Why I Started Writing Screenplays
It’s often said that the best writers are currently in Hollywood working on movies and TV shows. The first time I heard this, a number of years ago, I was deeply skeptical. I’d always taken for granted the idea that film is a director’s medium — primarily a visual rather than a literary art form. At some level, I think I even believed that you could put a director in a room with some actors and voilà, you’d have a film.
Imagine someone seeing a stage production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and thinking, “Wow! I can’t believe that director and those goofy actors created something so sophisticated!” The factor missing in this equation is William Shakespeare.
Once upon a time, the best writers wrote epic poems. Then came stage plays. In the 1900s, everyone wanted to write the great American novel. Today, if you’re up to speed with the times and want to reach a large audience as a writer, there’s a good chance your name is Charlie Brooker and you’re currently working on season 6 of Black Mirror for Netflix.
Aside from Mr. Brooker, notable authors who have written screenplays include John Steinbeck, Joan Didion, Aldous Huxley, William Faulkner, Truman Capote, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ray Bradbury, Roald Dahl, and Dave Eggers, to name a few.
