A Few Thoughts About Writing...

I never wanted to be a writer.

I never thought about it when I was growing up and I don't think about it much now. It's just something that I like to do and have been doing for a long time.

In my early days, I studied story structure and attended classes by teachers like Robert McKee and John Truby. That knowledge was critical in my screenwriting career and it continues to help me in writing long form novels. Without a decent knowledge of story structure, you run the risk of getting lost, or worse, pushing unmotivated characters around like so many pieces on a chessboard.

I've worked on movies and live action and animated TV series. I've written documentaries and educational programs. And now I'm writing novels. Before that, I was a cinematographer for seven years. I don't think my varied background is much different than a lot of other writers. When you have a family, you end up writing to pay the bills. It can be 'fat city' when you get a good paycheck and not a lot of fun during a drought. Eventually, you gain some level of success and you end up writing about it like I'm doing now.

One of the great things, of course, is that you get to live the "writer's life'. Since the 1980's, I've been getting up and going to bed when I want. I travel when I have the money and I follow my interests wherever they take me.

That's the big one. If you're curious about life, and you have any kind of imagination, you'll want to follow your interests. Because that's what a writer's life is about.

And that's what makes it so good.