I read a script this morning. It was a lovely piece of work from a first-time playwright. Number one, congratulations to this first-time out playwright. Number two, like I have said before, everyone has one great play, novel, or film script in them.
This first-time out playwright wrote about his 92-year-old father’s life. The play begins with an older man remembering his life. Then the scenes begin. We see his life as a child at ten years old meeting his future wife, and notable crossroads of life. Then, time-travels to when he immigrated to the United States in the 1940’s. He marries his childhood friend. He has a child with her. Heart stopping events when his wife nearly dies at childbirth, then loses her while that child is a teen.
The story is eloquently written, and each scene is vivid to the reader.
This author asked me if he had written a play, a novel, or a screenplay. It can be all three. The stage directions are eloquently written for a novel. The visuals are perfect for a film.
My advice to novice writers is to just write and see what comes out. Let the writing happen and let the story tell you what it needs to be. Keep writing even if direction is lost or it does not make sense. When you cannot write anymore, then look and see what you have. If it reads like a play, that is what you have. If it reads like a novel, divide it into chapters. If it reads like a film, format it into a screenplay. The editing begins at the end of the writing process.
My biggest advice to writers is to have fun with the writing. If it becomes work, you got to stop and find a way to make it fun again. When you have fun writing, you can write more.
January 5, 2022
