Had The Worst Writing Day of My Life…
…this past Sunday. Didn’t want to write. Couldn’t write. Couldn’t concentrate.
I wanted to quit — for good!
And I hated that feeling. I’ve been working on a new script and no matter how I swizzle things, I can’t figure out the ending. Oh, I KNOW how it ends — I’m just not sure how to get there. I’ve never had this happen before. Always knew the ending of my previous scripts — knew how I was going to get there. All this is new territory for me.
And I hate it!
I have read about professional screenwriters having troubles: staring at the blank page; how difficult they found writing, and I always thought, hmmmm, I don’t have that problem. What’s so hard about writing? Now I am beginning to wonder if all those scripts I finished without ‘writer’s block’ or lack of an ending, or ’staring-at-the-blank-pageits’ is because those scripts weren’t any good in the first place. Maybe I’m having issues with this script because at long last I have a good story going on here.
Maybe not.
How do you, my faithful reader(s) — you are still out there, aren’t you? — how do you handle your uncertainty — self doubt? Do you chuck your script — start something new? Or, do you plug away in hopes the fog will lift and the end will make itself known? What I have learned from this ‘episode’ is this: I can not NOT write. Good. Bad. Indifferent. I will always,
Keep Writing!
Hey Mike, I’m still here….
but not for long!
I’m getting (back) into the lit game.
But as to your self-doubt, I think you can chalk that up as good ol’ fashioned Fear.
You have a real good idea and you fear you’re not gonna be able to come through. Fear is the result of not having our needs met. Expect a lot more turmoil, or change your Needs; like just finishing the first draft; nailing the dialogue on the second; building tension in the third, etc.
Understanding WHAT fear is (and its symptoms) will help you overcome any obstacle.
Keep Writing!
Mike, don’t panic! Nothing to gain by paniking.
Currently I’m penning a sci-fi. Wanted to do this sci-fi for about 9 months now, but had some critical Act II to Act III issues I couldn’t find a solution for. Thought my inablitiy to come up with a suitable answer would doom this script. So I switched to a different idea. Wrote in a totally different genre for several months while stewing over this dilema. While stumped in a sci fi I wrote a romantic comedy with a very today sports accent.
If you’re stuck, I hightly suggest writing something else for a while. Preferably a different genre.
Getting stuck is a NORMAL SITUATION for any writer. Think about it. You’re like a pioneer forging a trail that’s never been traveled before. Difficulties abound.
Another thing I would do, if I were you, is write what you do know in OUTLINE FORM. Think in terms of master sequences followed by details within those sequences. Write your ending.
Next, follow your characters. Write bios, and go into what drives them to your stories end.
Writing action sequences is a tricky beast. It took input/output, point A to point C thinking for me to com up with a passible solution to my dilema. Post rom-com, I dove into the sci-fi script, wrote what I knew, came up with a pretty solid Act I, then stopped, and re-focused on my outline. I start here, want to end here, what’s the missing piece? What possibilies exist to fill that missing piece? Be specific. Try to distil your story to managable pieces: input/output, missing piece.
Outline to script is the way to go. Releaves so much stress. Rough draft a path, then explore that path in a script’s first draft. Don’t know if that’s the way you write, but that’s the way (ideally) I like to write.
Hope that helps — at least a little bit. Anyway, know you’re not alone; writers get stuck all the time. It’s part of the job description. WRITER: guy who walks arround around all day with a blank, lost, soul-searching expression on his face. ==|:-)
- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA
Thanks to both for your words of encouragement. Much appreciated.
I have started a new script and shelved my problem child until after I have a first draft of this new spec — a sci-fi comedy — at least I hope it’s funny
As for outlining — I do. I use 3M’s Post-it Digital Notes. This program cost $20 and allows me to color-code post-its (scenes) and move them around at will — the upside is that I can take this cork board and these note cards with me wherever I go.
Thanks again.