Why We Write
In the words of David Mamet, we write “to inspire cleansing awe.” This is the goal of drama, and we are writers of drama. We are screenwriters.
But from what do we need cleansing?
The muck of life, the imbalance brought on by our fallen natures, the war of spiritual and physical.
So why screenplays? How can this hidden form – hidden beneath the production, direction, and performances necessary to bring a film to life – inspire anything worthwhile? Why write something that tends to play fourth or fifth or sixth chair to the other instruments? We are gluttons for punishment. But recognition and fame and wealth are poor reasons to pursue a career in screenwriting; they are poor reasons to pursue anything. We love story. We love film.
We write because we have a compulsion to do so. We write because it is a divinely-given, innate desire within us.
Mark Botts & Isaiah Mouw
July 2013
But from what do we need cleansing?
The muck of life, the imbalance brought on by our fallen natures, the war of spiritual and physical.
So why screenplays? How can this hidden form – hidden beneath the production, direction, and performances necessary to bring a film to life – inspire anything worthwhile? Why write something that tends to play fourth or fifth or sixth chair to the other instruments? We are gluttons for punishment. But recognition and fame and wealth are poor reasons to pursue a career in screenwriting; they are poor reasons to pursue anything. We love story. We love film.
We write because we have a compulsion to do so. We write because it is a divinely-given, innate desire within us.
Mark Botts & Isaiah Mouw
July 2013
