This is the first post of a new blog which I hope will help me take the first, faltering steps into the world of ‘proper’ writing.
I guess I better explain that my definition of ‘proper’ writing isn’t anything too complicated, or (god forbid!) clever. To my mind, proper writing is the sort of writing you get paid for. I’ve done a few creative writing classes over the last few years – nothing much, nothing special – and I really enjoyed them for the opportunity they gave me to write purely for myself. We learned about different styles and genres, different ways of writing and different reasons for writing. But most people were there for the same reason I was – to learn how to express ourselves: our most difficult experiences; our most private thoughts; our deepest feelings.
I really enjoyed doing poetry, encoding the depths and subtleties of my soul in as few words as possible, as beautifully as I could. But it was extremely difficult sharing those pieces, even with classmates who’d brought their own in and were just as nervous as me. It was certainly never the sort of stuff I needed or wanted to share with the public. Hell, that’s assuming the public would give a flying damn about my pathetic, broken life anyway!
And there’s the thing. Even though I enjoyed my classes and wrote my little heart out, I always had my eye on what the target really was: To write stuff people would pay for.
So, now I’m done with the classes and the classes are done with me… now it’s time to practice a different sort of writing. The plan for now is nothing too extravagent. One blog (this one) to act as a diary, what I’m doing and why, how things are going and perhaps if I can pick up some lessons on the way I’ll try to get them down here too. And, just maybe, the occasional lapse into writing for myself.
Another blog’s going to be comment on current affairs, pop culture, politics, whatever takes my fancy in the real world. Just to see if I’ve got anything to say that someone might find interesting enough to give me a job saying more regularly.
And lastly one more might turn out to be a commercially minded site for first chapters, short stories, scripts.
Hopefully, the more I practice the better I’ll get at being worth reading. And the better I get at that, the more likely it is that a job offer will arrive, or a movie director looking for a script (teh dream!)…
Finally, on the off chance someone comes along who’s got the same sort of interests and who’s looking for a like-minded person to work with (especially on the scripts btw) – co-writing suggestions are always welcome. I have like a million ideas for stories and I’m trying to put the first one or two into decent movie structures before attempting the scripts/dialogues. Feel free to email, or message me here.
