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How do you keep going to the end?

MTsquared

MTsquared

Right now I'm having trouble pushing through on writing my script. I thought the film out a dozen times and even have the outline taped to my wall. Thing is, I just seemed to run out of motivation to finish the script. I have a little under 1/5th done as a first draft, but don't feel the want to continue. I have every reason to continue. I'll be getting brand new equipment which I will be using to film it with (after some practice). It's a kinda original idea, so I'm not just re-writing what other people have written. I created the settings and sets extensively and have even done a few frames of concept art of them. I think that the way the story is played out in my head would be interesting enough on film to keep people's attention. Then why can't I seem to want to finish it?

What things do you do when you lose steam (if you do) to finish a script to motivate yourself to continue?
 
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Sometimes it helps to take a couple of days and completely get away from the project and catch up on other things. Or you can push ahead and write a very rough first draft, then when you start your second draft your thoughts would be a little more outlined.
 
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I think taking a break would be best. I'm not getting my equipment until the end of March, so I have a while. But I always have this problem, so I wanted to see if anybody else had good suggestions on what to do when it comes up again in the future.

The funny thing is, I wrote a 100 page script for Script Frenzy back in April of 2011. It sucked, but I wrote all 100 pages. I guess quality takes more time.
 
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A break may help, but sometimes you have to MAKE yourself sit in front of the computer and just do it. If I waited only until the times I "felt motivated" I would never finish ANY of my scripts.

To me, it's a lot like working out. I have to MAKE myself sit in front of the computer. But once I'm there, I'm glad I did it. Because I find that I can at least write a couple of pages every time.

And at that rate, I can easily finish first drafts of even full length scripts in less than two months if I just work on them a little every day.

Another tip, DON'T try to correct things as you write your first draft. I used to do that all the time and would get caught up with it and lose my momentum. Just puke out whatever you can to get through it. Get something down on paper (or on the computer screen...) Then, once the first draft is done, you can make your changes.

Also, I make it a habit of writing a treatment first. I start each scene in my treatment with a slug line, then describe the scene in paragraph form. I will include lines of dialogue if they come to me in this stage. I write it almost like an essay.

Then, when I'm ready to move to the actual screenplay writing, I print out a copy of the treatment and keep next to the computer so I can cross off each paragraph as it gets covered in the screenplay. Sometimes, I'll set a goal for myself to finish a certain number of scenes, or a certain number a pages. But either way, I make progress.

And lastly, if I'm not "feeling" a certain scene, but one further along in the story is making me feel motivated, I'll skip ahead and write that scene just so I can get something done.

Bottom line, MAKE yourself do at least a few pages per day and you'll get it done...

Hope this helps! :)
 
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I can't write for shit at home, there are just too many distractions. I go to a local coffee shop and write there. I only write at that one location and the only thing I do there is write. It's mentally programming myself to be productive at a given thing when a certain stimulus is applied. In this case, the stimulus is being at the coffee shop and the productivity is writing. As always, your mileage may vary. I also carry a small digital recorder with me (most modern cell phones have this capability) to record my thoughts whenever inspiration strikes. I usually start with the beginning and the ending, that way I only have to come up with all of the bits in the middle. It becomes a game of connect the dots.
 
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Another inherently problematic approach is to sit down at blank screen, type FADE IN, and expect that you'll pound out gold all the way to page 110 concluding in FADE OUT.

There's a VERY good likelihood you'll mentally jam up well before the third act with that approach.
Story elements get started left and right but go nowhere.
While other elements come in out of the blue with no set up.
Sometimes you find you've written yourself into a corner.
And still others have some sort of AFU plot hole cheat to make it "fit".

Nah, nah, nah.

You gotta BEGIN with an outline.
THEN you gotta flesh out each piece a little.
Sit back, look at your story, think of some more stuff, add it to connect point AA to point AR, and AR to RR, then snip off BB (which didn't really go anywhere) while refining what the point of the BC->CD->DE->EF succession of events was for, exchange CD for CE, and try BC->CE->EF, and so forth.

Once you get pretty much the whole thing mapped out from stem to stern - THEN - that's a good time to BEGIN sitting down to your blank screen and type FADE IN.

Work on it in sections, then put the sections all together.
Don't try to build the whole thing all at once.
That's a recipie for frustration.
(And then you start reinforcing mental health issues at that point! HA! Not good).

Now, once you do sit down you gotta figure out what your "work style" is.
- regularly scheduled 2hrs in the morning when your mind is energized. (Brush teeth, coffee, poop the dog, poop yourself, sit down at the brick, and start typing).
- regularly scheduled 2hrs in the evening when your mind is uninhibited. (Get the kids to sleep, get a late night snack for the dog, and one for yourself, sit down at the brick, and start typing).
- shove the whole thing through like a madman before your steam runs out. (Mania is fun! Exhaustion sux, though).
- patiently wait for "the mercurial magic mood" to show up. (My personal approach. I gotta wait weeks or months even).
- get your honey-do list finished then reserve weekend for yourself to knock out ACT III.
- randomly pound out scenes and sequences here and there, quilt them together at the end (like working a 2D puzzle).

Everyone has their optimal work style.
Gotta figure out what works for you.

But planning it and doing it are two different things.
The more planning you put into it before you start working on it the more likely you won't run into these jam-ups because you've already built the whole thing on paper. It's just time to fill it in, now.

GL
 
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Good advice, rayw. I've never gone that far with outlining myself, but that's still a good formula to follow. I could stand to add a couple of those things to my own writing process in general. Not just with screenplays.

I also find that it sometimes helps to take a break, and watch a favorite movie. It can be motivational to me sometimes to engage something that made me want to write scripts in the first plce.
 
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My method is this:
Flash of something that would be fun to shoot/see on screen --- or something conceptually fun.
Build a rough outline of the story I'd like to write...
Convince someone else to write it, like Tom Sawyer whitewashing a picket fence. I am horrible at finishing scripts, personal failing that I know about, so that's my method for getting around it.

--then I give them a cookie or two +copy and credit ;) real money stuffs to come hopefully soonly.
 
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Although my script is set in modern times, I decided to sit down and watch Unforgiven last night and pay attention to the story elements specifically.

Now all I have to learn to do is properly introduce and maintain more than one character.
 
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It's probably been said a million times but a break can't hurt at all, I've been thinking of ideas for a short for little over 2/3 years now, and it's only now that I am certain of what I want to do. Don't rush it, don't force it! I've felt sure I had all I needed before, and yet my idea has actually changed so much compared to where it started. I'm glad I took so much time with it.
 
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I agree with much of the advice already given. Try to minimize distractions and set a specific amount of time that you HAVE to write. (You know the old saying about how a writer can't sit around waiting for inspiration to strike.) It can also be helpful to set timeframes/goals.

Doesn't seem really fun to work "under pressure", but I think that discipline is often what helps get it done.

I personally struggle with keeping up morale/enthusiasm to continue a project. A simple thing that helps me is to envision myself watching the completed film.

Maybe some of this will help! :)
 
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Another interesting trick I read once...

If you're getting hung up at a certain point, trick yourself into thinking you're gonna write, but NOT necessarily on your current story. Completely let your mind off the leash of self-criticism and have fun writing something off-the-wall/unrelated. The theory is, you'll still be thinking of the bigger project at hand and may wind up solving a problem in a roundabout way that you might not have otherwise, had you remained in the strict confines you're used to.

(Well... the original author explained it a lot better than I just did. Ha!)
 
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It's not uncommon to experience a bit of fatigue, but not a fifth into it, that's a bit soon. Maybe there's something about the outline that needs to change to make it more exciting. Maybe you've already grown past the story that's there.

Talking about it can sometimes renew your interest and energy.
 
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If I may, I've all ready posted, and I think the advice given so far has been very valueable, but theres one key thing I've always found.

If you're having to 'try' and do something, especially something creative, it's not really the best way to go about it. It's like I said before, don't force it. When you're 'trying' to make it happen, you're more or less blocking up your mind, I've always found. Let it flow freely, relax, it will come to you. :)
 
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The story did flow at first. I heard a noise outside of my window and my mind went and created a really vague basis to what the story was going to be. It just came to me. I let that sit around in my head for about a week. Then I sat down and wrote a few pages of scribbled, unorganized, notes in a notebook in a frenzy of brainstorming. What I got was actually decent in my opinion. The story up to this point did flow. That's how I like doing creative things because I don't really think creativity can be truly "forced". But like I said, only now am I hitting the block in the enthusiasm to put it into a coherent script. Thanks to all the suggestions, I should be able to power through (or rest through) this temporary blockage.
 
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Writer's block SUCKS. I used to just take breaks and get away from the material. But it's easy for "creative breaks" to turn into escapes and excuses. I think knocking out a first draft quickly then taking a break and polishing it a week or so after is ideal. I haven't been able to do it yet but it seems like good advice.
 
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I find that the best way to keep going is to just relax, and slow down, to a near stand-still. Once I've gotten better control of myself, then we gradually pick up the pace, until it's eventually a mad frenzy.

Oh, wait... we were talking about writing.

When I'm at a stand-still, I find that the best way to get going again is literally to just start writing. Just do it. Now. You might not even like what's flowing, at first, but here and there you'll find glimpses of brilliance, and you can edit/re-write later.
 
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MTsquared said:
Right now I'm having trouble pushing through on writing my script. I thought the film out a dozen times and even have the outline taped to my wall. Thing is, I just seemed to run out of motivation to finish the script. I have a little under 1/5th done as a first draft, but don't feel the want to continue. I have every reason to continue. I'll be getting brand new equipment which I will be using to film it with (after some practice). It's a kinda original idea, so I'm not just re-writing what other people have written. I created the settings and sets extensively and have even done a few frames of concept art of them. I think that the way the story is played out in my head would be interesting enough on film to keep people's attention. Then why can't I seem to want to finish it?

What things do you do when you lose steam (if you do) to finish a script to motivate yourself to continue?
Click to expand...

I think that, deep down, you don't have confidence in your story.

A great trick is to start filming guerrilla style. Hire some actors and cameras and create some film. When you watch the DVD of your little efforts, you'll spark lots of ideas and move on.
 
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