Out with the Old and In with the New

The end of one year and the coming of the next are an exciting time - wedged in between Holidays, stuffed like pigs in a blanket.  It is a time of reflection, but more importantly, forward thinking. 

Thankfully, some years end better than others, as was this year of 2010.  Keeping in mind that there are years that are tinged by tragedy, when reflection is not so easy and the prospect of any future is difficult to fathom.  So, it is nice to have a chance to reflect positively on what has transpired over the past 365.

It has been a year of transition, much like that of  many others.  I once thought myself the next Jack Nicholson, chasing my dream as an actor out in LA.  While that time was filled with great experiences, I gradually lost interest in the process.

Moving back East I set out on a journey to transfer my passion for performance into that of screenwriting.  And I count myself fortunate, because in doing so I found that the creative hole between gigs was easier to fill by moving from one script to the next within a matter of hours to days as opposed to the weeks and months with acting.

For the next ten years I slipped back into the "normal" world, all the while honing my skills as a screenwriter.  It's amazing how similar the creative processes are if you allow yourself to become fully immersed.  The creative juices are there, and, unfortunately, so are some problems.

The problem with screenwriting these days is that there isn't that much being made that hasn't already been made.  Remakes, while sometimes good, are a cork in the creative flow of the now.  No zeitgeist can run free among the world if we're stuck in the past. Hey, maybe that is where we are. So be it.  But as much as I like movies, I have no intention of writing what someone else has already made.  I'm sorry, I can't stand it.  No creative juices.  No Thanks.

That is why I began the transition to writing short stories and novels a few years ago.  This year I made the leap; it was the first year in ten years that I did not write a screenplay.  This particular transition was completed when I finished the first draft of my first novel in November. For that I am grateful, but now comes the tough part. 

The year ahead shall be one of exciting new challenges as I move towards the publishing stage with a number of works.  Who knows, maybe by this time next year you will have read me.  We'll see.

Happy New Year!

-aap