Where do you see yourself?

This comes from something on another thread.

When it comes to screen writing:

Do you see yourself as a professional, a hobbyist, a student, or something else?

Are you here to help others, socialize, hone your skills, learn, or kibitz?

As I am the one who started this thread I will go first.

I consider myself a novelist who is studying screenwriting.

In fact my novel is suffering because I spend far too much time messing with scripts and on screenwriting boards and not enough writing my novel.

On the other hand my current novel, and all future novels, are benefiting because so much of what I'm learning about screenwriting is transferable in one way or another. Writing loglines are a great way to find and solve problems in your story: The story can be a novel; a chapter within a novel; A specific character within any story.

Attempting to adapt parts of my novel to the screen has given me insights into my story that would never have been possible to me otherwise. I find that when I'm having trouble sorting things out I can usually do it by "adapting."

I am making a definite effort to master the craft of screenwriting: Yet I have not made any commitment to take it past what might be termed a "hobby." Sometimes I picture myself pitching a script, but most of the time I'm learning just because it is fun and it helps me write my novel.

On the other hand I think that if my novel ever reaches the screen, I want to be the one to make the adaptation.

So that is where I am. Where are you?

I consider myself an semi-professional.

I have written dozens of screenplays in the past twenty years. Although my career plans used to be geared toward indy filmmaking and crew work in film and video projects (I have worked in and out of the industry for as much time), I always kept with my passion for writing.

Over the past two years, however, I have focused on screenwriting exclusively and in that time, I got an LA manager, have won a few competitions (and made finals, semi and qt in many others), did two rewrites for hire (third in negotiations), have optioned a script, co wrote a film that is on the shelves (that one was 15 years ago).

In addition I teach workshops in screenwriting and maintain my presence in the industry by doing post work.

More info on me can be found at www.renderville.com or my listing on IMdb.com under my full name Joseph Calabrese.

WA, parallel lives. Every time I try to walk away from this screenwriting thing and return to writing bad novels instead, IT PULLS ME BACK IN AGAIN. "Where am I" -- probably somewhere in the hobbyist/student category.

One of the many reasons you should never listen to dpat ~PipeWriter
I don't know why you have a problem with me, dpaterso. It's not my fault your writing sucks so bad. ~A Pathetic Writer
dp, is it a wonder why your writing is like two cars crashing. ~vig

a vine that will either spread like kudzu or wilt

I see myself as a filmmaker. An auteur, if you can forgive the pretentiousness of that word. I enjoy both writing and directing both tremendously, and I can't imagine giving up either one. Whether I get paid to do them -- that's another story.