“You have to protect your writing time. The easiest thing to do on earth is not write.”— William Goldman
“Some can just knock it out and some have to lock themselves in a room and get to a fever pitch of self-loathing before they turn in a first draft. . . . each writer’s process is screwed up in its own way.”— Warren Leight
It ain’t workin’ out. You knew it would take time, and you’ve put in your dues, but M-A-N, that fab screenwriting career has just not arrived.
So, what’s up? Is there anything you can do that you’re not doing?
In the course of every semester at Columbia College, I have students who get “blocked.” They outline the whole script, take almost a month to do so, have it all laid out. Then they sit down at the computer, and…
Nothing.
Or maybe their(and your) process is to not outline.Why take a vacation and figure out every road you’ll drive upon ahead of time? They let their characters surprise them, let their characters talk to them and ultimately drive plot. And this might work, for a time. But maybe they come to page 66 and their characters stop talking to them. What happens then? Two thirds through the script and you’re lost, no road map, no GPS to help. You are screwed.
The irony is, both approaches miss the real issue. Most of the time writer’s block isn’t writer’s block– It’s lack of energy. Something that often goes under the radar in the hundreds of how-to screenwriting manuals is writing routine. When will you write? Which is the best time of day? Do you work better writing an hour a day, or seven hours on Sunday? Do you need solitude or Starbucks? What happens when your kids break into the room with a “Daddy, look at my Lincoln logs! Look at my Lincoln logs! LOOK AT MY LINCOLN LOGS!!!”
Will your crumble?
Energy. What energy are you bringing? If you’re blocked, have you considered that it isn’t because of a lack of a good idea, but because you’re trashed? You’re putting 40 hours in at the job, giving A Energy. You come home to a TO DO list of laundry, work out, shopping, etc–that’s eats up your B Energy. You free up around 10:30pm, take one look at that computer, and flee. No way it’s happening, forget about your A game, you don’t even have your C game to give. Your routine is killing any chance you have to write the script.
You need to consider how important energy is to writing, and prioritize…
I have friends who get up at 6 a.m. to write. They are “morning people” and God knows how they do it ’cause it ain’t me, babe.
I have friends who can write until 2 a.m. These are “late night” people. Likewise, this isn’t my prime time.
Some work at it seven days a week. Some are weekend warriors out on the porch.
I’m jealous of those who steal time at work; close the office door, go at the writing with primo A Energy.
You need to figure it out. Scheme. Lie, steal, cheat–whatever it takes. You have to find the time to make your script happen.
Bring your A Game.
Bring good energy.
When will you write?
You’re married with kids. You’re up at 7, on your way out the door by 8. At the office by 9. The office gets the A-Energy. You’re outta there by 5, home by 6. Dinner and miscellanea with wife and kids takes you to 9pm. It’s screenplay time! But guess what: You’re played out! Not even B or C energy. Zero energy. You reach for the clicker and that TIVO’d SportsCenter, and… you wake up about midnight and crawl into bed. And like Jackson Browne said: “Get up and do it again.” You end up looking like this guy…
Life intervenes. Gee whiz, no kidding?! Having to make a living is cramping your creativity. The way to beat it is to recognize it, then carve out a period of time during the week that is inviolate–is for writing, period.
How many hours is that? Will you write a couple hours a day, or five hours on Saturday? There is no one right answer, but when you sit down, it has to be with energy.
