How long does it take you?

[Firm1]

So, I've been writing all my life but I haven't seriously started writing until about six months ago after I graduated from college. My brother and I decided that we should really pursue our goals in film and try to get something lifted off the ground.

The idea for us was to basically create a feature length screenplay that could be done with 10k or less. Ideally, we wanted to create something really awesome and unique like "Following" and submit that to Cannes, but reality seems to be saying something different.

It seems as though every time I write a screenplay, I'll mull it over in my head until I'm dissatisfied and no longer want to continue writing it. Its just really frustrating because you spend all those months creating it, only to tear it up and basically start all over again. This probably happened to me 10 times in the past six months, which is why I haven't developed a full screenplay. Its not that I can't complete a story. Its just that every time I do, I'll start editing it and then realize that it could be ten times better if I did x,y,z but then after I make all those changes, I realize that more changes should be made until I realize that I more or less have to write a new treatment for it and basically re-write the whole damn thing.

Is this what its like for everyone because I feel like I'm spending waaay more time on a story than I should be. I feel like I need to just dedicate myself to one thing and just roll with it, even if I know it could be ten times better.

 

[rayw]

You're making it difficult on yourself.

First - don't destroy anything you've already done, even if partially completed.
Just save it. Maybe you'll use it later. Maybe you won't.

Second - stop starting at the beginning and working in a linear fashion to "The End."
Yeah, no kidding as you're working on it you come up with MORE fantabulous ideas that force a rewrite from previous pages until eventually it's just a big jumbled up mess likely to be abandoned.

Third - Use the Picket Fence template.

Plot out your entire story from beginning to end along a three act structure or whatever you want to use.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsBznn8D13zOdEI1dGU1VUxaVDhCQmVnVFBLeUxSaWc#gid=0
BEGIN with the major plot points as fence posts.
You know how it begins but not where it ends? Fine.
You know where it ends but not how it begins? Fine.
You have the middle but no ends? Fine.
You have ends but no middle? Fine.
You have A & B but no C? Fine.
B & C but no A? Fine.

Write down what you do have. Just make it a one sentence description. Nothing elaborate.

Now, at some point you're going to need to put in all your ABCDE fence posts as to where the story LOGICALLY begins and GRATIFYINGLY ends and what SENSIBLY happened in between from points A to B and such.

POST - - - - - - - - - - - - - - POST - - - - - - - - - - - - - - POST - - - - - - - - - - - - - - POST

PLOT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PLOT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PLOT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PLOT

Then start putting up your detail pickets between each fence post. These are the details that are buggering your final product.

POST - picket - - - picket - - - - picket - - - POST - picket - - - picket - - - - picket - - - POST - picket - - - picket - - - - picket - - - POST

PLOT - idea - - - picket - - - - picket - - - PLOT - idea - - - picket - - - - picket - - - PLOT - idea - - - picket - - - - picket - - - PLOT

Each of those as a single sentence description of people/characters, events, and locations.

Map all of these out BEFORE you even begin typing "FADE IN:"

Wait.

Be patient.

Stare at your outline for a few weeks before actually writing the screenplay.
You'd be surprised how much your mind is cooking details subconsciously.
Give them time to pop out before dumping weeks of effort into something.
Constantly scrutinize the WHOLE thing for timing/pace/flow. Adjust accordingly.
Move things around.
Have A occur later.
Have B build up a little more.
Have C hasten.
Have D get done much much faster.
Eliminate E entirely.
Have F combine with H before interacting with G.

A stitch in time saves nine.
Haste makes waste, and all that blather.

Then just start whenever you feel like you got no more juice to give.


Better luck!

PS, even as a writer/director a whole lot is going to change from script to screen due to budget, locations, equipment, cast & crew, what you shot vs. what looks good in editing, input from principals, input from peanut gallery, etc.
Don't ever think your writing is writ from Zeus. Pfft.
At some point you realize you're just moving rice grains about the plate with all the silly little changes you make with the story.
Most of the weenie little details aren't going to make or break the story.
The story often either sucks fundamentally or has been done to death and no amount of seasoning, slathering of jellies & jams, or application of liquor is going to cure it.
A good story is simple but compelling.

 

[maralyn]

I disagree with Rayw, but, whatever.

Look, six months isn't long. You might even have to allow yourself as long as 2 years to finish a script. For some, that's how long it takes.

And you don't want to just shoot a bunch of two dimensional crap.

I think you're being sensible.

Sometimes travel helps, a change of scenery. Give yourself a deadline. You've already spent six mths on it, so, you've got 18 mths left.

Any longer than that is belly-aching.

And if it still isn't done in another year, then, I dunno, just take drugs for a week and write something stream of consciousness.

(I'm kidding)

(about the drugs)

 

[mus]

It doesn't matter how much time it takes, what matters is the end result.

For example: I consider Mike Myers to be the funniest comedian in the world... He writes all of his movies, aside from the Shrek films, and Cat In The Hat, and even then, he does a great deal of improvisational dialogue.

Look at the gaps in many of his projects. It seems like he goes years and years without working. He's actually working on writing during those periods.

He claims that for every good idea he ends up creating, he throws away 10-20 fully completed screenplays. He even dropped out of a movie ready to shoot, The Sprockets Movie just because he felt his own script wasn't funny enough.

My final point is this: if YOU are not satisfied with the script, do not settle. Make it enjoyable to yourself, or you'll regret it.

 

[maralyn]

gawd, that's what you call tortured.

But you can't be afraid of making mistakes either.

Look, if you haven't got a script finished in the next 18 mths, go and shoot a documentary instead. Or just make a short.

 

[mus]

Everyone has their own pace. The Creators of South Park work best under less than a week's deadline... some need years.

 

[MileCreations]

I haven't even attempted a feature as of yet so what I'm saying could be irrelevant.

Could you try writing a solid 15min short film then fill in the gaps, add in a few subplots etc which then expands into a feature perhaps?

If it's something you love, don't give up. Good luck!

 

[TanadrineStudios]

Is this what its like for everyone because I feel like I'm spending waaay more time on a story than I should be.

... I'm going to pretend I never read this and secretly wish I could purchase mind bleach.

Seriously though, you have to be able produce something that interests you and that catalyzes other ideas for it to be worth watching. When you get to that point, you'll have so many ideas that you'll die of old age before you get to do them all... in which case it becomes an issue of choosing those ideas rather than creating them... it does make things faster, but putting it all together does take time and patience. Writers don't get enough credit.

Having side projects under your belt helps to expand the library of ideas in your mind (even if they are unrelated subjects), but that's just my experience.

 

[rayw]

I disagree with Rayw, but, whatever.

Look, six months isn't long. You might even have to allow yourself as long as 2 years to finish a script. For some, that's how long it takes.

And you don't want to just shoot a bunch of two dimensional crap.

I think you're being sensible.

Sometimes travel helps, a change of scenery. Give yourself a deadline. You've already spent six mths on it, so, you've got 18 mths left.

Any longer than that is belly-aching.

And if it still isn't done in another year, then, I dunno, just take drugs for a week and write something stream of consciousness.

(I'm kidding)

(about the drugs)

I agree with Maralyn about disagreeing with me. Don't build your story the way fences, houses, autos, planes, and pretty much everything else in the industrialized world is built: frame first, then accessorize.

No.

The process of allowing six months is fine.
Or two years is fine.
Maralyn allocates two years for her/himself, so you should too.

Change of subject: I agree. Don't just shoot a bunch of 2D crap.

Change of subject: I agree. The current process you're employing causes dissatisfaction. That's is sensisble. Don't change the process. Change something else!

I agree. Travelling helps. Go to a new continent. Live there for 18 months. That will allow you to maintain your current dissatisfactory A - Z linear process. All you needed all along was a change.
New continent impractical?
Maybe to a new city?
Or new street?
Or new bedroom?
Or side of the room?
Or chair?

Change of subject: Giving yourself a deadline will make your fabrication from A - Z process more betterer.
The deadline is two years.
After two years stop.
Quit complaining.
Move.
Begin again.

Or give yourself a one year extension to partake in illicit pharmacological resource use for one week to ensure the remaining 51 weeks of extention will be productive.

That is your definitive last resource.

Then quit. Don't complain. Move to another continent/state/city/street/room/chair. Begin again. Don't shoot 2D cr@p. Maintain the current dissatisfactory A - Z linear process. Obviously you moved to the wrong continent/state/city/street/room/chair. Better luck with the next move. And you should probably change the drugs ur uzinnnnnnnn, 2.

Don't dew whut I sed. I B WHACK, HOME BOY!

 

[Ferguson Films]

Seriously though, you have to be able produce something that interests you and that catalyzes other ideas for it to be worth watching.

If your writing about a subject that your intrested in or have a passion for.... surely you would be more productive in your writing.

Also you said about you keep going through what you have done untill your dissatisfied, maybe you should find someone to 'poke holes' in your story, although you are the one writing it, who knows if anyone watching the final production will see it the same way

But.... my writing is not very good, I usually pound my face onto the keyboard for 20mins, smile and make the film!

 

[TanadrineStudios]

But.... my writing is not very good, I usually pound my face onto the keyboard for 20mins, smile and make the film!

Gotta work on it then, even if you aren't good at it. You don't have to become a master at everything to create good content... you have to evolve and begin to understand how all of these different aspects are inter-related. You will never be as good at someone who specializes in any single area, so your strength will eventually become effective communication. Understanding how the process works in all areas has extremely high benefits to you. Example: I don't consider myself a music artist by any degree, but i've created music. Ability to produce music is NOT my calling in life! But this has helped immensely in communicating with the music artist helping me out on my project because at least I have a general idea of what he's talking about when he says things like "attack" and "reverb", and I can say things like "I really like the strum at 00;00;50".

When I began my animated series... I knew only a microscopic fraction of what I know now (in ALL areas, including screenwriting), and I am still learning. The only thing you should ever let stop you is your lack of interest... not your lack of experience/knowledge. If you get burned out a quarter way through your project, it is probably not meant to be finished.

Also, don't set your expectations of yourself too high... allow yourself to gradually become more experienced. In my past projects, I made it a point to always keep things simple and introduce one new thing that i've never done before as a way of improving. Always start from the bottom up, not top down.

 

[Filman]

Singing opera looks very easy, until you try... Make sure you don't think screenwriting comes naturally for everybody, just because some writers, make it look easy. Many times it takes an enormous amount of skills to write some ordinary crap.

 

[harmonica44]

I wrote two feature length scripts so far and the second has come a lot faster than the first. The second came in a year about. The first took six years, on and off again. They are both thrillers and for the first I was trying to shove as many twists in as possible, making for a mind bending roller coaster ride, but not near as logical of a story, where everything added up completely in the end. The second doesn't have near as many twists and things going on, but it is much more logically plausible, and therefore, perhaps stronger, depending on the type of audience.

Not that this pertains to you at all, but it may give you an idea, of how long it takes in a random example.