Writing’s Bright Future

Aha, you’re probably thinking: He’s really bought it this time. After railing about how writing is the 21st century equivalent of opera, how can he pull this out of his butt?

Well, it’s simple. I haven’t changed at all. I’ll reiterate: writing stories and novels is the 21st century equivalent of opera. Yep. Sorry about that. Steve Jobs is right. People don’t read anymore. It’s not a fundamental part of the entertainment landscape of today.

But the future for writing is not only bright, it’s potentially staggering.

If writers are willing to work in forms that people want to consume, the future is brilliant, stunning, supernova-like. Writers will be necessary for a much wider array of content than we ever imagined. Writers working in both genre and non-genre fields.

“Okay. He’s talking about movies and games. Move along, nothing to see here, same old same old about how we should be writing scripts.”

Yeah. But that’s only a small part of it.

Do I have your attention now? Good. First, let me apply the two-by-four to your forehead. If you aren’t looking at writing for the screen, you’re seriously hurting yourself. I’ll start by reminding you of the insane amounts of money Hollywood writers can make. Yes, it’s going to be really, really hard to reach that level. But is it easier than writing a bestselling novel? Yeah. I thought so.

And look at all the screens! Even if you don’t make it in Hollywood A-list stuff, there’s independent movies and films and mobisodes and direct-to-video and tie-ins and branded entertainment and serious games and casual games and and and–the list goes on and on.

And, as our consumption of entertainment increases, there’s going to be an increasing need for people who can bring compelling stories to mobile phones, to Flash games you play on your lunchbreak, maybe even to gas pumps with video screens on them. And with that content will come an increasing need for advertising to feed it. Which means more writers, writing more 30s and 15s and Flash banners and such, if you can stomach the work. As these new forms of entertainment become commoditized, good writing will become even more critical for separating the good from the bad.

But this is only the start. Let’s take a look at another phenomenon: alternate reality games and websites. When it comes to compelling stories, people don’t want them to end. They want to continue to explore and play in worlds they love. Which is why ABC’s Lost has created dozens of websites for companies that never existed, and buried content for dedicated fans to find. It’s why Nine Inch Nails created hundreds of online experiences and games for people to decode to promote its Year Zero album. It’s why even the new Sarah Connor Chronicles has a fake website with the canard of a camera that can take pictures of the future, with videos of the scientists and and ongoing story behind it. All of this has to be written.

And this alternate reality phenomenon ties into a central truth that bodes well for writers: Want is much more powerful than must. Things we want to do pre-empt things we must do, because that’s how we’re wired. We’ll figure out ingenious ways to do what we want. We’ll figure out equally ingenious ways to avoid doing what we must. And diving into alternate realities is definitely on the want side.

Are you a writer? Are you interested in writing new kinds of content? If so, smile. The future is stunning.

February 18th, 2008 /