How to write under financial pressure?

[Inarius]

Well, I'm not a screenwriter, not getting paid for writing a script. I write in my free time.
Sometimes, I feel like that constant pressure of the lack of money, everyday job, debts and etc - hurts my ability to write something. I guess, most of screenwriters come from high socio-economical status families, where that pressure is weaker, which allows them to relax, to focus, to clear their minds. You can tell me of Silvester Stalone that comes from a poor socio-economical status, with his Rocky script, but this is one of those very rare cases.

So this is something I can't change, but I do need to get used to it somehow. How can I write despite having all of those financial problems? Are there any techniques? Yes, it sounds more like a psychological question, but still...

 

[rayw]

I can answer only half of those questions.

What do you mean screenwriting editing program? You mean software, like CeltX? No, I don't use any of them. And I see no reasons to.

Well, then f*ckit.

If you don't givash*t then neither will I (or most anyone in the industry.)

It may be appropriate for you to finish writing that short after all.

I'm writing 2 scripts
1 - a short film script (10 min) to direct <--- Gopherit! Finish this one!
2 - a feature length spec script to sell

A ten minute short should be about ten pages long which you should easily be able to do in a week or two, in which case your finances won't have any effect.
If you're going to write it THEN BLOODY WRITE IT!

Good luck & best wishes!

 

[Sweetie]

My problem is not the lack of ideas, it's the pressure - can't focus on what I need RIGHT NOW, and thinking of the problems around.

If you cannot focus with those pressures around you, you need to get yourself to a point where you can focus. This will either be through exterior changes (get yourself out of the hole you're in) or internal changes (Zen yourself up baby!).

To me, it sounds like you've convinced yourself you cannot do it. If you've convinced you cannot, the brain has a strange way of proving yourself right.

 

[Inarius]

Uhh, well you should. Formatting is important. If you're trying to sell a script, formatting can be one of the first things to turn your script off from someone whom you might want to read it (or so I hear). On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you're someone like me, who only writes stuff that they plan to shoot themselves, then formatting isn't a huge concern. But it still needs to be readable, both for people you might seek to critique, and of course for the actors.

Point being, as a bare minimum, your script should be at least somewhat close to the commonly accepted formatting style. Celtx makes that really easy to adhere to. Writing in Celtx, vs. writing in Microsoft Word (or any other standard writing software), there's just no comparison. The simple convenience of Celtx is brilliant. Writing in software intended for your specific purpose just makes things a breeze.

Well, then f*ckit.

If you don't givash*t then neither will I (or most anyone in the industry.)

You ppl got me wrong.
I don't use Screenwriting software, because I know how to write in screenplay format well enough.
It's not that difficult to follow the format in Word, without any additional software.

 

[WalterB]

............... or internal changes (Zen yourself up baby!).
.................

This.
Take a stroll in the parc. (Empty your head.)
Practice yoga. (Not just asanas, but also pranayama and meditation. It can help to get the edge of your fears. But it takes time.)

Change your mindset.
Direktorik is right: you are looking for reasons not to write.

Maybe you are just afraid that you write it and won't sell it and your friends think you're a fool for trying.
Don't think that. That's your ego being afraid of losing face.
The fact is: you can't lose your face.
But you can face your fear by just keep going.

Don't use drugs to focus. Ever. It will only create an artifical dependency and a new fear of not having it.
(Actually weed is something that will only make you lose focus.)

Since your finances seem to worry you: just write the short. Don't make it, if you can't afford it.

 

[Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC]

I hear where you are coming from and been in the same boat myself. I also faced near fatal illness, family deaths, and numerous disasters in the place where I live forcing me to put everything into storage for months so work could be done with repairs.

Look to the life of an Edgar Allan Poe who died in poverty. But, is recognized as a great writer.

Try to put your pain and experiences into your writing to animate your writing.

Good luck to you.

 

[Alcove Audio]

Well, I'm not a screenwriter, not getting paid for writing a script. I write in my free time.
Sometimes, I feel like that constant pressure of the lack of money, everyday job, debts and etc - hurts my ability to write something.

I'm assuming that you want to be a professional screenwriter.

You would not believe how hard people in this business work. You work your ass off to get noticed, work twice as hard to get there, then even harder to stay there.

Strip your life down to essentials. Get a really small, really cheap place to live. Be sure that you have reliable transportation. Pare down your belongings and your needs to the absolute basics. Save every penny that you can. No partying. That doesn't mean you can't go to parties, but behave yourself. .

That will give you a start on clearing up your debts, and eliminate distractions so you can focus on your writing. It's all about discipline.

Remember your Yoda = “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

 

[tohtamish]

Writing is the most cheap sphere in human art. You don't need to study to draw, musical notes, or even high math and phisics for architecture. You don't need everything. You are so free, - at first sight. Only type words and get money... Big writers told that their craft is like roulette and success comes usually after 40... Classics in general usually had other work. Present screenwriting is show, entertainment shpere, there are so many adventurers which have nothing to say but they are hyperactive and know methods. Ist like pretty women in journalism - they dream about fame but not creative writing articles. You cannot blame them only because they want all to look at them. Something similar in movies, writers with big baggage face active pro crafters with ties at tvs that collect ideas without any tic in eye and they never move for any new comers. About your sufferings, Inarius, well, I can recommend melancholic music and taoists meditations. Music is "Hidden orchestra". When you are full of pain - just listen to it. Taoism practices are Mantek Chia' healing sounds. They are weird but after few times it starts to work... You only need to find correct demonstration on youtube. In fact, you should try to find regular work and don't dream of big money and fame in movies. As all shepres with big money and human emotions, cinema is the most hard, so you dream about olympus, you may suffer, laugh, but people break in this much much harder... Read actors' bios. Foe example about Gerard Depardieu' youth.