Screenwriting : Write what you know… by Travis Sharp

Congratulations on getting to your sixth feature script, Travis Sharp!

"Problem is that my life is boring." "Write what you know" also means what you know about events and others.

any screenwriter writes about himself, whether he understands it or not.

I guess you could say I'm including facets of myself into my own story. It's something that I've learned since I studied screenwriting and storytelling as an art form.

And congrats for your sixth feature!

Writing about what you know doesn’t mean you have to write about your life.

Congrats on starting your sixth feature! Takes a lot of hard work to get there. Writing what you know can also mean writing about themes and character types/arcs you know personally. You mentioned boredom and self-loathing, so maybe that means you can write a really strong character who struggles with these things. Doesn't have to be you, just put what you know into the character.

The novel (Pickett) and screenplay (Payne & Taylor) Sideways comes to mind about a self loathing character living an unexciting life. Turn your angst into a cathartic yet entertaining story. Extra strong coffee doesn't hurt.

For Inspo, Watch Edgar Wrights Scott Pilgrim vs The World about a character who thought he was ‘boring.’

the author should not write about himself, but about what he considers important, based on his experience. it requires introspection.

There are huge threads on screenwriting forums over, "Write what you know."

either the best or worst advice for new writers.

There is always something interesting to write about. The best stuff is the seemingly-boring things we tend to overlook in our day to day lives;

Our habitual tendency to play with utensils when we're sitting bored at the dinner table. How we crave cuddling up with our partners in bed but then instantly get too hot and need to separate. How the baristas at a coffee shop can never make an exact same-tasting coffee no matter how exact the ingredients are. Etc.

When you look at things like a kid again; finding what's so fascinating in the ordinary, you'll have plenty of material to write about.

Here is what I know:

I know the struggle of a brain injury.

I know leaving school illiterate.

I know realising later in life that I am far better than other’s expectations.

I know how to be a father of a genius son.

I know how to be the father of a wildly creative daughter who was born mute but eventually talked.

I know some family tragedy.

I know how government works.

I know business.

I can apply all this to my stories regardless of the era, genre or theme.

Who needs a crazy, action-packed life when you can turn your boring existence into comedic gold?

Make at least a little dent in your work every day and sooner rather than later you'll get there! Just keep going!

Excited to see where this leads for you, Travis.

Number 6, that's awesome Travis! Make friends with the abyss :) There's good stuff in there. You got this.

Kudos on your 6th feature! You did it before you can do it again...think about what piques your interest or pisses you off in society today and write about that

Magic happens when ordinary person meets extraordinary situations...so if u go by your life and it's all pretty ordinary, just spice up things a bit...can't be fiction writer without fiction...

Full disclosure, my life isn’t quite that boring overall and the self loathing is more about the writing than myself personally. I was being a bit sarcastic in general. But 1000 thank you’s for the supportive words. I shall begin writing now…Once more unto the breach…dear friends…

I view "write what you know" as "write what interests you." If you're interested in certain subject matter then dive in and learn all you can about it, then you can write what you, now, know. I knew nothing about the air ambulance world but it fascinated me. So, I read a couple books on the industry, interviewed trauma flight nurses, and wrote an action drama script (Top Gun meets ER). Authenticity was noted many times by coverage readers. Dive in, learn and write!

Take the coffee. Say thank you. And inquire about how things are going? It could be an interesting conversation. Just a thought...

What I enjoy most when I watch a movie is the ability to get lost in that world on screen, in part because of the details particular to that moment in time. A great exercise for a writter is to go somewhere you've never been and takes notes on everything: the people, physical environment, mood of the place, and then take it a step further and imagine it is a scene in a movie. An added bonus is to create drama or comedy with dialog.