What genre(s) do you write?

[micjagguar]

hi, everyone! thought i'd start a group conversation about genres. which do you prefer? which would you never write for? what would you like to write for but need more practice with?

i personally write comedies almost exclusively! any time i've tried writing a sci-fi or fantasy it's been a complete mess, so i've basically given up on ever doing one of those. i would love to eventually learn to write horrors and thrillers, though! i love those genres because the audience doesn't necessarily need to come from the same place the story is set in, or even speak the same language, to feel scared along with the characters. fear seems to be pretty universal as opposed to other emotions. not everyone will cry at the same things, but almost everyone will be horrified by the same things.

what about you guys?

 

[StarChild]

Hi!
So far I’ve written primarily dramas for features. I’ve done a thriller that I want to rewrite again, because I think it could have legs, but right now it’s safer to say it has toes! I did one rom-com a while ago but basically just did a first pass and done. It was very fun, so I’d like to go back to it or something like it at some point. I’m currently just starting a comedy in the Judd Apatow vein. It’s too early to tell if it will go well or abismally, but I am really enjoying the process.

For TV I’ve done a couple specs (Stranger Things and Schitt’s Creek), and for originals a drama and then a framed both hour Kong’s though so in that range.

I guess I’m green enough that I’m still enjoying trying out different things with varying levels of success. I mostly just want to keep writing/rewriting consistently to make sure I’m moving forward.

What type of movies or filmmakers/writers whatnot inspire people?
I’m a big fan of Burton, Jean Pierre Jeanot, Tarantino, Apatow, Kauffman. This is a broad question, maybe the first few that come into mind today- fully realizing it changes and there are many more than you’d mention.

 

[alanray]

I've been asked this question a few times in recent months and I always tell people, I don't focus on any genres or plots. I approach every script I write by starting out with a theme, concept, or character that speaks to me, and then the plot will unravel from there. I'm still a very fresh screenwriter- I've only been working seriously at the craft for a couple years. So I'm still at the place where I don't want to pigeonhole myself into any genre or two and I wanna explore and try many different ideas across the spectrum. I just wanna write stories that speak to me and the human condition and I feel that every genre available has the ability to do that, and some have advantages in certain storytelling abilities than that others don't, and vice versa. Even genres I don't typically enjoy watching too often such as rom-coms or westerns I would be excited to write in because of the possibilities, it's a different approach for me. I really wouldn't mind being like Kubrick or Spielberg who just hops from genre to genre, if someone would let me haha.

Although, as of now, I haven't dabbled too deeply into "genre" writing, although I would say I've rarely written the exact same genre twice yet. I was educated in the mindset that young writers should start off writing more basic dramas to establish core writing principles first and then branch out into other genres down the road, so that's the path I took. For shorts I've written dramas but also a couple that had Twilight Zone fantasy/sci-fi twists. For TV specs I wrote a sitcom pilot as well as a pilot that was a sports drama. And for features I've written a dramady that was adapted from a documentary, and I am currently in the middle of writing a thriller, which has proven difficult but it's one I'm committed to. My favorite genres to watch are sci-fi, horror, war, musical, and boxing- and I would love to write more in these genres eventually.

Filmmakers and writers that inspire me include Nolan, Spielberg, Villenueve, PTA, Sorkin, Sheridan, Scott, McKay, McDonagh, Tarantino.

 

[StarChild]

@alanray I'd like to change my answer - YES to everything you said about not worrying about the genre as you write but letting the story guide you.

Love the filmakers/writers