to be resolved I have trouble writing for the sake of writing and describing. I guess I'm a minimalist writer... good for screenwriting and not so good for prose (although not necessarily bad for prose, sorta subjective since some people enjoy less descriptive writing).

                I guess I'm glad there is screenwriting because it's the best outlet for my own storytelling skills. It'd be nice to write more instinctually, and I envy those who do, but can't do anything about it... I am who I am.

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                • #9
                  Re: What kind of writer are you?

                  I'm a comedy writer first, screenwriter second.

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                  • #10
                    Re: What kind of writer are you?

                    Originally posted by Goon Squad View Post
                    I'm a comedy writer first, screenwriter second.

                    I didn't find this line funny. Also, it wasn't in Courier Final Draft 12 pt font. Sorry.

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                    • #11
                      Re: What kind of writer are you?

                      Originally posted by Goon Squad View Post
                      I'm a comedy writer first, screenwriter second.
                      Does it have to be a comedy writer? How about, instead of a screenwriter second, we make it a skywriter second. Also, see if you can raise the stakes throughout.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: What kind of writer are you?

                        I write from the heart...at a whim I'll throw an idea in while writing...and as I continue to write that idea will form with the story, grow with it, meld with it.

                        When I did drama in high school I was really good with improv. We used to do the games from Who's Line Is It Anway and a day wouldn't go by where I wasn't allowed to not be in every game...the class wouldn't let me.

                        Improv comes to me naturally, humour comes to me naturally (yet I've never written a straight out comedy and I bet most of my posts are never as funny as I hope them to be).

                        So for me, being able to start a story and just run with it comes far easier than it would for most people.

                        For my QCS at the end of Grade 12 one of the tests was to write a story/essay/poem etc based on a joined theme on the spot (allocated time frame mind you)...we were given a sheet with sayings, images etc that showcased that theme.

                        Naturally I wrote a story...I didn't know my ending till I got to it. I was in the top 6 of those who got the highest mark for that one test.

                        I know most of this information is for me to just brag about how good I am but that's me...

                        I am the writer who writes ahead of their thoughts.

                        Does it get me in trouble? Sometimes...

                        Is it fun?


                        F-ing oath.
                        One meets his destiny often in the road he takes to avoid it. - French Proverb

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: What kind of writer are you?

                          My natural inclination is to write instinctually, but I've been learning over time to use my analytical side as well.

                          I haven't taken the course called Writing With Both Sides of the Brain, but I think screenwriting does involve both. You need to be able to think creatively, but you also have to be able to structure it into the shape of a movie, make set-ups and pay-offs work, improve your plot twists, and generally be able to see what you've created with a clear, analytical eye and figure out how to make it work.

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                          • #14
                            Re: What kind of writer are you?

                            I hate this. I really do. I hate the "art vs. science" idea.

                            Art, real art, is deliberate and is the result of a great deal of planning and calculation. Hours and hours go into practice before the final result is shown to others.

                            Pollack didn't just start throwing paint on the canvas. He was deliberatly seeking a new way to paint the things he wanted to paint.

                            Go do some research on how and why he ended up painting in that style, and the things he was trying to accomplish with it.

                            Art is preplanning. Size, shape, wieght, medium, color, and what the desired effect on the viewer will be. A lot of it requires a serious amount of complex math.

                            Think about marble statues.



                            Yes, write from the heart. Yes, write with passion. But know HOW to write with heart and passoinatly. Do so deliberatly. Develope your talent. Discover the best means and ways for you to write the things you want to write.

                            Learn how to write anger, love, fear, or hope without immediatly feeling any of those emotions.

                            Yes, accidents can happen. Accidents that lead to new and wonderful places. But you have to have the discipline, experience, and talent to take advantage of them.

                            Just like in science.

                            Think about penicillin.

                            Stop making 'art vs. science' approach arguments. Because the real line between art an science is very thin.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: What kind of writer are you?

                              ^Umm... how can I stop making 'art vs. science' approach arguments when I never made one in the first place?

                              I'm just saying what type of writer I feel I am. I write far less from the heart than from my head.

                              The Pollock thing was just an example to get at what I meant by the difference between an "artistic" and "scientific" writer. Sorry if I offended you or Pollock (he did more than just those paintings anyway).

                              And there still is a difference between the way people write. I know people who (although they definitely learned how to write) are naturally great instinctual (or artistic) writers. They can just bang out amazing things without really thinking. Howevber, I'm not in that boat... I don't have that instinct some people have and often write from my head.

                              No argument is being made, it's just a question, what kind of writer do you think you are. No one is saying one is better than the other... unless I skipped over something?

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