The advice and rantings of a Hollywood script reader tired of seeing screenwriters make the same mistakes, saving the world from bad writing one screenplay at a time. Learn what it takes to get your script past one of these mythical Gatekeepers.
Michael F-ing Bay
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Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday Talkback: Working out your issues
Two questions this week:
1) Do you/have you used your writing as therapy?
and
2) by any chance did you do this a lot more on your earlier scripts than your later ones?
I've been working on my first finished screenplay (a captive horror) for the last six months. I'm convinced that the reason I finally got to the end of a first draft is in part because I chose to write about what really scares me.
As a beginner, focusing on something my heart was committed to made learning discipline ten times easier.
answer for 1st question -- yes, writing can be a great form of therapy. Just let your anger flow, create characters, then DESTROY 'EM AND KILL 'EM OFF on paper. Better than actually lashing out physical violence on real people !!
Nooo, never. Writing to work out issues always seems to result in wallowing, angry, self-crapulent writing that goes nowhere. Plus, your personal weaknesses become readily apparent to everyone reading it. (Which is bad.)
i don't know, i've just finished a short story that ended up being based on a bunch of real life stuff and (altho it wasn't meant to) turned out to be a bit like therapy for me. I've been writing for about fifteen years and this is maybe the first time i've ever done that... the resulting story's also (imo) one of my best (which obv doesn't mean it's any good or anything, but you get my point). So i don't know.
I've been working on my first finished screenplay (a captive horror) for the last six months. I'm convinced that the reason I finally got to the end of a first draft is in part because I chose to write about what really scares me.
ReplyDeleteAs a beginner, focusing on something my heart was committed to made learning discipline ten times easier.
answer for 1st question -- yes, writing can be a great form of therapy. Just let your anger flow, create characters, then DESTROY 'EM AND KILL 'EM OFF on paper. Better than actually lashing out physical violence on real people !!
ReplyDeleteNooo, never. Writing to work out issues always seems to result in wallowing, angry, self-crapulent writing that goes nowhere. Plus, your personal weaknesses become readily apparent to everyone reading it. (Which is bad.)
ReplyDelete(hi, long time lurker, first time poster...)
ReplyDeletei don't know, i've just finished a short story that ended up being based on a bunch of real life stuff and (altho it wasn't meant to) turned out to be a bit like therapy for me. I've been writing for about fifteen years and this is maybe the first time i've ever done that... the resulting story's also (imo) one of my best (which obv doesn't mean it's any good or anything, but you get my point). So i don't know.
I'm with the Deaf Muslim. I get a lot of therapy out of beating people up on paper.
ReplyDeleteI used use it a lot as a child, I would use it to escape, it's less now than it used to be, but I still use writing as a therapy tool.
ReplyDelete