It seems like when it comes to media-productions nobody cares if the writing is any good.
I've recently played video games and watched movies with INTENSELY amateurish writing. So much to the point where there is no conflict-resolution, just a jumble of ideas that never reaches any sort of fruition. I see writers spending eighty-bajillion years explaining their intense exposition, boring their readers/viewers to tears, only to throw it all out in lieu of some scene that really doesn't have a place.
Why is it that writing seems like the first thing to go when it comes to large media projects? I've seen people who say things like "I don't need a writer, I've written stuff before." Yes, I'm pretty sure that you learned how to write as a child, unless you grew up in an intensely difficult situation or were born without hands. You've written grocery lists, and book reports, and maybe some e-mails that you thought were just the cleverest things in the world, but until you know how to write a story, you have not written "stuff" before.
Good writing is the kind you don't notice. You're too busy enjoying the rest of the film/game/show to stop and say "wow, this has a comprehensible plot and well-written characters" and that's the way it should be. Often, you don't notice bad writing either. You're just saying "wow, this doesn't make any sense, and wait, why is that happening, and what about these characters, where did they go?" It's only when you have to really sit down and think about what made the project good or bad is when you come up with "The writing rocked/sucked".
PLEASE. Creators of the world.
WRITING IS A SKILL JUST LIKE PAINTING/ACTING/COSTUMING/DANCING/SINGIN
If you suck, either admit it and get a real writer, or learn how to write. Don't just say "oh, I've written stuff before".
It's an insult to writers and an insult to your audience.
When there's too much focus on polish, most of the effort is spent trying to make the product look good. Unfortunately consumers are shallow and will only try things which look good and are heavily advertised.
ReplyDeleteIt's similar to how people thought the OEL scene sucked prior to KS because none of them had polished graphics, not realizing that the quality of writing actually took a nosedive once the emphasis went to good-looking games. I miss the days when people like Mr. E were around, the writing 2-3 years ago were sometimes revolutionary, if short.
I agree that polish/the "ooo, shiny" factor has really overpowered the value of good writing, and it's sad.
ReplyDeleteI don't see why we can't do both. Get really good artists AND really good writers. A shiny polished finish and a strong interior aren't mutually exclusive.