|
I’ve come upon writers who are so concerned about this
“business” of selling out that they are ashamed to say or
promote what it is they are writing.
This is especially true of scriptwriters Some
who I met are conscious of their status as writers for major TV
networks, saying that they should be writing stories with values and
deep philosophical insights or social relevance or whatever Instead,
they regularly churn out fanfare material that will ponder to all
types of audiences (the lower in the social rung, the better,
according to network executives) Hey, if it pays the bills, then why
should one be ashamed of it? And yes, people do watch these kinds of
stories, shallow or otherwise Somebody has to write them.
I’ve even met some former classmates in film
school who say these things, too, that they are sellouts because
they write for TV, not for film Given the current state of
Philippine cinema these past years, I wouldn’t blame them Even in
the midst of the digital independent film revolution, scriptwriters
still have a long way to go in terms of proper recognition, respect
or pay So thus, there’s really nothing wrong with branching out to
other writing avenues We all have to eat and live, right?
Literary writers also find themselves in this
sellout rut when they realize that, instead of writing fiction or
poetry—forms closer to their hearts—they write words for
advertisement copy, press releases that sound more like praise
releases, or fluffy features for lifestyle and entertainment
publications For me, this is not really selling out but more of
expanding one’s skills as a writer What’s wrong with a little
fluff? We need it sometimes in our lives And yes, people do read
this stuff Not all material we read should be deep down serious or
profound, right? It’s just a matter of balance or preference, I
guess And there should be writers supplying material at all ends.
I guess these writers complain about these
things once they have already reached their saturation point That I
understand, and I can relate to I’m sure each creative soul has a
breaking point when it comes to writing what you want to write and
writing what you need to write to earn a living I don’t see
anything wrong with writing to earn a living, even if the material
one is writing is not that close to one’s heart, or mind, or soul
or whatever Yes, even if others brand you as a “sellout ” I say,
so what? As long as a writer is happy writing what it is he or she
writes, and she gets paid for writing it, then that’s all good I
just wish some writers would stop “complaining” that they are
sellouts when confronted with their situations Sometimes, the best
“defense” is not being so defensive at all.
Comments? Suggestions? E-mail libay
scribevibe@gmail com She is also at libaycantor
multiply com
|
