"I WRITE BECAUSE..." By Dan Pal
A Baker's Dozen of questions in search of 12 + 1 answers.
Welcome, Dan Pal. So pleased to have you be our third contributor to “I Write Because . . . ”
I first met Dan in 2015 when he was involved with Pride Films & Plays — Queer Bits Film Festival. He ran the Q&A part of the festival, which featured “ALZHEIMER’S: A Love Story”, a documentary about Gregory’s, my husband’s, path with Alzheimer’s.
People can find him here: http://danpal.substack.com/
A. Gender-wise, I identify as male.
B. I am gay.
C. I am married.
D. I am 63 years old.
E. My educational background includes 2 masters degrees: one from Loyola University in Chicago, focusing on education, and the other from the University of Chicago in film.
F. I live in Wheaton, Illinois, U.S.A., our primary residence, but we spend winters in Palm Springs, CA, U.S.A.
I was writing stories when I was very young. Then, of course, going to college meant papers! I started writing film reviews about 20 years ago and kept doing that off and on for many years, taking a break to write several short screenplays in the mid-2010s. I’ve been pretty consistent with my film criticism since then. I also began writing memoirs and regular discussions about music once I started on Substack two years ago.
I love writing about music, film, and television because they are my passions. I also need to write memoir pieces to express what is inside me. I find it very cathartic to release those thoughts and feelings.
At this point, I’d consider myself a professional writer as I do write, in part, for an audience. I do have paid subscribers to my Substack page, so I feel I want to give them something worthwhile and from the heart.
The kind of writing I do is varied. Whether it be film criticism or personal recollections, there are a lot of things I enjoy writing about.
The first motivation or person I can remember who encouraged me to write was my mom. When I was about 12, I was obsessed with the TV series Dark Shadows. I wanted to create my own “kids” version of the vampire story. After penning an outline for about a year (in soap-opera summary form), I began adapting it into a novel. My mom took the pages to work and began typing them up. I never finished it, but my mom was always very supportive.
A writing topic I return to again and again is entertainment. I particularly like to review films. It helps to untangle all the thoughts I have about them. I also enjoy writing about the music that has moved me over time.
I find writing hard because of the time it takes to get anything completed. I also don’t like writing with any outside noise. This is a problem because I love listening to music. However, once I retired from teaching, I found the quiet of writing to be soothing and very fulfilling. It becomes easy when you’re writing about something you love.
I want my writing legacy to be a collection of work about the arts and about myself that represents who I am and what I am passionate about. Hopefully, people will enjoy it.
For me, what makes writing worthwhile is the chance it gives me to organize my thoughts about a film, a piece of music, or an event in my life. It unties the knots in my head, something I’ve learned through therapy that I NEED to do!
If I stopped writing, I would feel lost and in need of some other form of expression.
When I have been away from writing, I come back to the page because it’s now a need I must fulfill!
I write because I need to express myself.
I would like to add that I still have so much more to say!