The Right Time To Write

Not so long ago, I started writing more and more screenplays, not really with any intention of actually having anything produced, but more to improve my writing and just getting the tons of ideas I had out on paper. I love movies, having joked that as I was growing up and absorbed several hundred issues Entertainment Weekly Magazine, I became a walking IMDB. 

I started out as an actor, not really thinking of doing writing at all, but the whole notion intrigued me. Being someone who performed so much, I started thinking about what I wanted to be in or the characters I wanted to play or even what I would like to see as a play or movie.  However, after all the things I've written, it's become more about just getting something down and honing my skills.

It all began with plays were short little things, pre-dating the longer and more in-depth screenplays I've started doing more recently. Some were serious, some were ridiculous and some were just straight up WEIRD.  Again, it was more about what I wanted to see on stage and things that were based on ideas that intrigued me. Whether I took suggestions from friends and turned them into tiny little two minute pieces, or just strange ideas that I wanted to mash-up, specifically seeing an office employee pilot a giant robot in order to fight a monster. It was that kind of world building that made me want to take on screenplays.

From there, it became more and more of a thing for me to write for film rather than for theatre.  Again, it was writing because I wanted to just do it.  I didn't want to think about trying to produce something because it would end up either depressing me or overwhelm me because I didn't have the money to bring it to life.  However, the joy of actually writing and not worrying about the larger picture made it all that better. Even finishing something was an achievement in its own right, even though there was a huge of editing to be had.

As of today, I have over a dozen different pieces I've written, not including the other dozen things I've started. (Yes, it's certainly easier to start than finish). Whether it's a full superhero series that I hope someday to produce, a movie about a talking cat and an angry writer, or a fan film based on a group of superheroes I love, it's hard to believe that not that long ago, the very thought of being a writer was nothing but an idea.  Plus, thanks to support of my friends, I keep writing and I've even been bold enough to submit a few to different festivals. I know that the chances of them actually being chosen and made into a feature by some production company or some fancy big-time producer are very low, but it makes me happy that I'm going beyond my usual safe zone for creative expression. It's a new form, like the design stuff, that pushes and challenges me in so many different ways.

Now the question is, will I actually take the time to actually produce one of these pieces?  I honestly don't know. Yes, I've been involved with the production process for so many different things, and while the energy and the excitement is always something wonderful to be a part of, it's still a mighty task to pull it all together. It's exhausting but it can be rewarding. So perhaps a straight "no" is too strong, so perhaps a strong "maybe" is better.

In any case, I won't stop writing anytime soon, mostly because yes, I HAVE SO MANY IDEAS (I have probably at least five solid ideas for the genre of sci-fi ALONE plus a radio play based on a friend's idea that could actually be produced) but maybe I'll actually try to get something made. I'm not talking a feature length, but maybe something short and sweet. However, the time that it takes to pull together something might be better used writing at least ten more screenplays.

In any case, I hope to triple my number of finished pieces by sometime during the holidays. They probably won't be edited or as clean as I want them, but at least I'm churning them out faster than I can come up with new ideas...At least I think I am...

Stay tuned...