The Paradox
May 11th 2007 12:43
I do enjoy writing. And yet I find writing scripts very difficult. I’ve not had any formal training, partly because I don’t believe it’s necessary. The only thing you need to know about scripts is how they’re formatted. And you can buy scriptwriting software that takes care of that for you. Some might say you need to understand structure. But what is structure these days? The traditional three-act piece? That’s a thing of the past these days. Think Pulp Fiction, think Memento. If anything, the ideology these days seems to be about doing what you can NOT to conform. So with those aspects of scriptwriting dealt with, what have we left? The story.
The story is that part of scriptwriting which is at the mercy of the mind. It’s about an idea or a concept, a product of the imagination - something that must be created. And given the true nature of creativity, rules are best left behind.
Creativity has always been inclined towards the new. New ideas. New concepts. Said in another way, creativity tends to shun that which has already been proven to work. Part of this evolution towards new ideas has been the abolition of structural rules. But here’s where it gets confusing. Rules provide parameters. Parameters define an area in which you can work. In many ways they offer you a starting point – a frame with which you can expand on. Without them it’s like staring into the void. And when it’s all going pear-shaped, it becomes a question of, “well where do I start?” So whilst it’s all very well and good to throw the rulebook out the window, there’s something to be said for learning to walk before you can run.
As with all things artistic, scriptwriting is neither right or wrong. It’s perhaps more accurate to say some work better than others. Even then, such a statement is a totally subjective one. What one person thinks is good another might think the opposite. I sometimes think the cause of my writer’s block stems from not knowing what is good and bad. There’s no central reference point against which these things can be measured.
I do understand the personal nature of art. That is to say, you can do more than offer up to the world what you consider to be your work, without any hint of outside pressure or interference on it’s completed form. And I trust my instinct. But I do like feedback. I do find it valuable to hear other opinions. It just becomes a case of understanding that opinions offered are just that – opinions.
The story is that part of scriptwriting which is at the mercy of the mind. It’s about an idea or a concept, a product of the imagination - something that must be created. And given the true nature of creativity, rules are best left behind.
Creativity has always been inclined towards the new. New ideas. New concepts. Said in another way, creativity tends to shun that which has already been proven to work. Part of this evolution towards new ideas has been the abolition of structural rules. But here’s where it gets confusing. Rules provide parameters. Parameters define an area in which you can work. In many ways they offer you a starting point – a frame with which you can expand on. Without them it’s like staring into the void. And when it’s all going pear-shaped, it becomes a question of, “well where do I start?” So whilst it’s all very well and good to throw the rulebook out the window, there’s something to be said for learning to walk before you can run.
As with all things artistic, scriptwriting is neither right or wrong. It’s perhaps more accurate to say some work better than others. Even then, such a statement is a totally subjective one. What one person thinks is good another might think the opposite. I sometimes think the cause of my writer’s block stems from not knowing what is good and bad. There’s no central reference point against which these things can be measured.
I do understand the personal nature of art. That is to say, you can do more than offer up to the world what you consider to be your work, without any hint of outside pressure or interference on it’s completed form. And I trust my instinct. But I do like feedback. I do find it valuable to hear other opinions. It just becomes a case of understanding that opinions offered are just that – opinions.
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