Difficulty writing

[RaymondLeggs]

I one wrote a script witha similar story to a treatment I posted. Before I came up with a new story I took a five year break, came up with a heavily condensed story.

Having trouble writing, always fizzles at page 40...

Its a Fast paced Adventure movie in the tradition of a typical MOW but I plan it to not be as clunkilly written and cheesy as most movies of this type are (or directed)

The paremeters I set for myself are:

1.) must be formatted for a low budget. (I plan on getting this made independantly)
2..) must be very fast paced
3.) First act has to end about 20-25 pages in
4.) Must be less than 120 pages, Ieal is 76-85 pages

Follows the formula:, Opening sequence, Charachter, Action, quiet moment, Action,quiet moment, Action, happy ending.

have a few other ideas for movies, will follow same formula....

 

[directorik]

A fine formula. Everything sound as if it will fall into place.

That, of course, is the easy part - you can find that injust about
every screenwriting book, message board, wedsite and blog. The
difficult part is getting your butt in the chair and writing it all the
way to the end. And then the months of re-writing so everything
plays out as expected but with surprises. And, of course, exellent
writing and compelling characters.

You know some will tell you following a formula like that will only
make a cliche script, but I am not one of those. I think what you
have here is exactly right for what you want to do. Writing is always
difficult. If it were easy then everyone with an idea would write. But
they don't because good writing is difficult. Can you overcome the
difficulty writing and make this one happen?

 

[Lisa Talley]

Writing in general is almost an instinctual process, it'll flow as long as you're heading in the right direction that story needs to go... if you stall, you're not going on the right direction and you're most likely forcing it.

It may help to look at it from another perspective. Instead of trying to find what comes next, perhaps look deeper in to your characters. What's their goal, their ambition, how are they failing, what are their flaws, what do they need and what is the transformation they're going to make by the end of your story? It might help to go back and see what your characters need in order to make leaps forward in the story to become that improved person by the end, it could open up other possibilities in regards to scenarios and moments that might fall right in to your formula.

Lisa
Video Production

 

[Freestyle]

I've found lately that writing out the ending and beginning first helps me with the middle - knowing what has to happen to lead to the end can help advance your plot as you write it. Not only that, but if anything in the draft feels rushed, it tends not to be the ending if you write that way, which is a major reason to do it.

 

[Budget:0]

Okay...

I've been a member on several forums. One of them is a writing forum, as I've been a short story and novella writer for a year now. Personally, I can tell you this: no matter what you write, no matter what the material is, if you want it to be decent, you'll have a hard time writing it. It's not easy. As Directorik said, if it were easy, everyone'd do it.

All I can tell you to do is pull some BIC time (you could glue yourself to the chair, anything) and WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. Cut the internet on your computer OFF! You can do research later. Right now, writing the damn script is the top priority.

As long as you follow that method, you'll get there eventually. But if you don't, good luck ever getting anything done. I sure know I couldn't.

 

[rayw]

Having trouble writing, always fizzles at page 40.

Sorry for the heavy edit. The rest looked more like a mission statement or letter of intent rather than a concise scenario around the front-end loaded "Difficulty writing" flag.

I'm afflicted with SAAS, commonly referred to as short-@ss-attention-span.
Muses come and go for hours or days, never for a week or weeks, and the idea of what I would call a "productive month" is laughable.

Yeah. Peeps with SAAS, such as ourselves, ain't never ever ever never gonna pound through a feature length screenplay in one coherent block of time.
Never.

Ever.

Deal, Lucille and just work with your handicap rather than fight it.

SOLUTION: Quit thinking linearly, A-B-C-D... Pfft! Recipe for failure.

Think comprehensively:

Take your perfectly fine formula: Opening sequence, Charachter, Action, quiet moment, Action,quiet moment, Action, happy ending.

Make it a chain, not a train.

1. Opening sequence
2. Character
3. Action
4. Quiet moment
5. Action
6. Quiet moment
7. Action
8. Happy ending​

Next, start filling in the gaps:

1. Opening sequence

• Jim kisses Sue
• Bob hits Jim
• Jim shoots Bob

2. Character

• Bob goes to hospital
• Sue divorces Bob
• Jim deliver's Sues baby in Bob's pick up truck

3. Action

• Crazy Bob leaves the hospital
• medical staff pursues
• Jim burns Bob's truck in a field

4. Quiet moment

• Sue smiles at her baby
• Jim wonders if it's Bob's or His
• Bleeding crazy Bob stares at Jim's antique Mustang

5. Action

• Jim steals the baby
• Sue calls the law out on Jim
• Bleeding crazy Bob staggers into Sue's hospital room

6. Quiet moment

• Jim considers if he really wants a paternity test
• Sue wonders why she's turned on by her crazy ex-husband pointing a gun at her
• Bleeding crazy Bob wants to know which of the two b!tches spinning about to shoot

7. Action

• Jim returns with the baby to the hospital
• Sue screams "I love you!" to bleeding crazy Bob
• Startled bleeding crazy Bob fires at one of the two b!tches spinning about the room

8. Happy ending

• The bullet passes through the Sue on the left
• out the hospital window striking the returning Jim in the forehead
• Sue thinks Bob was shooting at Jim and proposes to marriage to Bob

90 - 110 pages
/ 8 sections
= 12 - 13 pages each section

There are three subsections to each of those 8 sections = 4+/- pages per subsection.

When your fickle SAAS muse strikes you work on each MANAGEABLE subsection rather than trying to eat the pig like a python, AKA: Ain't gonna happen!

Are you a python?

You gotta come up with a process that works.
You do not need to TRY HARDER at a process that doesn't work.

"Push HARDER, dumb@ss!"

Good Luck!


PS, This formula layout might also help you: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsBznn8D13zOdEI1dGU1VUxaVDhCQmVnVFBLeUxSaWc#gid=0

Rayw, that's a very good screenplay breakdown! Great job

Thank you, sir.
I've done my homework.
Just trying to rustle up some good karma.

 

[dlevanchuk]

Rayw, that's a very good screenplay breakdown! Great job