I have a burning desire to write scripts. In the fall semester, when I taught a playwriting class, I quickly realized I missed theatre. Thankfully, I could stay within the theatre sphere by teaching sound design in the spring. Since the fall semester, my love of scriptwriting returned. The passion the students showed was inspiring. They made me want to dive headfirst into a passion that I put on pause for way too long.
I’ve been writing a lot of scripts lately, from plays to short films to television scripts. A lot of it is bad, like most things I write, but at least I’m stretching my creative juices with it all. I write more in a script format than I do in prose, which isn’t surprising. I’ve always loved script writing more I just didn’t think I could use it as an outlet for the world and stories I want to tell… But now, after writing a sci-fi television script and outline, I think I may try to adapt my fantasy world into a script or two.
I harbor no illusions; I won’t produce the scripts I write.
I should rephrase that: I don’t expect to produce the scripts I write.
This form of writing is for me to tell a story I’m excited about, in a format that encourages me to be efficient and go ham on dialogue (I love writing dialogue). Maybe one day I’ll try to produce one of the many scripts I’ve written in the last six months… But for now, I’m happy with keeping them to myself.
I wish I could tell my former playwriting students how much they inspired me.
Jesús M. Rivera 