A few days ago I wrote about following your dreams. It’s so important, it bears repeating. Essentially, it’s our purpose. I’m discovering now that there is something else we should do regarding our dreams…
I’ve been so hungry for my dream of writing, I think I kind of steamrolled over the whole spectrum of what writing is. Something else we should attempt to do is rein things in. DEFINE YOUR DREAM. If I were being true to myself, as true as I could be to my dream, I think I would end up narrowing my dream to that of PLAYWRIGHT. It’s where I find the most satisfaction. And, no, I’m not talking about the accolades received from the audience when one of my plays is produced. I’m not talking about positive feedback from actors and/or directors. I’m talking about the actual act itself. There is something about playwriting that is IMMEDIATE for me, something SO electric and alive in the act of putting the dialogue to paper that I crave so much. It’s so much different than novel writing. The reward in writing a play—of anticipating the animation of the corpse (in this case, the actor) and defining characters by their words and mannerisms—it’s just so addictive and satisfying.
I think it’s time for me to define my writing dream. I’ve been a poet, a lyricist, a freelancer, a novelist, a playwright, a memoirist. I’ve had about 10 years now to explore my options. It’s more than time to zone in on a particular writing form and see if I can take it to a higher level. Otherwise, I’ll just continue mucking about without a specific plan of action. And that’s libel to get me nowhere, if I’m not careful.
How about you? Have you asked yourself lately what it is you want to achieve with your writing? In what direction you want to take it?
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with floating about doing this and that and just having fun exploring all the avenues. But I’m beginning to feel a bit dizzy in the head. I’m living my dream…I’m writing. But now I think it’s time to discover what writing avenue speaks the loudest to me. I think it may be the avenue of the playwright. I’m going to try focusing on that for awhile to see where it takes me. Who knows…I could be totally off-base.
END SCENE
EXIT – STAGE RIGHT…
KEVIN CRAIG 
I’ve never tried screenwriting – not sure I would be good at it all at, though I should take a course to be well rounded as a writer. I do love how dialogue sings.
I have been spinning with my writing path for the last six months or so. Writing for adults, writing for young adults. Which do I want to be pigeon-holed into? The threat of any genre. After a great deal of (over) analyzing, I’ve decided on YA. Why am I fighting what feels right? I think it’s the message we are often sent – the hierarchy of writers and where YA fits on that. This week I seemed to have called a truce with myself about it and have decided F#@K the supposed hierarchy. I am a YA writer.
Self-reflection (even when it does sent you into the spins) is a good thing.
Curtain.
I’ve always thought I’d like to write a movie script. I see all my stories in pictures, they come with soundtracks and lighting effects. I see them via zoom shots or swooping panoramas.
Like you, I love writing dialogue. You are so right about it fleshing out the character or “animating the corpse” (which I found very fitting as my first novel was a Frankenstein type tale and I did, in fact, animate a corpse)
But I like writing novels. My characters carry the story. Their dialogue reveals, transports and sparks. And I love finding new characters or characters making themselves be heard.
As for narrowing my vision, I embrace not having a genre. I feel free and unencumbered b that. Will it help me get published? Probably not, but my dream is I will create my own niche. A place where I can stir the pot with all the spices. Humour, horror, grief, melancholy, joy, and yes, even romance. I’ll dribble in a little poetry but I will enjoy doing it even if only a few ever “get it”.
I firmly believe, you can’t please everyone, but the ones you can, you have to wow.
Wow, them Kevin.
BTW, those are the exact tragedy masks I’ve been looking for. Love that version!
Great post Kevin. How exciting that you’ve not only realized your long term dream of writing, but you’ve found a niche to narrow your focus on as well. That’s quite an accomplishment.
As for me, I’m living the dream. It took a while for me to crack open the romance closet door, but now I can’t imagine writing anything else.