Writing Stories That Belong on the Big Screen

For a long time, I wrote poems and songs because that was the language my mind naturally spoke. But somewhere along the way, my writing began to change. It stopped being just about emotions and started becoming stories. I found myself creating characters instead of voices, building scenes instead of verses, and asking questions that could not be answered in a single poem.

The turning point came when I wrote pieces like My Earliest Memories, Vision of Insanity, and, more than any other, Foreign Mystery. Those works made me realize that I wasn't merely writing poetry anymore. I was thinking like a storyteller. Every line wanted another line behind it, every character demanded a past, and every ending seemed to be the beginning of something much larger.

That was when I knew screenwriting was no longer a distant ambition. It had become the natural destination for everything I had been teaching myself through poetry. This dive is simply my commitment to walk that path with purpose.

It took me roughly three years to reach this level, counting from the day I truly decided that screenwriting was a path I wanted to pursue, somewhere around late 2023.

The biggest reason it took that long is that I refused to rush into a craft I knew I didn't fully understand. I had spent years writing poems and songs, but I also knew that screenwriting demanded something different. It wasn't enough to write beautiful lines. I had to learn how to build scenes, develop characters that felt alive, create conflict that earned its place, and tell a story that could be seen rather than simply read.

Instead of forcing myself into writing a screenplay too early, I allowed myself to grow through the kind of writing I already loved. Every poem became an exercise in storytelling, even when I didn't realize it at the time. I kept experimenting with narrative, with suspense, with character, and with the idea that every story should leave the reader wanting to know what happens next.

Looking back now, I can see that works like My Earliest Memories, Vision of Insanity, and especially Foreign Mystery were more than poems. They were proof that my writing was beginning to think visually and narratively. They gave me the confidence to stop treating screenwriting as a distant dream and start treating it as a craft worthy of my full attention.

So yes, it took about three years. But I don't see those years as time lost. I see them as the years that taught me not just how to write, but why certain stories deserve to be told on the big screen.

Screenwriting is a bold undertaking, at least that's how I have come to see it. It wasn't until I truly decided to engage with it that it dawned on me that what I was trying to do was far beyond writing an ordinary play or telling a good story. A screenplay demands that every scene earns its place, every character carries a purpose, and every moment quietly prepares the audience for something waiting ahead.

For me, the hardest part has always been the beginning. There is something intimidating about facing a blank page knowing that the very first scene has to invite a stranger into an entire world. If the opening stumbles, everything that follows has to work twice as hard to recover.

The next challenge is connecting the dots. I enjoy creating ideas, but ideas alone don't make a screenplay. The real work begins when scattered moments have to find each other, when characters who seem unrelated suddenly become part of the same destiny, and when every scene starts pushing the story toward a conclusion that feels inevitable rather than convenient.

Ironically, that is also what I love most about screenwriting. It constantly reminds me that a great story isn't built from isolated moments of brilliance, but from countless moments that quietly hold hands until the final frame.

Ironically, the easiest part has always been getting the story. For me, stories arrive the same way poems do. An idea suddenly appears out of nowhere and, before I know it, it keeps flowing as though it has already decided where it wants to go. Sometimes it flows so much that it becomes almost convoluted, and that is exactly where discipline becomes as important as inspiration. Not every beautiful thought deserves to stay on the page.

As long as the muse is present, I rarely worry about running out of ideas. My challenge has never been imagination. It has always been knowing when to slow it down, when to listen to the story, and when to silence the poet so the screenwriter can speak.

Perhaps the strangest part of my process is that I never begin with a screenplay. I begin with a poem—usually a very long one. That poem becomes the heartbeat of the story. It allows me to discover the emotions, the characters, and the hidden meanings before I ever think about scenes or dialogue. Only after the poem has finished saying everything it wants to say do I begin adapting it into a screenplay.

Maybe that is why I don't see poetry and screenwriting as two different worlds. To me, one simply grows into the other.

If I have any advice to give, it is this: stay true to yourself. Don't spend your life trying to become the next great writer when the world has never had the chance to meet the first you. Inspiration is real, and every artist borrows light from those who came before them, but there is a difference between being inspired and becoming a shadow. Be inspired, then return to your own voice.

The second thing is even simpler: write. Ideas are beautiful, but they become worthless if they spend their entire lives imprisoned inside your head. Pick up the pen. Open the laptop. Begin with one sentence if that's all you have. Stories are not built by waiting for perfection; they are built by showing up, one page at a time.

Don't be afraid of writing something imperfect. Every finished screenplay was once a rough draft that its author almost gave up on. The page does not ask you to be brilliant; it only asks you to be honest. The more honestly you write, the more your own voice begins to reveal itself.

In the end, your greatest competition is not another screenwriter. It is the version of yourself that keeps saying, "I'll start tomorrow." Defeat that person first, and the rest of the journey becomes a matter of patience, persistence, and faith in your own story.

For me, the first resource is the notepad on my phone. Ideas don't wait for the perfect moment. Sometimes a story arrives while you're walking, lying in bed, or doing absolutely nothing. If you don't catch it, it may never come back the same way.

I would also recommend Wattpad and AllPoetry. I have learned a lot simply by reading other people's work, seeing different writing styles, and understanding how stories and emotions are built in completely different ways.

More than any app or website, though, I recommend developing the habit of writing every single day. Resources can inspire you, but only the blank page can make you a writer.

One of the most memorable adventures I had while pursuing this dive was returning to some classic thrillers that had already planted seeds in my mind years ago. I went back to watch films like Seven, The Game, and A Clockwork Orange, but this time I wasn't watching them only as an audience member. I was watching them as someone who wanted to understand the machinery behind the story. I started asking myself questions: why did this scene happen this way? Why did this character make this decision? How did the writer create tension and keep the audience trapped inside the story? Those films became some of the early inspirations that pushed me toward wanting to create something of my own.

Another experience I will always remember was my conversation with a female friend about my first serious proposed screenplay, Courtroom Decorum. I gave her the script, and after reading it, she honestly admitted that she wasn't really grabbing what I was trying to communicate. At first, I was almost baffled because, in my head, the story was already alive. I could see the hidden messages, the emotions, and the direction I wanted the audience to follow. But after about a week, we met again, and she told me that after reading the script carefully for the third time, everything started making sense. That moment taught me that sometimes a writer can be too close to his own creation and forget that the audience is discovering the world for the first time.

I remember telling her that I wanted to create something with layers, something that would not reveal all its secrets immediately. I wanted a story that would make people think, question, and perhaps return to it again with a different understanding. I am genuinely grateful for the patience she showed because taking the time to read and understand someone else's work deeply is not something everyone is willing to do.

However, one of my biggest battles during this journey was learning that having a powerful idea is not the same as building a powerful screenplay. My mind has always been filled with narratives, images, and possibilities, but screenwriting forced me to confront the importance of structure. I had to learn that every scene cannot simply exist because it feels interesting; it must serve a purpose. The challenge was taking the beautiful chaos inside my imagination and giving it a proper shape without killing the spirit that created it.

Another unforgettable moment was when I reached out to ChatGPT with my screenplay ending after spending almost two weeks developing it. I wanted an honest opinion and even requested an alternative ending that completely contrasted with mine. By that point, I was almost consumed by the story. The experience was both frustrating and exciting because it forced me to question my own decisions. It reminded me that writing is not just about protecting your ideas; sometimes you have to challenge them, break them apart, and see whether they can survive from another perspective.

Looking back, these experiences have taught me that screenwriting is a journey between imagination and discipline. The ideas may arrive like a storm, but the writer's responsibility is learning how to direct that storm. Every film I studied, every conversation I had, every doubt I faced, and every revision I made became part of the adventure. I am still learning, but that is exactly what makes the journey worthwhile.

Midnight Short True Stories 
Synopsis 

Beginning: A mysterious man was left completely baffled after noticing a single blue tooth inside his mouth while looking in the mirror, the people around him begin staring at him in a strange manner and his search for a clue starts.

Middle: Soon enough detectives pursue him as he moves through increasingly disturbing, surreal and menacing encounters, with his paranoia, violence, and apparent loss of control reaching an all time low.

End: The intense journey culminates with a terrified girl, whose screams reveal the possibility that the man himself is dangerous, ending with his unsettling temptation of what it feels like to kill someone.

Yes, I will be pursuing the next level for this dive.

The reason is simple: I don't want screenwriting to remain just an interest or a personal achievement. I want to keep growing until I can confidently call myself a professional screenwriter. I understand that becoming better at this craft requires constant practice, more writing, more learning, and more challenges.

Writing is something I have to fight for. The stories inside me will not become real by simply existing in my mind; they need to be pushed onto the page, shaped, rewritten, and tested. I believe every new level is another opportunity to stretch myself further and discover what I am truly capable of.

So I want to take this as far as I can, push it to the wire, and continue improving until the stories I carry can find their place on the big screen.

No rules
No excuses 
No regrets