When we are writing a screenplay, a book, an online blog… we all reach that point that we just don’t know how to continue. We have no idea about what to write next, or we have too many ideas and don’t know where to start. We just sit in front of our screen trying to squeeze our minds to find the words. We fail. We stress out. The ideas become even vaguer and we start thinking about the time you are wasting thinking about nothing and doubting if we are even capable of writing it. We have writer’s block.
If you are reading this post, then you have experienced this block or experiencing it right now. Don’t worry. Before all these negative thoughts cloud your mind know that all creative people experience this block. When you know the causes, it will be easier to overcome writer’s block. And in this post, I will give you some tips and tricks that work with many writers and helped me to get over the writers’ block.
Why do You have this Writing Block?
You are afraid to write. This is a main reason that might prevent many writers from continuing their work. You might be afraid from the result, from what will people who read this script think about it, or from not knowing where is your script going to end. Fear is a psychological factor that limits your creativity and over loads your head with negative thoughts. It diverts you from thinking about the events.
Because you are a perfectionist (and self-criticism). We all want our work to be perfect. That is great. But remember that perfectionism will put many boundaries for your creativity. You would write a sentence and think it is good. It is not perfect though. You would move on to the other sentences and just keep thinking about that un-perfect sentence that you wrote few seconds ago. You get stuck in the previous sentence and will be unable to think about anything else. You have a writer’s block 🙁
It is just not the right time. External factors might cause the block like being uncomfortable, personal issues, distractions… Or the ideas are not yet mature in your head. They need time to develop before you spill them on your screen.
How to Overcome Writer’s Block?
All the techniques and tricks that might help you get over the writer’s block will involve eliminating the distractions that are preventing your thoughts from surfacing to the top.
Here are tips that will help you get over the writer’s block. Then I will give you some practical techniques that are specific for script writing for movies, TV shows and theater.
Stick to the same writing area: The setting your are in has a great impact on your creativity. Many thoughts and memory baggage can be triggered by space and sound. So, if you have been thinking and working for a while in a specific place, then sticking to that place would help you thought routine. Listening to the same kind of music while working could also help. But this does not deny the effectiveness of changing scenery. Which takes us to the second tip.
Change scenery and come back: Go for a walk, take a short break outside your working area. This will restart your mind and when you come back you will have a fresh line of thoughts.
Just Write: A blank page will increase your chances for a writer’s block. To overcome it, just start writing anything on that page. Events will hopefully flow after.
Finish unresolved business: This could be as simple as you haven’t done the dishes to having to fix things up with your girlfriend or boyfriend. If it is on your mind, get it done and get back to work.
Tricks to Overcome Writer’s Block for Screenplay Writers
Visualize your Brain storming
No ideas or too many ideas? When you are writing a screenplay, there would seem to be an infinite number of choices and directions for your scenes and characters. Each time you decide to go with an idea you think that the other could be better. You can’t choose. You have a ton of ideas, and this will lead to writer’s block. The good news is when this happens you are most probably on the right track and almost over the writer’s block. Time will fix this issue. but you can start by decreasing the number of options you want to continue with.
My trick is to write the possible events down and start elimination. After you choose a fewer number of choice, use sticky notes to map out the possible outcomes of each character choice. That way when you look at them you can see an organized storyboard and have a better idea about how you will move from one idea to the other. This is very helpful in organizing your thoughts and will walk you through the script and help visualize the outcome of the scene.
Opposite Writing
This technique almost always for me and helps me to get over writer’s block. When you have no idea about how you are going to move forward in a scene, all you need to do is write everything that you don’t want to happen in this scene. Make a list of all the things that you are sure are not going to use in the scene. The ideas will start to get clearer in your head, and the right ideas will start to surface. This happens because when you are actively thinking about what NOT to do, you are subconsciously thinking about the opposite. By the time you are done with the not to-do list, the chances are that you will come up a solid idea about the completion scene.
Act out the scene
This is especially effective when you are stuck on writing dialogue. You can just read the dialogue out loud, when you hear the words it would be easier to continue with the flow. A more effective technique is to act out the scene with a friend. What I do is ask the help of my friends, I brief them about the character and the situation, and try to act out the dialogue. I also record this improvisation exercise on my phone so I can listen to it later. This trick will work in almost all the cases of writer’s block when writing dialogue.
Don’t show your script to anyone
This will remove the fear of criticism. Take the decision not show anyone what you are writing. Write your scenes, and tomorrow you will re-read them and decide if they are good or not. Then you can share it. By that, your inner critic will be more lenient with you.
There is no stupid idea/ Write that stupid idea
You have heard it many times: “there is no stupid idea” but when you are writing your script, you get stuck on a scene and think: “This is really a stupid idea”. What will happen is that this idea will cloud your thoughts and you will defiantly have writer’s block.
If you insist that this idea you have is stupid and does not work. My trick is to write the scene that you are stuck on and use this stupid idea. Take a short break and re-read it. You never know, maybe the idea was actually good, but your inner critic is being harsh on you. And if the idea was actually “bad”, then you will have removed it from your system. Now will have a clearer mind to start the scene all over with more knowledge about what won’t work in the script. So, if the scene did not turn out to be good, it would be a good learning experience. Writing the “stupid” scene will be good for the script either way.
Do your “bad” habits
If you are a smoker and craving a cigarette, go for a smoke. Have few drinks. If you smoke pot and its legal wherever you are, have few puffs. This will loosen you up and make you inner evil critic tune down… Be carful don’t over do it and get yourself tuned down. Just enough to continue this scene.
Scriptwriting is a Game
When you think of writing a screenplay as game, you will be more motivated to finish your daily tasks. Writing will be even more fun!
I have created a game to help you with your writer’s block. Go to the Screenplay writing game and whenever you finish a task just mark it done. You will be able to see how other scriptwriters are progressing in their script. And you will be more motivated to compete on finishing the screenplay writing tasks.
I hope these tips would help you overcome writer’s block. Keep in mind that every writer gets stuck at some time while writing their scripts. A writer’s block is just in your mind, it’s because you are distracted, or not organized, or just lazy and tired. So never take writer’s block as an excuse to stop writing. And remember that leaving your project, or watching a movie or a TV series instead is not a solution for writer’s block.
Let me know if you have other tricks to get over the writer’s block so we can add them to this post. And if you tried any of these tricks let us know if they worked for you so you can help other readers.
