What do you do for writers block

I’m at a place where it’s just not happening. The words aren’t comming and I’ve got to get this rewrite done this month. Yeah, I know pressure. But I’m easy about it. I’ts the fact that nothing’s comming.



How and why do you start a script and then go dry with it? It just sits there and you wonder, will I ever finish it?



My answer is very unlikely.

Relax and watch films - probably of similarity/ relevance ;D thats what i do anyway - but then again what do i know…

I like the movie idea. Or read screenplays or something. But then you’re afraid you may taint your stuff with someone elses work.



HEY THOUSAND EYES! YOU KNOW LOTS OF SHIT!

Well yeah there’s the possibility of messing up the integrity of your work but keeping the films you watch focused is a little like research so its probably a good idea to also see films that expand your mind - also the best of the best - its inspirational and keeps you from thinking to small or weak, alot of people watch a variety of great films regularly for this purpose, its a good idea to get a variety too as you can think in different directions then you would usually consider… yeah I guess I do know a lot of shit ;D

make a cup of herbal tea, watch some films, read some books, listen to some music and it’ll come. My ideas come thick and fast. Maybe because i am not afraid to utilise elements of fantasy. If all you can come up with is an angel of satan or a flying unicorn, then why not start with that?



Also:

Eavesdropping - go to a cafe and listen to other people’s conversations, i listen to people talk all the time, it gives me ideas as well as a feeling of naturalistic dialogue.

Sleep, go for a walk, stand alone in a forest, things where you can’t do much else but think or dream.

Get a piece of paper and write out everything in your head, you can criticise and correct it later

Dress up as your character and spend a while in his or her shoes, try and act like they do or speak like they do

Role-playing game - much like the last one, join a role-playing game like Dungeons and Dragons or d20 modern, act a character and during an adventure you’ll many ideas for scenes, etc in a film



These are just things that i do when i can’t think of anything, but i find that i usually can think of something. Anyway, don’t know if they will help, but they are worth a try

Just think about what attracted you to the idea in the first place.



Watching films is also a very good idea. If you find something you like in a movie, just steal it. QT does this all the time. He admitted it in an interview. He steals scenes he likes and then rewrites them over and over again until they become his.

Here is what I do. Put a song on and get a blank paper and just start writing whatever is on your mind in script form. Whether it’s something crazy or anything like that. Like I once did something where these three kids are having a conversation and all of a sudden one of the kids head explodes. There is this blockage inside your head and if you write it out then it’ll go away. Worked for me maybe it’ll work for you.

Head explosion. I guess that would cure writers block. I like the methods posted. Thanks

the first thing is dont panic. okay the second thing is watch movies that are related to your topic. third , dont just sit around. if you dont write in awhile you will lose your thought and it will never come to you at until later on down the road.

I usually just go grab another beer and find a new song.

I’m still not writing. don’t know the problem. If there is one. Guess I just write in waves. :-</E>

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I’m still not writing. don’t know the problem. If there is one. Guess I just write in waves. :-</E>
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Do the Kaufman way! If the problem is that you just can’t simply write, not that you don’t have any ideas, just that you lack the motivation or inspiration, write about your life. That should get you writing. After that you can just continue with your script.



Or thry writing in some place, where there’s no distractions. To me it’s pain writing on a computer 'cause I can always start doing something else, browsing the web or something. And make some time to yourself. If you know that you have an hour to write, then you’re probably gonna write. Not like “I have the whole day to write tomorrow” 'cause then the next day you’ll think “No worry, I’ll just start writing at the next hour, I HAVE THE WHOLE DAY”. That just leads writing only a little if even that.

Get into a writing regiment.



I’ve heard people say to me, “well I only write when I’m inspired.” And usually my answer is, "me too, but I make sure I’m ‘inspired’ every weekday at 4 PM"



Just set aside time everyday to writing. Even if it’s only 5-10 minutes. Even if you have to stare blankly into an empty Microsoft Word for 10 minutes.



The main problem people have with writers block is because, they’re too hesitant to write whatever. Write ANYTHING down, even if you think it’s the worst peice of literature that has even dawned the English language. Even if that’s true, people seem to forget that there’s a “delete” button.



No harm done at all.

I like the ideas here. My mind has been occupied with other things and now those issues dissapate. I need a plan to get things started again. I’ll try one hour thing and what comes out, comes out.



Thanks!

wot does dissapate mean?

slowly dissapear. I may have spelled it wrong

My biggest problem right now is I’ll come up with a concept but

not be able to turn it into a full screenplay. It’s like I know where

I want the script to go I just can’t seem to get it there.

I have that problem with one of the scripts I started. Now it just sits until I can figure out how to get it going from point B to C and so on.

I’m by no means an expert, as it is I have actually started several scripts and set them aside when they start getting out of control, so one day I’ll come back to them when I’m a better writer. But this is my experience.



First script - just notes, maybe a page of dialogue, pathetic. It was a fantasy trilogy for godsakes, I think I was trying to be Lucas or Tolkien or something. I drew pictures, I actually had some cool characters and situations and visuals but it was just too much, and I never actually commited too much to paper.



Second Script - titled The life and times of krust. This was supposed to be a combination of Clerks/Catcher and the Rye/the “Punk” mentality/SLC Punk/Trainspotting/ and personal life experience that comes from partying with a bunch of scumbags. The birth of this project was when I discovered the band

Anal Cunt, they’re great, and horrible all in one. And I realized that I listened to them as a joke, but somebody out there was thier biggest fan, and this movie was going to be about him. Anyway, I had several situations and in-jokes (clerks style) and it really was aa series of sketches. I wrote 30 pages by hand and got stuck, because although the movie was funny I wanted a moral to it and the two wouldn’t fit, so I scrapped it eventually.



Third Script - A horror movie that was really nothing but the killer talking to his victim for several minutes in a crawl space, too much dialogue to be creepy. 20 pages handwritten.



Fourth Script - A vigilante Warriors/streets of Fire/Kill Bill movie. had several cool situations but could not connect the dots. When you set something in stone, it’s really hard to change it, and that’s what I had done with this. Notes, and 15 pages handwritten.



Fifth Script - titled Perfect. I love this one, but never finished it. A small town is plagued by tragedy, from social decline (like Micheal Moore’s Flint michigan, even though I think he’s kindof a turd, he’s a good filmmaker), to family strains, to a school shooting. As happens with most tragedies, someone brings the word of God into play, and the whole town turns into Jesus freaks, not just Jesus Freaks, but brainwashed cannibalistic Jesus Freaks…Snap. The teens are the only ones who won’t turn, so they pretty much fall victim to this. I got as far as brainwashing, but could not change the tone from serious to…well something about flesh eating christians. Again I had certain things planned out in my head and it kindof hurt the script. A whopping 70 pages typed.



Sixth - A script about paranioa, fear, and blind obedience within a group. I hav enot yet given up on it, but have finished writing it by hand at a 190 pages. When I got stuck I went to another period in this guys life, then to another. This script is about time so kindof worked to jump ahead, then go back, then back again. Problem is, when I went to type it in the computer, I changed things that needed changing and it just wasn’t as tight as it should be. I just kindof gave up, because I introduced a main character at page 90 typed, and how can the main character create a relation ship with him if there’s only 20 pages to do it… Frustrating to say the least. I have to go back to this though, at some point.



Seventh - Current. This one is pure sleaze. That’s what I want it to be. It’s very much in the same vein as Last House on the Left and I spit on your grave, with a little bit of Hostel/Miike and Italian/Argento flava. That’s the plan anyway. I’m at page 50 written and am already starting to doubt myself but think I might start transcribing it and cleaning it up on my laptop, maybe that will save me some of my pitfalls I’ve already hit with this one.



Here’s the thing, when I plan something out it seems like it’s doomed fromt he begining. When I have a general idea of what’s going on, I go on so many tangents that I love, and introduce so many themes that interest me that the script kindof gets crowded, but I think so far the latter works for my. We’ll have to wait and see. Just a little insight on my experience, maybe you can use some of my failures as advice in your own way.

I’m not a script-writer in any way, but I write some music, and I often come up with the best music when I’m actually not touching the instrument, cause I automatically start to noodle when I’m playing the guitar. You know, going on auto-pilot. So just go for a run, think about it, and if it comes, it comes. If it doesn’t work it will at least give you a good exercise.