Screenwriting for the soul

One of my favorite books on screenwriting is "Screenwriting From the Soul" by Richard Krevolin. With a format inspired by Rilke's, "Letters to a Young Poet...," the book is an engaging look at ways a writer can dig deep within their 'creative self.'

I was reminded of the book last night after my appearance on ScreenTalk Radio. The hosts, Chris and Devon, asked me to talk about the realities of becoming a screenwriter. And there's no way to do that without admitting the truth: Screenwriting is a damned hard business to break into.

If you've been following this blog for awhile, you know the depressing numbers: 88 spec scripts sold in 2008. Of those only 9 first-timers.

As a screenwriter once remarked to me, "You have a better chance winning the lottery than becoming a screenwriter." That's probably not actually true, but sometimes it sure feels that way.

Now as I explained last night on ScreenTalk Radio, beyond selling a spec script to a major studio, other possibilities exist. Your script may attract the attention of an agent or manager who may take you on and send you around town for possible assignments, using your script as a writing sample. You may sell your script as a low-budget indie film. Or a genre movie (read: horror).

Still the fact is great scripts do sell. 88 spec script sales is still 88 spec script sales. 9 first-timers is still 9 first-timers. That means somebody is going to hit the jackpot every year.

And if you are about to lapse into a state of total nihilism about your so-called screenwriting career, there's always me, Mr. Living Proof: I sold a spec script to a major studio.

And if I can do it... well, you fill in the rest.

That said, there is a whole other aspect about screenwriting that has nothing to do with selling a script, buying a house in the Hollywood Hills, and chilling with the gliterati. And that's the value writing has for you and your own personal growth as a human being.

I've posted a lot of Writing Questions during the last several months and it's been fascinating to see how each of the respondents approaches the craft. One consistent theme I've found is this:

I write because I love to write.

Which brings me to my variation of Krevolin's book: Screenwriting for the soul.

The fact is the odds against us selling a spec script are astronomical. So it's important for us to realize as much of a benefit from our writing as possible. And if that benefit isn't necessarily financial, then why not spiritual?

Soul. Spiritual. I'm using those terms in a non-religious way. I'm talking about that part of our self that is the Creative, the Center of our Being, the Essence of Who We Are. When we write, if we dig deep enough, we tap into that aspect of ourselves. And that is a powerful act in and of itself.

First, by writing, we affirm the existence of this part of who we are. We are not in denial of our creativity, rather when we write, we embrace it.

Second, by writing, we engage in a relationship with that essential aspect of our self. At its best, we have an "I - Thou relationship" with our Creative. We respect it, we are curious about it, we rely on it, we nurture it, and in return our Creative feeds us ideas, flashes of inspiration, lines of dialogue, and wonderful story insights.

Third, by writing, we allow this authentic part of our self to bloom, to emerge from our Internal World as amorphous thoughts, feelings, and impulses into the External World as words transformed into characters, actions, dialogue, and eventually an entire story.

All of this in the simple act of writing, then one last massive benefit: We learn who we are. Whenever we engage with our creative self, our authentic self, we learn a bit more about who we are. And what a gift that is!

We have one life, one fleeting chance to dwell on this planet. And yet invariably, we get caught up in the day-to-day maelstrom of 'living.' If John Lennon was right when he said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans," then writing is a way, perhaps the best way to stop everything, live in the moment, and just be... with... our... self.

Hence, screenwriting for the soul.

When you write, every line of dialogue, every page, every scene is a potential gift to your soul. You are engaged with it, you are affirming it, you are allowing your creativity to emerge... and all the while, if you have eyes to see and ears to hear, you can learn who you are.

And so, the experience of screenwriting is a dichotomy: The odds against success in the business of screenwriting are hugely low; but the odds of success in the empowerment screenwriting offers are virtually guaranteed... if we remain cognizant of that potential every time we sit down to write.

How about you? Do you experience screenwriting for the soul?