Which Species of Screenwriter are you?

This article poses five different types. Which one(s) are you?

I don’t normally post articles from outfits who run contests or offer script consulting services, but I’m making an exception with this one from Industrial Scripts (not an endorsement, by the way).

The ‘building-block’ nature of screenwriting is such that any screenwriter needs a selection box of varying skills . As you’d expect, different screenwriters tend to find themselves drawn to, and more skilled at, certain aspects of the process.

Whether its creative story ideas, unique characters, or a structure so tight, there are perks and pitfalls to any of these distinct skillsets and precious few writers have a mastery of all of them.

And whilst one — as a screenwriter — can through ferocious hard work, years of watching and reading and analysis of narratives of every kind, achieve magnificent improvements in one’s self, the core ingredients will out.

Could James Cameron write the “how do you like them apples?” scene from GOOD WILL HUNTING?

Could Cameron Crowe cook up a surgically precise, Swiss-watch of an opening act such as the one that opens THE TERMINATOR?

Could the Wachowskis nail the quick-witted banter and iconic ‘climax’ of the diner scene from WHEN HARRY MET SALLY?

They’re all different from one another.

So different, one could argue, that they could be entirely different breeds or even species of screenwriter.

So, dear reader, which species of screenwriter are you?

Here are the 5 ‘species’ from the article:

The Character Wizard — Screenwriter Species #1

The Concept King — Screenwriter Species #2

The Structuralist — Screenwriter Species #3

The Genre Chef — Screenwriter Species #4

The Conversationalist — Screenwriter Species #5

The article places Billy Wilder in the Genre Chef category which flabbergasts me because he wrote and directed across genres: From Film Noir to Romance, and multiple variations of Comedies and Dramas.

The specifics of the article are less interesting to me than the idea of these five ‘species’. Point being: As a writer, it’s helpful to recognize what one’s strengths are. For example, I feel comfortable with my own skills with the first three, but not the last two. While a majority of the projects for which I’ve been hired or sold are comedies, I’m just not as interested in that nowadays. And while I think I’m decent with dialogue, it’s not my best skill-set. Indeed, it’s something I work on.

Ideally we’d be able to hop into and out of all five ‘species’, but short of that, it’s an interesting list to use to reflect on one’s talents.

How about you? Which ‘species’ are you? Can you comfortably migrate from one ‘species’ to another?

For the rest of the article, go here.