Advice on writter's block?

newcitypictures

newcitypictures

I've been stuck in a writter's block for about two years now and I just do not know how to get out of it. I can come up with an idea for a screenplay but when I start to write I sort of drift off and the story goes nowhere. I never use to be like this before. I just found out more about planning everything out beofre i write. I never use to do that before but I'm going to start it now, hopefully it keeps me on track. I just wanted to see if there was anything more I could do to get out of this funk?
 
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Your challenge is very typical. I've been through it and so has EVERY WRITER. You may need to learn more about story structure. I don't mean beginning, middle, end 3 act stuff. I mean seriously studying story structure and deconstructioning it.
Here's a good book on that-> http://www.writersstore.com/aristotles-poetics-for-screenwriters-michael-tierno

Here's a homework asignment…
Write a story with SUPER OBVIOUS/Pre-Made structure like…

A caper film
A revenge film
A disaster film

It's really hard to get stuck on what should happen at the end of a caper or revenge movie.
Don't worry about making it great, just do the best you can, the point is just to get writing and let it lead to something that really expresses your unique talents.
Best of luck,
 
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Sounds like you just need patience if you keep drifting. Come up with a premise ie... Love conquers all, crack kills, patience is a virtue. Then come up with an idea that deals with the premise. Patience is a virture.... An extremely impatient man almost gets killed in a road rage incident and decides to change his ways. Start writing some scenes showing him being impatient, maybe some scenes showing how he became such an impatient dude. Some scenes with some buddys who he is losing because of his flip outs in public, or on them, whatever. Then go from there. Patience is key.
 
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Like a scab, the best way to make writers block go away is to stop poking at it (sorry for the icky visual there). It may be tough, you feel like there is something wrong with you and you just want to fix it. Sometimes, you simply can't just flip the switch and start the ideas again. Depending on how long you've been suffering, I would recommend taking a step back from the keyboard and go about life. Don't even focus on writing. You may even notice that while you're out doing other things, your mind starts to wander and the ideas have come rushing back.

Good luck with your writers block. I'm sure your writer's gland (that's not a thing is it...) needs a rest. Give it time to recharge, and you'll be back to normal in no time.

~Dave
 
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Better living through pharmaceuticals! :yes:

Any of this look vaaaaguely familiar?
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_adult_symptoms.htm
The symptoms of inattention and concentration difficulties include:
  • “zoning out” without realizing it, even in the middle of a conversation.
  • extreme distractibility; wandering attention makes it hard to stay on track.
  • difficulty paying attention or focusing, such as when reading or listening to others.
  • struggling to complete tasks, even ones that seem simple.
  • tendency to overlook details, leading to errors or incomplete work.
  • poor listening skills; hard time remembering conversations and following directions.

Common symptoms of disorganization and forgetfulness include:
  • poor organizational skills (home, office, desk, or car is extremely messy and cluttered)
  • tendency to procrastinate
  • trouble starting and finishing projects
  • chronic lateness
  • frequently forgetting appointments, commitments, and deadlines
  • constantly losing or misplacing things (keys, wallet, phone, documents, bills)
  • underestimating the time it will take you to complete tasks

Common emotional symptoms of adult ADD/ADHD include:
  • sense of underachievement
  • doesn’t deal well with frustration
  • easily flustered and stressed out
  • irritability or mood swings
  • trouble staying motivated
  • hypersensitivity to criticism
  • short, often explosive, temper
  • low self-esteem and sense of insecurity

Common symptoms of hyperactivity in adults include:
  • feelings of inner restlessness, agitation
  • tendency to take risks
  • getting bored easily
  • racing thoughts
  • trouble sitting still; constant fidgeting
  • craving for excitement
  • talking excessively
  • doing a million things at once


I think I can lay claim to at least a third if not half of those.
It's amazing I get anything...




;)
 
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Go to the library (the real building, with all the books) and do some research! Find every periodical and book on the subject you are writing about and read. Learn more. Discover more stories about your subject matter. This will get your mind rolling and reeling.
 
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Extreme Writer's Block Solution & Result

Don't even ask about the complex six-degrees of separation process I ran across this article.
I just did, and thought of your recent thread.

Good luck.


http://www.darkofthematinee.com/2012/03/signe-olynyk-interview-with.html

CC: How did the idea for Below Zero come about?

SO:... Often the best stories are the simplest, yet they can also be very difficult to write. How do you make a 90 minute story about a guy locked in a freezer compelling? How do you keep the story moving, and keep an audience on the edge of their seat with such limited characters, limited locations, etc. Well, you learn how others did it, and study what worked and what didn’t. ‘Open Water’, ‘Buried’, ‘The Disappearance of Alice Creed’, ‘Misery’, ‘Saw’. And you try to find new ways of exploring the ‘man in a box’ idea, which is not an easy process. The result for me, was an extreme case of writer’s block. It didn’t matter how much I outlined or studied other films. I even tried physically strapping myself to the chair in order to stop fleeing the keyboard. The only way I could overcome my own writer’s block was to arrange to have myself locked in a meat freezer. I spent five days in there, writing the script. I am a big believer in research, and wanted to fully relate to what my character would be experiencing.


Her $1.2m product:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoTlKTCz2iw
 
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Listen to music. Even music you don't like that much or not your genre. Music is a wonderful tool to relax but also to get ideas from. My other advice is to just go out and talk to people or listen to conversations. People are gold mines of stories and ideas if you listen carefully. The third is to get a giant notebook and just write down whatever crosses your mind and then forget about it then come back to it after a while. You will be surprised how effective it is:) But if the problem is that you just burnt out then it may be ok to just forget writing altogether for a while. Forcing is never a good thing. (Of course if it's your dayjob there's not much you can do just relax and keep doing it. Eventually it will pass.)
 
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Banging your head against a brick wall might work.

Haha. I'm kidding :P

But seriously, I'm not really a writer, but if I were you, I'd take a break. I'd turn off the computer for a while and go do something fun with family or friends. From what I've heard, sometimes the best ideas aren't planned for, sometimes they just happen while you're doing the most ordinary things.
 
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I figured that my cure would be leaving the computer, grabbing a notepad and go for a walk. As I walk, i think about what a cool movie i would like to watch right now. What would catch my own interest. Do I want to see an alien invasion movie?
Or maybe a weird drama comedy about a clown with fear of kids, so he does events only for adults? Write em down. Usually I have about 5 pages filled with crappy one line ideas, but once in the while there is something interesting that comes out of this process :)
Same process goes for overcomming the "block" in the middle of the scene. What would I WANT to see in this movie?

good luck!
 
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I had writer's block forr two year years straight too. But I recently got out of it and now I'm writing like crazy! I don't know how I got out of it or what I did to get out of it. All I know is that once I got out of highschool I started getting more ideas and started being more creative with them. So I guess stress is one major cause of writer's block.
 
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carry a notepad with you everywhere and write down as many ideas as you can pertaining to one film... once it is completely filled, front and back... you should be able to type it out into a script much easier
 
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Honestly, I never write with an idea in mind. All it takes is one scene that pops in to mind, and it can be anywhere in the story. Once that scene sets the pace, I know what genre it falls into and I tend to write a few other scenes for the charachters that are not related to the one already written. It lets me know the charachters better, then I get an idea on the story
 
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