Game Plan: How I Will Approach Writing on this Site Going Forward

 

This is the week that the site encapsulates the vision that I've had for it for several years now and the one that I officially declared upon the rebranding last October. 

This is a movie site. But one that believes movies are more than just entertainment. They can speak into and connect with all aspects of life. Movies are a way that we make sense of the world. Movies are a way of expressing our thoughts, views and feelings. Movies can teach and inspire and energize and heal. If movies can help us explore all aspects of life then through movies I can write about things like mental health, parenting, politics, social issues, creative process and life itself. The more I write with that agenda then the more I hope to showcase exactly what that means and allow my site to offer value that other movie sites can't offer.

I'm not ever going to have breaking news on here.

I probably won't ever land an exclusive interview with a Hollywood superstar.

It is unlikely I'll ever attend a press junket and attend the global premiere of a major movie.

Hell, I am not sure if I'll ever receive a screener to a major studio movie or get to attend a press screening or be involved in covering one of the major film festivals.

But I can offer my personal touches. I can do deep dives in major movies and find ways to apply them to other aspects in life. I can write about my personal experience and use it as a way to offer value to others. I can make a damn entertaining web site that offers my own unique perspective and insight.

I realize this site has never really captured my vision that I laid out in October and the last month has been little more than posting older pictures of my kid followed by a few fluffy words.

The reality is I've been wrestling with self doubt and felt overwhelmed with trying to land high-paying clients and allowed many non-writing factors to skyrocket my stress. It has led to me coming to the site feeling burnt out and having little in the creative juices jar.

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My dream is to become a novelist. My dream is to have a successful and acclaimed writing career. I recognize having my own site plays a huge part in making it work. The best way to have a website with a growing readership is to make sure there is something new to read on a daily basis. More importantly something to read that offers real value and convinces them to return on a daily basis.

I deeply desire this site to be a success, so I commit to persevering and grinding away to make this a place that entertains, inspires and helps.

In the coming weeks, I have several major movie reviews planned and will finally deliver the first part of the serialized story that I've been teasing for over a year. Plus I'm going to engage much more often on major news items, catch-up on some long-overdue tributes and throw in my personal adventures as a parent and writer.

How do I plan to pull this off since I've failed to do so for the last three-plus months?

The big thing is stop having a specific idea of what movie writing and reviewing should be to stop comparing myself to legends like Roger Ebert. To stop building up in my mind that there is this grand standard that writing must measure up against. My writing is distinct and different. I don't need to follow any rules on how a review or article is constructed. I must accept my differences and my skills, and let them form and craft their own unique perspective and story.

There has been a thousand reviews of Marvel movies and it doesn't make sense trying to tackle what has already been written, but follow my heart and soul to craft a new take on those massive works.

This means sometimes a review may only be 200 words. Sometimes a review may be two thousand. Sometimes a review may be from the voice of a fictional character and other times a review may have large portions devoted to telling how I spent an afternoon with my kids. There are many way of analyzing and exploring a film. The only must is be honest with my experience.

I may end up revisiting Star Wars multiple times in a year because I'll continually have something new to write. I may write a really short review on a critically acclaimed movies like The King's Speech but then a few days later be inspired to write something else.

That is okay.

That is how this site will roll.

I will worry less about people hating something before I even write it. I will not compare my own writing and perspective with others. I will not be rattled if I love a movie that has 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. Maybe me loving something that most other respected critics despise will allow me to connect with that reader who also found the movie special and important.

My strategy going forward is to embrace what makes me unique.

My strategy going forward it to keep writing no matter what the internal voices are screaming.

I want to entertain,. I want to add value to my readership. I also won't allow my own worry about how my work will connect to be a reason to not write or post.

I will trust my uniqueness.

I hope it ends up being a rewarding experience for us both.

As always, thank you for reading and sticking with me.