I’d like to start with one of my favorite inspirational quotes.
“Your dreams are stupid. Stop talking to me.”
-Confucius
I’ve been avoiding writing a screenplay for awhile now. Which means I have to write a screenplay and be just like everybody else in Los Angeles.
My favorite movie for many years was Spaceballs. And in a lot of ways, I feel like I’ve been trying to live up to that for years. I love parodies, but writing a parody movie feels wrong nowadays – maybe it’s because there are so many parody sketches, tv shows, and movies that come out so quickly after the original thing, it feels like the jokes get played out. So what does that leave? Me writing something deeply personal – but – there are no buts. That’s probably what I should be doing. But then again, what about the desire to write the parody? Maybe I should do both.
I hate even writing about this because the last thing anybody wants to read about it somebody else writing about writing. Unless it’s Hemingway – Hemingway can write about writing because:
He’s Hemingway
I’m pretty sure he punched a lot of people (see 1)
Lately, when I’ve started writing something more in the parody vein, it just doesn’t feel right. When I write something more personal, it does feel right, but then I don’t know what the hell to do with it.
I want to write something that is marketable – that is to say, I want to write something and get paid for it. But if I am being personal – if I am writing about my life- I’m not seeing how that is marketable. My life is not particularly interesting. And this is where, if I were giving advice to myself, I would tell myself that’s ridiculous – the more personal and honest I am, the funnier it will be. So what’s really going on?
I think I’m still afraid to go there emotionally – I’m afraid to address all the deep dark stuff I’ve gone through in life in the writing – so that’s the screenplay I have to write, isn’t it? Yes, I suppose it is. Well thanks for your help. I’d rather write a parody, except I wouldn’t.