Script Writing An Authors Lament

There, is that title melodramatic enough for you?

Seriously though, this is going to be one of those apologies for neglecting my blog as a platform for reaching my readers blah-blah...because quite frankly it can be difficult to write here and at the same time get something of any merit done elsewhere. The muses only seem to grant a certain amount of writing "juice" a day, and it can be easily squandered.

At the moment, I am working on two scripts. They are completely different projects, yet there are some definite crossovers of myth and concept, so it's been an interesting process- almost like exploring the light and dark side of the moon simultaneously.

To get back to the subject, though: there is a reason why I've been hesitant about diving into script writing in the past. How terrifying is it as a writer to possibly put years of work into a project which might never get produced? When you're working on a novel, certainly there are gatekeepers and bottlenecks in the process of reaching an audience. But, especially nowadays, it is possible to at least make it available. This reason alone kept me away from script writing for many years. Eventually, I came to realize that it was a format that I very much enjoy - I am a big fan of the potential of multi-media. It is often a collaborative process. It means you get to completely side-step prose descriptions, which always feel forced to me. And, most importantly, it'll totally get you laid.

OK, that last one doesn't seem to be entirely true. I don't have a "not getting laid" control group to test it out. And I'm not sure I want one, either. Bitchy bunch of people.

The real penultimate reason is that it keeps me in line. My self criticism of my past novels is that they meander -- often intentionally. Plotting out and writing a script for graphic novel or movie format production forces you to show rather than tell. It also forces you to get to the point if you don't want a Tarentino length product at the end of the day. These are good things.

So, there it is. I'm working on scripts. I have one or two others in the can waiting to be produced. Hopefully you get to experience the finished products someday.

And hopefully in the meantime I dredge up something to ramble about here on the blog in the meantime.

What's your preferred writing format?