I was talking to a young writer the other day and the question came up about whether you need to “stay in your lane,” meaning stick with one genre. He writes screenplays and plays and poetry, and he had started thinking about writing a novel. What is my advice? I have no idea. If you’re aiming for one thing, it’s probably smart to just do that one thing and hone your craft develop contacts. But some people play multiple instruments, and others write, direct, and act. When I think of how much I put into poetry as a young person, and all the screenplays I’ve written that have gotten nowhere, and the books I wound up writing instead, I honestly can’t make much sense of it. I can connect the dots, but there was never a plan. One thing led to the next.
Do you have a path?
credit: cool2bkids
Filed under: fiction, Poetry, screenplays, Screenwriting, Writers, Writing |
Betsy Lerner 
My current path is to polish a short story that I’ve already written. Then slowly write a novel that has been outlined and researched when I’m not busy with other obligations. That’s it. No more poetry.
“Do you have a path?”
The Long and Winding Road. I, too, have created many works in various forms. Whatever it took to exude from myself that creative spirit which demanded I leave artifacts in my wake.
Any accomplished craftsman is going to have a workshop littered with scraps and finished work, realized projects and lumpen failures.
“Stay in your lane” is youngspeak, fearspeak, a command from your corporate masters. Honor it or obey it or ignore it, as you choose — whatever path you take, it will always be at your benefit and your peril. Nothing is free, there is no nothing, and nobody gets out of here alive.
A writer writes. I don’t think there’s such a thing as a lane. If an artist painted and also sketched, no one would think anything of it. It’s obvious. I’m not a “successful” writer per se, but I’ve had a nonfiction book published (thanks!), a poetry chapbook and oodles of poems published in oodles of places, nonfiction articles published and even syndicated, short stories published and awarded, essays published and awarded, and I work full-time as a writer of healthcare papers and internal communications.
All the lanes are ours, whether we veer or deliberately steer.
Art informs art. Why impose limitations?
At my age traditional publishing considers my path much too short for the likes of them. My column may be my writing-mainstay but the process of writing fiction brings me great joy. Even though I know fiction will most likely never produce success it parallels all other efforts. (My friends love my novels and that’s enough).
To the young writer, write that which fills your heart. Years will pass quickly and if you do not at least try you will wonder why you didn’t veer. Sometimes your choice may feel like a waste of time, sometimes you will feel blessed by the choices you make. It’s all a learning process my young friend. But sometimes, whoa, back the truck up, an opening appears that you never knew existed. That’s the ride to look for. Grab the wheel and hang on.
Change can be costly so can ruts. It’s the ride that counts.
There re two paths — one leads to hell and is full of demons, temptations and sin. Beware this road, unless you want to have a good time. The other path is of righteousness. This path leads to kindness and compassion. It’s a safe path, easy to navigate but only vanilla ice cream is available.
Problem # 1: I like chocolate.
I’ve gone from one path to the next. My roadmap got lost along the way when I was messed up; I think it fell into a vat of vanilla ice cream.
I have a path, but I’m never on it.
I started with lovelorn poetry to boyfriends, segued into some stories, then longer stories that were obviously novels, recently sidestepped into playwriting. All fun. Now I’m in a writing group to work on a novel that’s been percolating for 11 years. Only small stuff published, but those kept me going. I’m too old…72…to give up now. I’d say try anything, everything. As long as you enjoy the work, keep going.