Writing is a love-hate relationship for me. I love coming up with
ideas, brainstorming, typing it to the page, planning it, and
it's the best when I'm just typing away and losing myself in the
material. At
the same time, I hate the right before I'm actually writing it part.
You know, when
you're looking at the screen and your fingers are on the keyboard and
you think, "Now what?" It's like telling the same story in the best
detail possible all over again. You've probably thought about it a
hundred times in your head and maybe told some close friends
and family of your new idea, and now you have to write it all down?
It's so
annoying, right? It's the same feeling as when something cool happened
to you that weekend and you just told ten people in a row the same story
because it was that interesting and you saw them all at different times
of the day. Now it's time to tell it an eleventh time, and this one
has to be the best one! That's what the burden of writing can be, and
it usually feels that way to me: I have to tell this story... again?
With this in mind, no wonder we don't want to get going. But
imagine telling the story again, but this time it gets better, and the
details become so great, it's the best way you've ever told it. You
remember how interesting it was the first time, and now you're making
it even better, remembering things you forgot about while tapping deep
into your memory banks. See? This is writing! Whether it's fiction or not,
you're telling a story you've thought about already. But that really
is the fun of it. It's the act of getting from a great idea, to
obsessing over a story, to doing the actual work no one wants to do...
until you get going. And once you're done, you feel awesome!
One of the best feelings in the world for me is finishing a script. You
got it out, and you don't have to do it again... well, at least not
from scratch.
So this brings up the demonic hell we call writer's block. I've
written on this subject before, but I'm going to go in a bit more detail
this time. So many people use writer's block as an excuse to not
write. We all know this as an excuse, and it is,, but it's a legitimate
one. The good news is it's avoidable, and just like anything else, it
takes practice. I feel one has to train his or herself to beat it.
It's funny, I never thought about it until now, but I've come up with
ways to send writer's block back into the depths of hell! Okay, maybe
I'm being a bit melodramatic (who, me?), but if you're a writer (or any
kind of artist), you probably know what I'm sayin'. You know what I'm
sayin'!
So here's a list of some writing roadblocks I've encountered... and
I've come up with my solution on how kick writer's block in the back of
the ass, followed by a backhand to the nuts:
1) Coming Up with Names:
PROBLEM: Okay, seriously, one of the most annoying things that stop
me from writing is what the heck to name my characters. You may have
some figured out already, maybe not, but once minor characters you never
thought about creep into the story and you're on a roll, I find it can
shut you down fast. Let's call this guy Mark... no John... too
common... George? No wait, no one is named George under 30... umm....
annoying, right? You were doing great and you're suddenly stuck! You
can't move. Help! Help! I want to write page 14 now... what's this
stupid bartender's name?! Ahhhhh!!!!!
SOLUTION #1: Bartender. Call the the dude "Bartender" and get on
with it. Finding a name is easy; writing the words is hard. Call the
bastard Bartender and get on with the story. Worry about his stupid
name later.
SOLUTION #2: This is something I love to do. If all things are the same
and you just need a name, take no more than 5 minutes and think about
your biggest influence on your idea. I like to make an homage to my
biggest influences. For example, one of the students in my film,
"Clara." I took this name from my favorite time travel series of all
time, "Back to the Future." Marty and Doc are a bit obvious, but in the
third film, Clara was Doc's love interest. Bam, the student's name is
Clara. The end, moving on, now start writing the stuff that really
matters. Names can be changed any time and easily. Don't let it stop
you. (By the way, I also have a Bill and Ted in this story... it's
totally excellent!)
2) Location Descriptions:
PROBLEM: I think I have this
problem because, as I've said before, I'm not very good at
descriptions. Every time there's a new location, I always feel
obligated to describe the basic look of the place. Okay that's fine,
but sometimes I'll end up wondering about all the things a science lab
will have in it. Then I find myself researching equipment, etc. and I'm
taking forever and have completely lost my flow. It's frustrating,
because I can't move on with the story without describing one room!
SOLUTION: Same solution as #1. The mind freaks out a lot more when
the screenplay has yet to be written, rather than knowing you may have
to go back and describe one or two rooms. That stress can cause you to
shut down and not be able to move on. Do the research when you're
done. I usually put what I need to fix up in bold in the screenplay,
that way I know to come back to it when I proofread. It's a lot less
overwhelming if the rest of the screenplay is finished and all I need to
do is fill the room with science equipment.
3) I See a Keyboard, Now What Do I Do With It?
PROBLEM:
You're sitting down, at a keyboard, your email's open, you have a
browser with sites you're interested in... you're already distracted.
What's worse, let's say you have a blank screen, or a half written
script, and you can't get going. To me, this is the most common form of
writer's block. Get... me... going!
SOLUTION: Think about something you do NOT want to do. You have to
clean up, do your bills, call someone you can't stand... I don't know.
You have to go shopping, read something you're not interested in...
whatever. You will slowly find that writing is actually still somehow
lower on the totem pole than writing a business letter. And supposedly
creative writing is what you love to do! It's your mind tricking you... you do
want to write but your brain doesn't want to think so damn hard.
Here's the answer: think about something you want to do even less, and
you will start writing. Convince yourself you're about to scrub a
toilet, then see how your mind says, "Hell, no!" and starts writing like
crazy. Hey, I know what you're thinking... way too simple... but it's true. Think about
how you have to drive 3 hours to visit someone later. Don't knock it until you try it!
4) Okay, That Scene's Done, What Do I Write Next?
PROBLEM:
You've just finished a scene, but now you're up to a new one and just
can't get going. I find this usually means you're stuck at a point you
haven't quite planned
out yet. Maybe you introduced your characters, but you don't know how
to transition them into ACT II. Maybe ACT II isn't long enough. Maybe the
climax to ACT III needs proper setup. I
hate these situations because the need to think really hard about basic
structure can really slow you down, and it's hard to have it all laid
out completely before you write. Writing is usually done in pieces, so you rely on
the characters and events to connect a lot of the dots.
SOLUTION: Step away from the keyboard and do something else. Do
something else that doesn't require too
much thinking and just think things through so you do have a good
outline
of what's coming. Seriously, some of my best ideas came up while
showering, doing the dishes, on my way to the store, during my
commute, right before sleep, even while dreaming! Just think very hard
about the next scene you have to write. Play it in your head until it
all becomes clear. At this point, you should be running to the computer and
typing away!
So listen: writer's block exists. While it's
definitely not a myth, it's certainly not as tough as its reputation.
It's only as tough as you'll let it be, and with just a few simple ways
to beat it, it's very manageable. So turn on that computer, type away,
don't let the little things prevent you from doing the big things, and
send writer's block back where it belongs: into the depths of hell!
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