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Is it because you're very interested in that genre or is it because your thought process leads you to that particular writing path?
I remember an interview with Stephen King where he was asked as to why he doesn't write for a more 'literary' genre such as romance or drama - as opposed to horror.
If I remember correctly he just smiled and said "You assume I have a choice in the matter..."
"We don't make movies for critics, since they don't pay to see them anyhow."
Personally, I wrote my comedy feature because every other feature I started writing, regardless of the genre, ended up containing a distractingly large number of comical moments. So I decided to write a purely comedy piece, in the hope that it would suck all of my humor out of me, and allow me to focus on more serious pieces. It worked, to some degree. But humor has begun to seep into everything I'm writing again! Looks like it might be time to knock out this sit-com treatment I've been sitting on for six months...
But my favourite genre of films, in terms of watching, are dramas. And this has definitely influences the majority of my work.
I've also had a major hard-on for Scandinavian-noir novels at the minute, which has also resulted in me beginning a treatment for a TV noir show, in the vein of The Killing or The Fall (for you British ones out there).
My favorite genre is horror, hands down. Partly because horror films are what inspired me to write in the first place-- and my favorite movie is An American Werewolf in London. Everything I've written since I saw that movie was influenced by it in some way, from the story structure to the idea of making a contemporary version of an old movie.
But I've found I write a lot of other stuff too, mainly comedy. I don't really understand that because I don't watch many comedies.
I really don't know for sure why I write what I write. One reason might be that I'm not good at writing under pressure. If I tell someone I'll let them read my script once I finish it, I basically get frozen. And it's the same way when it comes to a "serious" genre-- it has to stay real, and you can't get too crazy or quirky with the story because come on, it's supposed to be a serious drama. But the thing about comedy and horror is, you can really let loose, and you don't have to worry about throwing in bizarre twists and odd scenes. The genres thrive off that stuff. Basically anything goes, unlike something like a drama or an action film. Maybe that's just me.
I don't write anything unless the idea really grabs me, something I can get excited about. And most of the time, that's either horror or comedy or both.
I like to dabble in all different genres and styles. I like many different kinds of films so I don't see why I would limit myself to one. I can only write with my own sensibilities so whatever I write, it's going to come out as a James McClung script.
That said, I'm more often than not drawn to darker material and that darker material more often than not has some semblance of horror. I started out writing horror movies exclusively and have been trying to get away from that for a while but always end up getting roped back into writing horror in one form or another. In that sense, I don't have a choice in the matter in that I can only write what most intrigues me at a given time.
Still, I've written in all genres and after my next script, I'm going to write a romantic comedy because this latest one has been such a drag to develop. I'd definitely like to work on something simpler and fun down the line.
I've heard lately that it is good to find 'your' genre and stick to it....I'm such a new writer that I haven't found the one that I love best yet....so I'm working with whichever floats up on my ideas list...some are easier for me than others.
At the present I'm writing a horror and a rom/com...ack..kinda weird to be working on both of those at the same time!
I've heard lately that it is good to find 'your' genre and stick to it....
IMHO, if you write a genre that some people like. Stick with it. If those people like your horror script, for example, they most likely will not be interested in your rom-com and vice versa, of course. Find your niche.
COMEDY: I've tried it, but no one thinks I'm funny. DRAMA: You have to be really good to pull off a good drama. WESTERN: I have a great story in mind, but I'm not good enough to write it yet. SCI-FI: Love it, I just am no good at coming up with ideas. ACTION: Trying one right now. THRILLER: Love those and have written a few. HORROR: My favorite to write. They're fun to write and seems to be what people like from me.
Even though my first feature on here is a comedy, I can't help but find myself more drawn in by drama. My comedy was built around one (1) scene. After that, I had to write an entire story around that one scene! I grew up on a steady diet of Stephen King novels, and I still buy anything he puts out. So you'd think horror might be my calling, but not so. In my early, eary days I tried to emulate King...to no avail. Drama is appealing because they are the movies that move me the most. I find it to be an outlet for my personal life. Conflict resolving, stuff like that. At least in screenplays the characters reslove their conflicts...most of the time, anyway. Steve
I've heard lately that it is good to find 'your' genre and stick to it....I'm such a new writer that I haven't found the one that I love best yet....so I'm working with whichever floats up on my ideas list...some are easier for me than others.
A crime SP I wrote a few years ago (my only genre at the time) received high praise from both an agent (boutique) and a manager (start-up). I was ecstatic, thought I'd won the lottery.
But--supposedly--the market at the time was flooded with Mob stories (thank you, "Sopranos") and the manager asked if I could write a rom-com because he supposedly had a connection at a prod-co specializing in rom-coms. "Sure!" I lied, and spent the next month studying the only book on rom-coms I could find and studying/breaking down the ten rom-com movies I most enjoyed. Took me seven weeks to come up with a script for that manager. The agent was aghast--she had wanted to see me work to my forte, and come up with another crime story that was simply less Mob-focused. When all three of us happened to meet at a function, she admonished the manager (and me) for having me switch from the genre I wrote well. She ignored me after that...one contact gone. I rewrote the rom-com over the next year with notes from that manager--only to see him drop me and the other writers he was helping in order to take a job with a prod-co.
This particular sad tale of bad luck and bad decision-making on my part may have nothing to do with your initial question. But I still rue my decision not to follow that agent's advice and stick with what I did well. That initial rom-com was woefully bad in comparison to the ones I later came up with. It was, after all, my first, and by definition, crappy. Whereas I had already gone through the crappy learning stages of crime and became fairly savvy at them. That's not to say I'd have made my break-through by sticking to crime, because let's face it, the agent was a small boutique and there's no telling how far she could've taken my crime scripts or how good they really were.
On the other hand, I've since become better at rom-coms, as well as broad comedy and horror. Don't know if I'm spreading myself thin, however, by dabbling in several different genres. At least i'm not totally insane and assume that I can write in any genre. I think you need to study the genre(s) you like, in the form of how-to books in each genre (if available) and by watching and reading the best movies in that genre to truly grasp what makes them work or fail, and writing several scripts in that genre before becoming anywhere near competent.
Yes, I regret that decision to switch genres when I had modest interest in my crime-writing. Then again I've expanded my horizons by delving into a couple other genres since. Doesn't mean I would've necessarilly succeeded in crime, but the odds were certainly better.
All that said, if you're particularly good in one definite genre, I's say stick to it till it runs its course, then study up on another genre if it calls to you, and be prepared for another learning curve till you get it right. Being competent in two or three different genres-I feel--is attainable. Being proficient in all genres is delusional. And you might have your best shot by focusing on just one and one alone that you're particulalry good at.
Horror is where my heart is when it comes to writing. I've tried writing comedy and it's hit and miss with me. The more I do it I'm finding out that I'm more of a smarta** than a funny guy who can write a good comedy.
Horror was what drew me into movies. My ultimate goal is to scare a person. I've given a couple of people chills so I'm getting close. lol.
But it's usually never straight horror. Another genre usually enters. Like Action, Thriller, and unintentional comedy.
It's whatever floats your boat.
Gabe
Just Murdered by Sean Elwood (Zombie Sean) and Gabriel Moronta (Mr. Ripley) - (Dark Comedy, Horror) All is fair in love and war. A hopeless romantic gay man resorts to bloodshed to win the coveted position of Bridesmaid. 99 pages. https://www.simplyscripts.net/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b-comedy/m-1624410571/
Is it because you're very interested in that genre or is it because your thought process leads you to that particular writing path?
I remember an interview with Stephen King where he was asked as to why he doesn't write for a more 'literary' genre such as romance or drama - as opposed to horror.
If I remember correctly he just smiled and said "You assume I have a choice in the matter..."
Thank you for posting this question. It's one that I have asked myself. Stephen answers it well indeed, if he has said, "You assume I have a choice in the matter?"
I've come to that conclusion as well. I don't feel I have a choice in the matter. Often, I've started projects, trying to stick with a particular tone, but I lament afterwards because "something" gets the better of me.
Now, I try and think of projects in a very long term fashion. This way, time can work its magic, characters can have a chance to speak. I can assimilate what I perceive as the project's most basic need. Maybe, in the end, that need will speak louder than the existing genre that I had (seemingly and arbitrarily) set.