For Love or Money?

As an unpublished, unhired, before-you-were-a-twinkle-in-your-dad's-eye kind of writer, I have the freedom to write pretty much whatever I want. No pesky studios knocking on my door demanding my newest draft of SQUIDWOMAN III: SEX TENTACLES and no pressure to deliver a stunning sequel to my indie love hit TO DELILAH. So yeah. You could say that outside of my 11 hour work day, I'm free to write whatever I want. Wooo!

Here's the question: since I am creatively uninhibited by any pre-existing contract, do I anticipate the emergence of the SQUIDWOMAN series and write an exhilarating third part, which would obviously trump the disappointing sequel, or do I try to find the one idea that's never been written about lurking deep within my soul as an expression of my true creativity? (That last sentence wasn't supposed to make sense.) In other words, do I go commercial, or write what my soul tells me to?

For those of you not in The Industry, here's a quick rundown of commercial films vs. from the soul films:

Commercial:

Big budget

Fits a genre - "Action" or "RomCom"

Has a big star

Examples: Rocky, Saving Private Ryan, Arthur

From the Soul:

Independently financed/produced

Probably about someone's "journey"

Has established actors "showing their chops" or young unknowns trying to be the new "indie it girl/guy"

Example: The Squid and the Whale, Garden State, Precious

My first impression is that no one is going to make my script into a movie anyways, so why don't I just write something unique, from my life? A story about someone who has two cats who cuddle together and it's soooo cute...a story about someone who has a mom and a dad...Ok, well maybe not something from my life. Maybe, since the sky's the limit, I should write the idea that's never been written:

Ok, so what? So I don't have the perfect idea. Does that mean I should sacrifice my artistic ideals to manufacture a proven, formulaic script that doesn't break any ground?

YES! Yes it does. You see, as I outlined in the first sentence of this post, I am a new writer, which means I'm learning. And how do people learn? By copying the classics! You imitate the masters' brush strokes and signature moves in an effort to recreate one of their magnum opuses. If someone has nothing to compare your work to, it's harder for them to tell that it's good. However if you can do a perfect rendition of a classic, say the Hammertime dance, people will shut up and listen.

But doesn't this stifle creativity, you ask? NO! No it doesn't. The creativity comes from making an old hooker look like Megan Fox: taking a tried and true storyline and making it feel like a fresh, though recognizable, Hollywood movie. That's the challenge! To do what everyone has done before you, but better!

That's my advice to myself, which I could have just told myself in private but instead chose to write about on a blog, because nowadays all thinking must occur on the internet. I'm currently writing a romcom, a father/son dramedy and an animated thriller - all commercial enough to be recognizable but with my own voice shining through. And yes, this is just an excuse to use a picture of Megan Fox. Traffic is really going to pick up around here now!