An interesting twist on the old “write what you know” adage comes from aspiring screenwriter Mark McCann, who also is a policeman. One of his shorts was produced and has won some prizes and one of his feature scripts has just been optioned–for the fifth time.
He told Arkansas Online: ”I try to avoid writing movies about cops. That may seem illogical, but let’s face it… being a cop is not all roses and sunshine. Nobody calls 911 because they’re having a good day.
“Being a cop means you are there for the worst time of people’s lives; they’re bleeding, crying, or both. Rarely are there happy endings. So when I write, I create my own world with happy endings.”
In that sense, writing about what you don’t know may be a great strategy. Stuck in an office? It’ll probably make you happy to write a story set on an idyllic island. (If you’re stuck on an idyllic island, will you want to write about an office?)
Writing about realities we wish were so is a powerful motivator. If you’ve felt constrained by the ‘write what you know’ idea, give it a try.
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For more tips on screenwriting, visit Filmmaking Stuff every Tuesday for a new post from Jurgen Wolff and also check out his site, www.ScreenWritingSuccess.com. You may also find his “Your Writing Coach” book useful.
About Jurgen Wolff
Jurgen Wolff has written more than 100 episodes of TV, created the animated series “Norman Normal,” wrote the mini-series “Midnight Man,” starring Robe Lowe, the feature film “The Real Howard Spitz,” starring Kelsey Grammer and has been a feature film script doctor for movies starring Kim Cattrall, Michae Caine and Eddie Murphy, among others. He is also the author of a dozen books including “Your Writing Coach” and “Your Creative Writing Masterclass,” both published by Nicholas Brealey. His screenwriting blog is www.ScreenwritingSuccess.com.
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I wrote on on the same subject -> http://danielmartineckhart.blogspot.com/2011/01/write-what-you-know-what-crock.html