What I enjoy doing

So far for this journal, I have written some abstract pieces on what makes me tick and how I handle being creative in different artistic endeavors.  I also wrote about what inspires me to be creative and how I use that inspiration to create the things I do.

This time, I thought I might do something different and more practical.  I just want to detail what kinds of creative things I do and why I enjoy doing them.

Screenplay

Movies have always been my main passion, and I always wanted to be a writer.  When I was younger, I had no idea how movies were made and I was extremely pleased when I found out about the writing process that went into writing a movie.  I learned everything about screenplays: the format, the length, and technical aspects that needed to adhere to Hollywood guidelines.  I also enjoy writing novels (which I will discuss next) but what I find that is so unique about screenplays is how you can describe the way a scene comes together and it can influence the narrative.  An example of this would be a slow motion shot that, if described in a novel would just come across as silly.

Novel

Novels are far different than screenplays.  When I write a novel, I take advantage of the things that this format allows me to do.  When you write a screenplay, you have to usually keep it between 90 to 120 pages and this is quite a hindrance at times.  There have been so many times where I've had to cut things out of screenplays for the sake of keeping it at an appropriate length.  With novels, I am able to basically add in as many storylines and details as I want to without really worrying about the length.  I mean, The Stand by Stephen King is over a thousand pages for crying out loud.