To blog, or not to blog ... one of so many questions I've been struggling with lately. If the whole point of this blog is to have more fun, shouldn't I be out doing that rather than sitting at home writing about it? And if the purpose of this blog is to dwell upon my layoff and heroic transition to the next stage of my professional life, aren't we all just a little sick and tired of that story? I mean come on, I haven't worked at a law firm for over a year now. Isn't it time to just get over myself and move on already?
I'm not the only one who is weary of talking about the poor state of the economy.
In fact, I hear the recession is officially over now. Actually, they say it ended 15 months ago, in June of 2009. (Funny that I was laid off in August of 2009 "due to the recession" ...) Yet unemployment in California still hovers over 12%, with no sign of improving in the near future. (Unless we suspend our greenhouse gas emission laws? Huh?? Only in California would out-of-state oil companies be allowed to sponsor a proposition arguing that dirtier air will somehow improve our lives. See Proposition No. 23 if you care to examine the full silliness of it all...)
But I digress. I've decided to do my part ... as of today, I am no longer unemployed.
I am a writer.
It's kind of like being a consultant or a life coach; no one can prove that I'm not.
But sadly, no one is paying me to make this proclamation. In fact, I'm actually doing my part to support the economy by forking over rather high tuition for a screenwriting class. Of course as a former attorney, I'm actually arrogant enough to believe I can write a movie. From what I've learned thus far, creating a screenplay is pretty much like drafting a legal brief. Once you learn the basic formula (e.g., "IRAC" for legal writing), writing the rest should be a breeze.
Here is my first movie's storyboard:
Isn't it beautiful? I just love its symmetry and color scheme. These are my scene cards, with the various colors depicting the acts. Yellow cards remind me to insert important plot points such as Inciting Incident, No Going Back, and All is Lost.
The only problem thus far?
All the cards are blank.
And I guess this is the basic challenge of being a writer; I need to actually sit down and write.
With no supervisor, no deadlines, and no billable hours.
So will I continue blogging? I'm not sure, but my hope is that perhaps by writing about the creative process now and then, I might just gain some empathy and encouragement. I would love to connect here with some "real" writers -- i.e., people who spend a significant amount of time writing each day -- whether paid to do so or not.
I've heard that we do not choose to become writers; writing chooses us. Right now, staring at my blank storyboard, I kind of wish it would choose someone else ...
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Are you a writer? What has your experience been? How did you gain the courage to first start calling yourself a writer? And how do you stay motivated to write each day?