Screenwriting Hiatus

[PhantomScreenwriter]

For a while now (probably almost six months) I have been on a hiatus with my screenwriting because I needed to find some new and fresh inspirations, and so far all I've been able to come up with are a few ideas. But I don't want to force or rush things.

Is anyone else on a hiatus from screenwriting, and if so, was it because you wanted to have one or is it that you just can't seem to come up with something to work on?

 

[Jack Lynt]

Seems like I've been on hiatus my whole life. =P

For me it's due more to ambivalence. I'm not sure it's for me, being somewhat aware of how the business of it works, even if only vaguely. Maybe writing novels or graphic novels is more for me? But I love movies. And the daily workaday grind leaves me not wanting to do much of anything on my "free" time.

I know that's not a good excuse to not do the things which we do want to when we're not punched in. But it is also the working man's reality. Or one of them.

Hey, I recently heard Sting say that you can't always be on output; sometimes you have to be on input.

Maybe that's you now. Go ahead, take a break. I know that I too need to be in input mode more often.

Although they do say that those who want to write need to keep writing all the time, even through writer's block, even when it gets tough, through thick and thin. Maybe the real trick is also being on input at the same time.

 

[PhantomScreenwriter]

The thing is that in the meantime I've been watching a lot of movies, and I can't help but soak up all that I can during a viewing. So yeah, input mode is a good way to describe it in a way.

I have a lot of ideas for stories that might need to be blended into one in order to make something out of them, because sometimes they're not enough on their own to create a good screenplay. So that's also part of why I haven't been writing - any ideas I come up with could be combined with others to create a fuller screenplay.

 

[Adeimantus]

There's no more important choice you'll make as a screenwriter than the concept/premise/subject of your story. I've heard several interviews with top writers who say coming up with two or three strong, viable story ideas per year is a good year. Don't sweat it. Just keep your mind's eyes and ears open and it'll come to you.

 

[Aspiring Mogul]

Everyone gets a writer's block, so maybe it's time to take a break and let things settle.

 

[DylanRed25]

I like the Woody Allen approach.

He has a bag in a drawer FULL of ideas he had in the past. Some are barely a concept, others are more developed. Whenever he is unsure what to write, he picks one up randomly and tries to go with it.

I love that and do something sort of similar. I have a huge growing list of things I want to get to. Some are just writing exercises, other are dream projects. I tackle every one in the same way. It's about the moment.

Keeping a notebook on ideas is a great tip. You prevent writers block when you're collaborating with yourself on the past, if I may be extra romantic about the process.

It also gives me incentive to finish what I'm doing, so I can get to the other possibly cool ideas.

 

[Adeimantus]

Keeping a notebook on ideas is a great tip. You prevent writers block when you're collaborating with yourself on the past, if I may be extra romantic about the process.

It also gives me incentive to finish what I'm doing, so I can get to the other possibly cool ideas.

That's an excellent idea. I do a lot of driving in my "real" job, and keep a small voice recorder nearby and record whatever ideas pop into my head. When I'm not driving, I usually have a small notepad in my pocket and jot down a note or two. Most are meh, but I know for a fact I've lost some gems because I didn't write them down or record them at the moment. And they all aren't just ideas for new projects; many are new takes or angles on current ones.

My wife knows the "faraway" look on my face at dinner or in the middle of a conversation. Suddenly, out comes the notepad. Heh.