I’m a Screenwriter. I Wrote a Novel. Should You?

I’ve loved movies since I was a kid but I’ve also loved books. When I decided to become a writer after an early career as a film publicist, I chose screenwriting, not novel writing. Why? Well, for starters, it seemed like a more possible and immediate way to make something happen, get a toehold in a new business, find some level of creative fulfillment and — maybe (big maybe) — make a living.

I had some friends who worked in the TV world who recommended I start writing TV spec scripts and parlay them into freelance assignments — which I eventually did. So even though I imagined that I’d start off writing movies, I found a place for myself in episodic TV and the encouragement to continue. That novel, if I ever wrote one, would have to wait.

And wait it did. For several decades actually, through a busy, twisty and gratifying career writing TV, then feature films, with an expansion into stage plays, teaching screenwriting, and a happily enduring segue into the world of TV movies. Oh, and an ongoing gig as a freelance film journalist.

It wasn’t reinvention but rather expansion, with each new discipline broadening, deepening and informing my writing experience and abilities. Sometimes you go where the work is, other times you need to create those opportunities. And, despite the bumps in the road, it’s been a gas. I’m incredibly lucky to be a writer.

My First Book, “The Last Birthday Party”