How Writing What You Know, Will Ultimately Define Your Creative Voice.
I began writing when I was 25 years-old (I’m now 31.) No doubt, I had a lot to learn about the craft and the business of writing…
But truth be told, I had even more to learn about myself.
This truth is what has encouraged me to continue along a journey which has only ever led me to new revelations about my life and the lives of others.
Ultimately, this would come full circle to inspire my work. But more on that later.
First…
A True Story
The rights to my first ever feature-length screenplay were bought by a very large and well-known production studio on spec for a term of two-years back in February 2015.
(More on that in the article below)
The script itself I’m quite proud of as an exercise in formatting, character development and story structure.
The story, not-so-much.
Never-the-less, I was able to facilitate an options agreement through my talent manager at the time via the literary department of an established talent agency.
And to be perfectly honest, I’m glad the film never got made.
Why?
I’ll get to that but just to clarify — An ‘Options Contract’ is more or less an exclusivity agreement between a producer and the owner of the IP in question. This agreement usually lasts for a specified length of time, traditionally speaking anywhere between 12–18 months (In my case, the deal was for 24 months).
If the film however is not made within that period of time, than the rights of the film revert back to its owner to do with it as he/she sees fit.
This is precisely what happened with my script and I couldn’t be happier. For one thing, I once again retain the rights to my own story and that’s always nice.
For another, I now have the opportunity to write the scripts I’ve always dreamt of writing without being pegged to the raunchy heist/thriller I first wrote.
I’m talking about stories with profound depth and morals. Stories which inspire and reflect our time and place in life.
If that first options agreement offered me anything (apart from rent for the year) it was the confidence to continue writing. But looking back at who I was then compared to who I am today makes all the difference.
“The most personal is the most creative”
The Takeaway
South Korean Writer/Director Bong Joon-Ho famously once said during his 2020 acceptance speech for his Academy Award for Best Director that “the most personal is the most creative.”
It was actually a re-quote from legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese and I couldn’t have said it better myself.
The more we grow and learn, the more depth we add to our lives. This is what we inherently as an audience wish to explore and share through art.
So I say dare to be vulnerable. Be brave. Be as personal in your writing as you can be.
By doing so, you will undoubtably be speaking with a voice all your own while inspiring others along the way.
Thoughts? Drop a comment below and Let’s chat!
Thanks so much reading!
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