I'm not drowning actually. More, being spun round in a whirlpool of ideas and projects so that I hardly know which end is up. So what do I do? I buy another book about screenplay writing that might be THE ANSWER.
Then I don't read it.
I'm being hard on myself. I NEVER think any book is the answer, but I know that every book has something in it that works FOR ME even if it's contained in one sentence in the middle of Chapter 8, so the experience of reading and the expense of buying is never wasted.
So I DO read the books I buy, but in a skimmy sort of way, hoping to discover the one sentence in the middle of Chapter 8 without bothering with the rest of the irrelevant crud. 'Irrelevant crud' is a bit harsh, but you know what I mean.
My latest purchases - "Save The Cat" by Blake Snyder, "How to write a movie in 21 days" by Viki King (yeah right, that IS clutching at straws, I think, but I haven't read beyond the first few pages yet so I'll let you know in about three weeks time) and I just updated Final Draft 7 to Final Draft 8. Why? More features in it that I probably won't ever use.
I'm about to purchase "Invisible Ink:A practical guide to writing stories that resonate" - because two writers that I really respect (Rusty and Chris) have recommended it - and if 'A bullet for Penguin Pete' came out of it, then I want some!
I think part of it is acknowledging to myself that I AM A WRITER. Writing is NOT a pleasant but worthless hobby.
Convinced? No, me neither.
"A Bullet for Penguin Pete" was conceived prior to my purchase of "Invisible Ink" but a lot of the screenplay is and will be influenced by certain elements expressed in that book.
ReplyDeleteThat universe and the characters need to see the light of day.
Thanks for the lovely comment about it!
May the quirks inherit the earth...or a nice tropical island with plenty of pineapple.