How to Write Honestly
One of the biggest qualms I have with big time films is the lack of honesty. Sure, they fill a lot of seats and make oodles of cash, but most of these will never stand the test of time. Why? What makes the greats so great? What makes movies like “Citizen Kane” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” stand the test of time? They certainly held no spectacle nor anything too flashy. They didn’t rely on action sequences or explosions to fill the seats and tell a story. There aren’t many things that would be seen as “too risqué,” at least for this day and age. So, why do they still resonate? Why are they still so powerful, even though they don’t even contain color within their frames? I believe it’s all thanks to one word: honesty. Let me explain.
Honesty Breeds Creativity
Write in the midst of your mess.
The more we are honest with out present situations and current circumstances, the more we can feel the need to overcome them and creatively think of ways to achieve that. The hardest part of overcoming any situation is admitting to yourself that you’re even in that situation to begin with. You can’t creatively think of ways out of a place you don’t even know you’re in. One way writers like us can tap into how we’re feeling and really hone that honesty is by writing. I’m not talking about writing about the way we want things to be or how we want to see people, but writing in the midst of our mess and letting the words on the page steal a few beats of the pain and heartache. But maybe it’s not even pain, but quite the opposite. Writers aren’t always distressed or downtrodden people, but we just know how to communicate within ourselves to breed honesty within. The more we are honest, the more creative art just has to escape.
Creativity Requires Honesty
Make a new formula.
I firmly believe that unless you’re honest with yourself, you cannot truly create something of value. Sure, you can create something with financial value and something that will fill seats, but that’s just following an existing formula. I’m talking about creatively making a new formula, and only people who are honest with themselves will be able to create such a formula, because that formula is based on your struggles, your joys, your melancholy, your bliss. And unless you’re honest with your struggles and victories, you will never be able to create a formula based on them. I know this is going pretty deep, but I have found that if you want to create something honest and true, you have to be willing to dig deep beneath the surface and attack things that haven’t been attacked in years.
How to Write Honestly
Freedom to explore can be scary, but very rewarding in the end.
So how does one write with honesty? For me, it’s listening to music that fits with how I feel and writing from that mood and feel, but even that requires knowing how I feel. To do that, sometimes it requires me to turn off technology, getting away from outside influencers, and just being without any distractions. When I’m in that place, I find incredible freedom to explore my own thoughts and feelings without restraint. It can be scary at first, but very rewarding in the end. As soon as you know how you feel, write about it. Whether that’s matter-of-factly, metaphorically, or otherwise, write about it! Journal, if necessary. Do what you have to do to get those thoughts and feelings into light, because once in the light, you’ll even find that they hold less power over you than they did a minute ago.
Closing Remarks
Honesty requires depth.
This is quite a lot, I know, and way deeper than I usually go, but honesty requires depth. And honest films will always impact more than just cookie-cutter films. And that’s not to say these lessons are constrained to film, either. This can be used in all areas of life. The more honest you are with yourself, the more free you will become. Cookie-cutter material may always sell better, but which is better, impact or money? The best directors understood that impact is way more important, and money follows eventually, but not always. But impact will last for possibly generations while monetary gain may last for a moment while the studio is happy with your work, until the day they’re not. So be honest, be true, and create with impact.