Searching for the Script Writer Within

I sit in a place built from my writing. I wrote articles, sold articles, wrote more, sold more. However, I still seek the joy of writing stories. These can be comics, novels, screenplays, or even the old storytelling form of poetry. Beyond all that, I seek the joy of the screenwriter within. I see what you're saying ... I can't be a screenwriter and make an income.

Well, you can. There is a reason thousands of writers make their living writing scripts. More than that, they branch out to other fields too. I have a screenwriting buddy who sold a few Star Trek scripts. He is currently working on a science fiction contest as a judge, being paid, what he calls, good money. That is the joy of script writing: you just never know.

Here are a few ideas on finding the script writer within, action steps not guaranteed but one that worked for me.

Build Yourself:

If you build yourself up as a writer of stories you will, sooner rather than later, be a writer of stories. There is a misconception that you can't wait, that you have to start writing today. Follow a philosophy I read in the screenwriting masterpiece "Emotional Structure" by Peter Dunne: You're a writer the days you write. Take the pressure off. Build yourself up.

Allow Dreaming:

Allow dreaming for yourself, for the artist within. The artist within you is a strong one. If you've pushed this far into my article, something within you has a desire. There is a you-factor to all this: you want to know. Well, if you want to know it's time to dream, dreaming even more on the days you decide to outline a film script or explain a comic book story to an artist.

Remember the Bottom Line, Business:

Business seems to be the reason many writers pen scripts. They see all the big bucks. For example, the road is supposed to begin with comic book scripts for many writers, then they move onto films. I think the bottom line is business, but, more so, fun business. You can look at this as a career in writer. Career minded writers tend to make some kind of income. I do.

Call on Creativity:

There is a creative writer within you trying to get out. Maybe you watched a few films, loved one, hated another, and decided to write something just as good as the one you loved .That is the creative artist within you trying to get out. Become friends with this muse, for he/she is the purpose driven writer who will not only allow you to dream but allow you to succeed.

Try Different Things:

I mentioned I make money online, usually by writing articles. It's a good pursuit. I never believed in hinging all my creative success on one project. I wanted to work on many projects, submitting a short story here, querying an artist for a comic script there, and studying the great films in the meantime. That means trying different methods of writing. It allows you to get better ....

And better is good. I see the creative artist within you trying to get out. He says, write the script. You say: I just can't do it. But if you do, you are technically a writer for this today.