TUESDAY'S BIZ TIP:
WRITERS BLOCK
Okay, you're tooling along on your script and hit a brick wall. No matter what you do,
you can't seem to get around it. You're blocked. What should you do? Shelve the script
and start on something else? Wait for inspiration?
Inspiration? That's for non-pros! Pros don't need inspiration - we have deadlines! But
what if you don't have a producer off camera waiting impatiently for you to finish your
script? Or what if you don't have a deadline... and you're still blocked?
* * *
When I'm stuck I look at the scene I'm working on and ask myself:
1) What is the purpose of the scene?
2) What are the pieces of information this scene must communicate to the audience?
3) What does the protagonist (or antagonist) want in this scene?
4) What stops them from getting what they want? What is the struggle?
* * *
Answer those questions, come up with other questions and answer them, then put all of
those answers where the scene is supposed to be. Maybe even write a slap-dash
crappy version of the scene based on those answers. It's just a place-holder, not the
real scene. Then skip to the next scene and give that a shot. Maybe the next scene will
be easier.
The reason for answering all of those questions and getting them on the page? You
have a really rough idea of what the scene needs to be - it gives you something to play
with later. Who knows, maybe the answers will kick-start your brain? Don't worry if it
doesn't, though, just move on to the next scene.
You might also try writing a nonsense scene - whatever the scene you're stuck on is,
now it has to be about a stampede of donkeys. Write the scene silly. Sometimes this
takes off the pressure and gets he brain working again.
PERSONAL & MECHANICAL
But the problem may be that you've got the mechanics of screenwriting under control
but have lost the personal in the process. Writing a script is like juggling chainsaws -
sometimes you get two chainsaws in the rotation and have trouble getting that third one
in there (or think that juggling two chainsaws is probably good enough to get you on
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE, since they get the third tier guests anyway). But you need to
become confident with the two saws and then add a third.
A major reason why people burn out on scripts is that they have no driving force, no
emotional connection to the story. It's mechanically perfect - the outline is structurally
sound - but it's mechanical. Once you get those mechanics under control, you need to
search for the personal and emotional reasons why you are writing the script. How is
this story about the survivor of an alien invasion searching for other survivors amidst the
rubble of Nelsonville, Ohio YOUR PERSONAL story?
That means you have to get in contact with yourself (walking around pretending to be
talking on a cell phone in public doesn't count). You need to dig into yourself and dig
into your story and figure out what big emotional problem of yours this story set in the
rubble of Nelsonville, Ohio this story is REALLY exploring. That way, you are connected
to your story and can't quit - it's a part of you. Abandoning the script would be like
abandoning your left arm (which may tie in to the chainsaw juggling analogy). If you are
emotionally attached to a script, not only will the script be a better story, it's almost
impossible to shelve it (though it may become so emotionally painful that you may want
to).
All of this may sound wacky - but that's how good screenplays get written - the writer
finds the interface between an extremely personal story and the mechanics of writing a
screenplay and the requirements of popular entertainment.
If I'm writing about a human survivor searching for others - I'm writing about being
lonely. If my script has aliens still hanging around Nelsonville looking for humans, I'm
lonely and feeling alienated by society (them aliens are symbolic). If I come across a
group of humans who decide I'm so tall, I'm a liability (the aliens will find us) (I'm 6'4")
and the group rejects me... you can add betrayal to that mix. This dopey story may be
all about whatever emotional situation I'm going through right now! And that's what will
keep me writing the script right up to the end - it's cheap therapy. I'm working out my
personal problems as I write the script. It's a safe environment to work out those
problems because no one will ever suspect that the Alien Leader is my ex-girlfriend.
All of my scripts are about ME, and they have all of the mechanical stuff, and they are
often about the quest for sunken ships or Navy SEAL Teams captured behind enemy
lines or vampire hunters who can no longer trust or crime victims who are reincarnated
and looking for revenge (you get a new chance at life and screw it up by carrying all of
the hatred from your past).
Maybe you need to find YOURSELF in your scripts. The first script was personal, then
they became mechanical, now you have to add the personal back into the mix.
TOO PERSONAL
Sometimes the reason why you have writer's block is because the script is TOO
personal. It may be dealing with an issue or event that you aren't comfortable dealing
with, yet. Maybe your protagonist has to deal with the end of a relationship in the story -
and you're still having problems due to the end of a relationship. The story is too close
for comfort - and you avoid writing because you are avoiding that personal pain. This is
one reason why I always suggest writing about alien invasions in Nelsonville, Ohio
instead of writing about some guy in Nelsonville who just broke up with his girlfriend. By
setting your story in a fantasy world you can be more emotionally honest - you won't
need to protect yourself because the story is about aliens.
But sometimes we experience writer's block because of things happening in our
personal life that have nothing to do with our scripts. Often writer's block is a symptom
of depression or anxiety in our every day life. As writers we use OURSELVES as our
tools, so when things go wrong in real life it may screw up the writing, too. This is the
hardest stuff to deal with, because even after you realize "Hey! The reason why I have
writer's block is because I caught my wife in bed with my best friend!" that doesn't solve
the problem. If you are fighting serious personal problems it will be difficult to find the
energy to write. Financial problems, relationship problems, health problems, family
problems - stuff like that takes time to get over. But sometimes you can find a scene
that matches your mood and write that - use whatever your personal problems are to
fuel your writing.
You can also use writing as an escape from your personal problems. Here's where
you're going to go on a fantasy vacation, far away from all of the problems that you may
be battling in real life, and enter a world of adventure and romance. I think this is how
most of us got started writing when we were kids - we needed an escape from the
pressures of life and made up stories. Though it's more difficult to fool ourselves with
fantasy as adults, that's still a great tool to escape writer's block caused by real life
personal problems. If you're a super hero on the page, you don't have to deal with the
issues that haunt you in real life... or maybe you can even vanquish them in print.
No matter what - always finish your scripts, even if you think they suck. You can rewrite
a script that sucks, but you're still stuck forever in writing on a script that's not finished.
Some day you'll be deep sea diving or about to win a NASCAR race or in bed with a
famous underwear model and *wham* the solution to that script problem will pop into
your head. You'll know what's wrong with the script and how to make it unsuck. But if
it's not a finished script, it'll either be too much trouble or you won't be thinking about it
in the first place.
Whatever you do, don't wait for inspiration. You'll lose momentum. Find the way to slog
through the rough parts and keep going until you finish. Nobody said screenwriting was
going to be easy!
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Tips FAQ
My New Script Secrets Newsletter!
STORY IN ACTION SERIES!
THE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE MOVIES
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***
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THE BLUE BOOKS!
FIND A GREAT IDEA!
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ARE YOUR SCENES IN THE RIGHT ORDER?
AND ARE THEY THE RIGHT SCENES?
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MOVIES ARE CHARACTERS!
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*** CREATING STRONG PROTAGONISTS *** - For Nook!
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I WRITE PICTURES!
*** VISUAL STORYTELLING *** - For Kindle! (exclusive)
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DESCRIPTION & VOICE Blue Book.
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Most screenplays are about a 50/50 split between dialogue and description - which means your description is just as important as your dialogue. It just gets less press because the audience never sees it, the same reason why screenwriters get less press than movie stars. But your story will never get to the audience until readers and development executives read your script... so it is a very important factor. Until the movie is made the screenplay is the movie and must be just as exciting as the movie. So how do you make your screenplay exciting to read? Description is important in a novel as well, and the “audience” does read it... how do we write riveting description?
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*** DIALOGUE SECRETS *** - For Kindle!
***
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WHAT IS A SCENE?
*** SCENE SECRETS *** - For Kindle!
***
What is a scene and how many you will need? The difference between scenes and sluglines. Put your scenes on trial for their lives! Using "Jaws" we'll look at beats within a scene. Scene DNA. Creating set pieces and high concept scenes. A famous director talks about creating memorable scenes. 12 ways to create new scenes. Creating unexpected scenes. Use dramatic tension to supercharge your scenes. Plants and payoffs in scenes. Plus transitions and buttons and the all important "flow"... and more! Over 65,000 words! Print version was 48 pages, Kindle version is around 210 pages!
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SUBPLOTS?
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ACT TWO SOLUTIONS!
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Expanded version with more techniques to help you through the desert of Act Two! Subjects Include: What Is Act Two? Inside Moves, The 2 Ps: Purpose & Pacing, The 4Ds: Dilemma, Denial, Drama and Decision, Momentum, the Two Act Twos, Subplot Prisms, Deadlines, Drive, Levels Of Conflict, Escalation, When Act Two Begins and When Act Two Ends, Scene Order, Bite Sized Pieces, Common Act Two Issues, Plot Devices For Act Two, and dozens of others. Over 67,000 words (that’s well over 200 pages) of tools and techniques to get you through the desert of Act Two alive!
Print version was 48 pages, Kindle version is well over 200 pages!
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All About Rewrites!
Rewriting In Waves?
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The end is just the beginning! You’ve finished your story, but now the rewriting begins! This 405 page book shows you how to rewrite your screenplay or novel to perfection. Everything from Character Consistency to Shoeboxing to How To Give And Receive Notes to 15 Solutions If Your Script’s Too Long! and 15 Solutions If Your Script’s Too Short! to Finding The Cause Of A Story Problem to Good Notes Vs. Bad Notes to Finding Beta Readers to Avoiding Predictability to Learning To Be Objective About Your Work to Script Killer Notes and Notes From Idiots to Production Rewrites and What The Page Colors Mean? and a Complete Rewrite Checklist! The complete book on Rewriting Your Story!
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All About Endings!
GRAND FINALES Blue Book!
The Perfect Ending For Your Story!
The First Ten Pages Of Your Screenplay Are Critical,
But What About The Last 10 Pages?
Creating the perfect ending to your story! This 100,000 word book shows you how to end your story with a bang, rather than a whimper. Everything from Resolution Order to Act Three Tools to Happy or Sad Endings? to How The Beginning Of Your Story Has Clues To The Ending (in case you were having trouble figuring out how the story should end) to Falling Action to How To Avoid Bad Endings to Writing The Perfect Twist Ending to Setting Up Sequels & Series to Emotional Resolutions to How To Write Post Credit Sequences to Avoiding Deus Ex Machinas, to 20 Different Types Of Ends (and how to write them) and much more! Everything about endings for your screenplay or novel!
Only: $4.99
NO KINDLE REQUIRED! Get the *free* app (any device, except your Mr. Coffee) on the order page on Amazon!
All About LOGLINES, TREATMENTS, and PITCHING!
LOGLINES, TREATMENTS, and PITCHING! Blue Book!
Distilling Your Screenplay!
Loglines, Treatments, Pitching, Look Books, Pitch Decks, One Pagers, Rip-O-Matics?
You have written a brilliant 110 page screenplay, but how do you get anyone to read it? You need to distill it down into some form of verbal moonshine or story rocket fuel that will ignite that bored development executive or manager or agent and get them to request your screenplay. But how do you shrink those 110 pages into a 25 word logline or a 2 minute elevator pitch or a one page synopsis or a short paragraph? This 100,000 word book shows you how! Everything you need to know! From common logline mistakes (and how to solve them) to how your pitch can reveal story problems to the 4 types of pitches!
272 Pages - ONLY $4.99!
READY TO BREAK IN?
THE BUISINESS SIDE
*** BREAKING IN BLUE BOOK *** - For Kindle!
Should really be called the BUSINESS BLUE BOOK because it covers almost everything you will need to
know for your screenwriting career: from thinking like a producer and learning to speak their language,
to query letters and finding a manager or agent, to making connections (at home and in Hollywood) and
networking, to the different kinds of meetings you are will have at Studios, to the difference between
a producer and a studio, to landing an assignment at that meeting and what is required of you when you
are working under contract, to contracts and options and lawyers and... when to run from a deal!
Information you can use *now* to move your career forward! It's all here in the Biggest Blue Book yet!
Print version was 48 pages, Kindle version is over 400 pages!
$4.99 - and no postage!
Movie Magic Screenwriter is the best selling screenplay formatting software and the choice of Hollywood professionals. Screenwriter automatically formats while you write so you can focus on what you're writing, not where it goes on the page. It also formats for television, stage, novels and comic book scripts so you've got an all in one package for any story you want to write. Academy Award Tech Winner!
* * * Buy It!
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