What to write?

When it comes to creating something there are so many different mediums to choose from now days. For me a computer or pen and paper work best. But when you choose words to create that still does not eliminate everything. Then there is the choice of novels, poetry, memoirs, screenplays, and I'm sure more than I can think about at the moment.

So how do you choose what to pick from so many choices? How did I choose? Well I guess it just kind of fell into my lap really.

Needing a creative outlet during a summer break while I was still in college a friend, who does spoken word poetry suggested I write knowing that I was studding film. It took me a while to realize that he didn't mean poetry. Yeah I had a slow moment at that. But then a nugget of a story and characters started to form in my head and I started the book Drew.

I didn't start out thinking I would write a novel or what not, but just wanted to get a story down in my free time. Later I decided to take a screenwriting class to know the real starting point of film making. I was studying to be a producer and figured that knowing the creative process of the writers would help make me better producer when it comes to choosing projects that I saw potential in. So, having to come up with a story idea to start my own screenplay, I used the story that I had begun the summer before.

After two screenwriting classes I realized just how much I enjoyed the writing process. I mean I've always enjoyed creating stories. In school I always ended up going over the required page count. What can I say I had a spark of inspiration and didn't want to stop writing till I really finished the story. Page count be damned I say.

Only one problem. I suck at being a screenwriter. I wanted to write what people were thinking, going into so much details that aren't used for screenwriting. In novels you can go into all this descriptive wonderland and what people are thinking. Screenplays not so much. You write what you can see and hear. No feelings, No thoughts. Nothing. If you can't see it and it's not important you don't put it down. Yet you need to have enough down so that the reader gets hooked, giving the filmmaker and actors the freedom to make the roll their own.

Well after much edits and reading over the screenplay that I had so far I realized the story was good, but this medium wasn't the right fit for me. Taking the lessons I've learned from some great writing professors I applied them to adapting what I had to novel form.

It's in this medium that I feel that I can truly explore the world that I've created in my head with the rest of the world.

So that's my little story about why I choose the medium I did. Novels and short stories are what spark my inspiration. But to each there own. Don't know what medium you like? Try them all I say. There is nothing that says that you have to stick to one medium of creativity or one genre. Go with whatever tickles your fancy is what I say. Screw what others say. Let there judgments be damned. Follow the stories or characters that make you happy to write.

Want to write romance or erotica or history or memoirs or horror or whatever else? Do it.

There is one saying that I've never liked when it comes to writing..write what you know. Well where would we be if all authors had stuck with that? There would be no Science Fiction. No Star Trek, no Star Wars, no Twilight, no Harry Potter! Where would the world be with no Harry Potter? I mean seriously.

Then I had this amazing screenwriting professor Juilian Hoxter who now has a screenwriting manual called Write what you don't know. Along with all of his other advice and questions during the class that terrified me every time, since well I didn't know the answer to, helped me create a finished story that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Write what you don't know. Create a new world that has laws and rules to it that makes it a world that could really be possible. Without those rules anything could happen. And well when you ask why did this happen you need to be able to explain it. Ask yourself all the hard questions as to why someone would do something or why people can do something here but not in the real world.

Anyways back to my point. What to write? Depending on who you are and what you're drawn to then write that. One thing I've learned over the last few years is that when it comes to creating something, the only person that sets limitations on what you do is you. So Write what you don't know as long as it makes you happy then do it. Create something that you are proud to share with the rest of the world.

That's all that matters really. Be proud of the work you put some much time and effort in to. One thing is garanteed, not everyone is going to like your work, but someone will. You just can't control that one aspect in being a creative type, but you can control how you feel about it.

Happy writings in what ever medium or genre you choose. I know Iam.