On Being a Writer (The Real Deal)

The act of writing is often seen as a mere hobby or, when pursued as a professional career, as a not-very-serious-option. Due to its nature, it brings doubt and struggle to every single creative stage: from conceiving a viable idea to finishing a product. To add more uncertainty, both terms (viable idea and finished product) are relative and subjective. This makes many people hesitate and even quit. I’ve been there myself.

But even when there is such relativity open to interpretation, there are some basic rules that we, as writers, are bound to follow. We are all here to learn the basics and once we apply them we are supposed to get better results, right? Well, not necessarily. It all depends on how hard we work. We are told the same old story over and over again, I’m aware. But it’s true.

I’ve worked on several personal projects, a few of them are complete stories and the rest are nothing more than random ideas here and there. Many ideas. My mind never stopped creating them and I was very proud of my undying inspiration and everlasting productivity. Soon, I saw all those ideas piling on an ever-growing collection. I was getting nowhere though. No real breakthrough.

My perception of being a writer was challenged and then it became a daunting reality: strictly speaking, I had a lot of material, but practically none of it had the strength to turn into something more promising.

Screenwriting offered a partial solution because I at least had to focus on a single idea. One script. That was it. Well, the more I studied and learned about the craft per se, the more rules I came across. I slowly understood that the world of a screenwriter resembles the biggest part of an iceberg that goes deep into the ocean. It involves so much work, tons of research, serious planning – trial and error time after time. Write, rewrite. Identify what works; what doesn’t and what could be better. Keep working.

I naively had thought that it would be easier. Fortunately, as I read and discovered the real world behind the “magic” of movies and TV shows, I knew that I was growing as a writer – when you understand something you see it from an alternative viewpoint. That was an important step for me, but it was just the beginning. I found myself where I had started. 

It almost feels like all authors on screenwriting agreed on a very specific idea which taught me that it was a simple yet universal truth. The key phrase that made me realize that I had to get down to work is something along the lines of: “As a screenwriter, it is your responsibility to know all the details of your story.” It’s quite obvious, I know, but it wasn’t until I accepted my responsibility that it truly dawned on me.

A clear character’s goal is crucial. The obstacles that this character has to face are essential. A resolution (whether the goal is achieved or not) is necessary. Let’s not forget the actions and dialogues that will either move the story forward or reveal information; or the relationships that the different characters develop.

But if I don’t write, if I don’t develop my characters, the plot, the dialogues and everything else, I won’t know where all this is coming from and where it is heading. As a result I feel lost. If we don’t see ourselves as writers and most importantly, if we don’t regard ourselves as such and think of our craft as valuable, we’ll keep floating around without direction.

There is much more to writing a story than these lines could express or even more than a few books could explain. If we want to write, we must read (all the time, actually), we must practice, and we must develop discipline. This career is as real as any other and it’s up to us to give it the respect it deserves. It’s certainly not easy, but it’s definitely worth it.

Are you ready to take the step forward?

You can do this.