Screenwriting vs fiction writing
I can't be the only one with this problem, right?
Inside of me there are two writing wolves—screenwriter wolf, and fiction writer wolf. Ever since I was a kid, they’ve been battling for control of my psyche. Right now, the fiction writer wolf is winning, but that hasn’t always been the case. What’s your story?
Let me backtrack a bit to the beginning. The movies were my first love. Isn’t it this way for most of us? The first movie I can remember seeing at the theatre was Walt Disney’s PINOCCHIO. It was a re-release back in the 70s, when Disney figured out they could make even more money by putting their classic films back out for newer generations to discover. I was just a toddler at the time, but I marveled at the world presented to me on the big screen. The ocean waves seemed so realistic, the giant whale was frightening, and the puppet who wanted to be a real boy was endearing. I was hooked on the movies from that point on.
My parents loved movies, too. They took me and my sister to all of the classic Disney films, as well later ones like THE MONKEY’S UNCLE, HERBIE THE LOVE BUG, and THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES, to name just a few.
My love of reading came not long after. I devoured one book after another, and was part of the many reading clubs at school. My mom took us to the library and the bookmobile to check out more books. I looked forward to perusing the Weekly Reader, and the Scholastic Book Fair. I re-read lots of books again and again.
In the third grade, I began writing creative stories for class assignments. I still have the originals somewhere. Scrawled in freshly-learned cursive handwriting on notebook ruled paper. The first story I remember writing was about a jet pilot on a mission where not much happens. I still had much to learn in terms of escalating action.
Nevertheless, movies were still a part of my weekly diet, ranging from Disney comedies to Godzilla matinees. There wasn’t much else G-rated fare for a kid my age to see. Of course, that all changed in the summer of 1977, when a movie called STAR WARS came out of nowhere and took the world by storm. The space opera was rated PG, which meant I had to beg my parents to take us to see it. After weeks of this, they relented and gave in. All of us were blown away.
Seeing STAR WARS was an epiphany. I began to realize that movies weren’t just improvised. They were crafted by an entire team of people working together to create something. Most of all, I learned that movies were WRITTEN by someone. The actors weren’t just making up the dialogue as they went.
It seems obvious now, but to my younger self, this was mind-shattering. I loved reading books, but now I wanted to make movies, to write them. This is where the other writing wolf in my brain made its first appearance.
Over the next thirty years, I would find myself ping-ponging between wanting to write for the screen, and to write for the page. Which path should I pursue? Which one was the best use of my time? I wrote short stories in high school that I never finished. But in college, I wrote short screenplays that I did complete and made into films. This seemed to be the way to go.
After college, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue my dream of screenwriting. I had written 95% of a script in longhand on legal paper, which I had planned to use as a spec script to get other writing work. I had no connections in Hollywood. But my plan was to make some, and shoehorn my way into the screenwriting business.
Life has a way of changing your plans. I got a job in the post-production side of the business, which meant a steady paycheck, but mind-numbing work. Making video copies of TV shows, commercials, and movies. I met lots of interesting people, many with similar aspirations. While working my day job, I still tried to get writing assistant gigs, or other things.
Like the time I applied to Sony Pictures for a mailroom job. I got a call weeks later, but the position in the mailroom was gone, and in its place was a seasonal spot as a studio lot security guard. I went in for the interview anyways, but it wasn’t for me. The security manager I spoke to even mentioned that it was strictly forbidden to pass along any scripts to anyone coming onto the lot. No handing off your spec script to Steven Spielberg or any other bigwig happening to come in through the front gate. I guess this was a regular occurrence. After all, it was the movie industry.
After years of this kind of job searching, I wasn’t writing any screenplays. I talked a lot about writing, but wasn’t doing much of it. I met other aspiring screenwriters, but they were all miserable. They couldn’t break in to save their lives. The spec script craze blew up and then subsided in the mid to late 90s. Once the way for new writers to break into Hollywood, specs were losing their cachet. The studios weren’t buying them anymore.
I began to think about writing fiction again. After all, writing a story or a novel meant something was finished, a whole piece unto itself. Unlike a screenplay, which didn’t mean much unless it was made into a movie or TV show. Screenplays typically didn’t get published or put on bookstore shelves. My fiction writing wolf reared its nasty head once more.
And it’s stayed that way for a while now. Sure, I still get the urge to take a whack at another feature film screenplay. But the business has changed drastically in the last ten, twenty years. There are seemingly more opportunities, especially for the streaming market. But it’s not like it used to be, with most feature films going straight to video on demand without much fanfare. Episodic TV seems like the way to go these days.
Instead of screenwriting, I’ve remained focused on writing fiction these days. It may not be as exciting or as lucrative as writing for film and TV, but I’ll take it. Although selling the movie rights to one of my books would be nice, it’s not the end-all, be-all for me. For me, it means the world to see how readers react to my work, whether they laugh, cry, love, or hate. Isn’t this what any writer wants, whether it’s for film or fiction? To get a reaction from a viewer/reader?
Another reason for writing fiction is to create a body of work that I’m proud of. Will my stories ever have the reach of a movie like STAR WARS? Not likely. But who knows, I could write the next bestseller that gets made into a hit movie. Then, both writing wolves would finally be satisfied. Or would they?
So there you have my tale of two wolves. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a few of my writing heroes from both worlds of film and fiction: John Huston, Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder, Frances Goodrich, William Goldman, Lawrence Kasdan, Leigh Brackett, Paddy Chayefsky, Rod Serling, Fran Walsh, Paul Thomas Anderson, Edgar Wright, Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, Raymond Chandler, Flannery O’Connor, Jim Thompson, Dashiell Hammett, TC Boyle, George Saunders, Kelly Link, Amy Hempel, and so many more.
What are the two writing wolves inside of you?
ICYMI:
As of November last year, I’ve joined the staffs of two of the finest crime fiction magazines out there as a first reader! That’s right, I am now a part of the Gauntlet at Shotgun Honey (Thanks, Ron), and am also reading for Rock and A Hard Place magazine (Thanks, Roger). I look forward to reading your work if you submit to these great venues for crime fiction!
Last week, I was privileged to read my work as part of the Dark Waters Vol. 2 Crowdcast, along with some other talented writers that are in the ToC. The Crowdcast link is still up, and you can see it here:
My latest stories out in the wild:
* “Head Over Heels” is part of the Bloody Valentine call over at Punk Noir Magazine here (Big thanks to Stephen J. Golds)
* “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.E. Turner)
* “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)
* “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)
What I’m Reading:
Nearly done reading POP. 1280 by Jim Thompson. Reading stories by Harlan Ellison, and Flannery O’Connor. I’ve also just started RED HARVEST by Dashiell Hammett.
What I’m Writing:
Working on stories for my 1999 L.A. collection, as well as revisiting some sci-fi and horror pieces I wrote a while ago.
What I’m Watching:
Watched THE GORGE last night, co-starring Anya Taylor Joy and Miles Teller. Fun popcorn movie that’s part action, romance, and sci-fi/horror. Probably not a classic, but it’s a good time. And you’ve got Sigourney Weaver too!
That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.
No screenwriting in my hamper, but I did a lot of theater in my mid-twenties and wrote a one-act play that got a public reading, so there's that! My two wolf cubs are short fiction and book length writing. I'm constantly hopping between the two. For a time in my life, I thought I could never complete a book - it was strictly short fiction. Then I got immersed in a sci-fi saga (for 20 years) and the shorts got shafted! Now, I've found a balance and I do both, although never at the same time.