Thursday, February 03, 2011

Be Thou My Vision

Right now, I'm writing a story, a framework for a screenplay. I'm fighting the entire time against the instinct to shun any elements that I feel like I've seen before.

I love original work, I love the filmmakers that reach for the heavens, so much so I give a free pass to those who only make it to the clouds.

But I don't feel like trying to be original is what gets you there. Originality for it's own sake deadly, no, worse, it's tedious.

But here I come, time and time again, horrified at the prospect of my work being received as "unoriginal."

Writing from my insecurities is always a very dangerous temptation for me.

But great writing, as far as I can tell, doesn't come from looking over your shoulder every five seconds to see what "they" think of you. It comes from a clear head and clear vision. Originality will come, I believe that. But not if I call for it. It's a byproduct, and it knows that. It's modesty, humility, will not allow it to take the place of storytelling, art-making's true king: Truth.

I feel very pretentious writing that sentence. But I believe it; I have to. I would wither up if my art was to aim for something else, mainly because there is nothing else.

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