Why the Fuck Do You Write?

There’s a million questions in the screenwriting biz. Especially when you first arrive on the “scene.”

Browse any writing board, and questions tumble off the threads like crumbs; some as green as the Wizard’s palace in Oz. How do I properly format slugs? What’s a three-act structure mean? How do I get an agent? (That one’s fun; every time.)

But there’s more than Newbies to blame here. Seasoned “pros” have questions as well. Once one’s been around the block a few times, you realize screenwriting’s as intricate as other sciences and arts.  The farther down the Rabbit Hole you go, the more you realize what you don’t know.

And the learning curve (or curse) never ends. Once one’s mastered concepts like “show it, don’t tell it”, and “write only active verbs”, that’s when true subtleties emerge. And questions get way intense.

Nuanced gems like: How do I create interesting characters? What sort of stories should I focus on? How do I pace beats, and ensure my audience stays emotionally involved?

All trick questions, to be sure. Fortunately – ones that are answerable from the top down. Just a second (or weeks) of self-reflection does the trick. Just ask yourself - honestly, now:

Why the FUCK do you write?

And don’t say “to make money”. ‘Cause if that’s the motive, you’d best move on.

For 99.999999% of writers, that’s not true. No, as a group we’re driven into our art. Our initiating incident may differ. But the instinct stays the same.

What instinct, you ask? Admit it. You know.

True writers are born, created, possessed… forged. The act of writing satisfies in us primal needs: to bury oneself in a colorful, mesmerizing and active world. To create characters that embody our deepest ideals. To take a villain, anti-hero (or both), and dissect their psychological complexities and flaws.  Then there’s the plot and theme itself –an unending source of “fun.” Exploring intelligent “what if” scenarios in Science Fiction. Dissecting moral/political ideas in Thrillers, as well.  In Horror, that search ventures into even darker corners: an excavation of what motivates the human soul… what people will do or sacrifice to survive. 

It’s those sorts of questions that provide the backbone for cinematic works of art.  Those “in it for the money” can settle for formulaic hacks. But once screenwriting fundamentals are understood, those who live and breathe the art know the answers to the rest… deep down.

How do you create interesting characters? How does one spellbind an audience with one’s words?

Just look into your heart. Refuse to blink. Whatever makes it beat faster is the jet fuel your stories need.

What the Fuck should you write?  Whatever ideas and concepts make you excited to be alive.