How to overcome writer's block

Read these useful tips about overcoming writer's block

Most writers experience writer’s block at some point in their lives, at various stages of the writing process. Often a solution can be found by speaking with your instructor (if you are a student) or a writing tutor if you attend a creative writing workshop, but even better, this happens when you engage with other creatives in your field. Screenwriting Lessons workshops take care of that! Sharing and discussing ideas with other creatives in a protective and safe environment that is there to nurture your talent and not criticize it can be an amazing experience. Soon, you will find yourself able to develop your projects or come up with new concepts. And you will overcome your creative hurdles. It takes a village. That's true!

Also, a common reason for being stuck is that you may lack creative stimuli. Doing research on a subject that you are interested in and talking to people that know more about the subject, or engaging with other artists' work to get creative feedback, even if it does not regard the subject you are writing about, are certain ways that can help you unblock your mind.

But there are ways to combat writer’s block on your own, too! When you’re having trouble figuring out what to write next, consider these common types of writer’s block and try the strategies that sound most promising to you.

1) If you can't find how to start your script

Brainstorm topics that are interesting to you. Use the invention strategies suggested by your instructor to generate questions or thoughts that serve as useful starting points. Write down all the primary ideas you'd like to express, and then fill in each with the smaller ideas that make up each primary idea. This can easily be converted into an outline.

If your idea involves conducting research, you can look for places where you disagree with another writer's perspective or feel more work needs to be done to address an issue. Identifying gaps or conflicts in the existing conversation around a topic is often a great starting point, and a very creative drive emerges to engage with the topic and come up with new narratives.

Example: You’ve been asked to watch a film on a serious social issue, such as unemployment. You remember three other films that you found interesting and re-watch them, taking notes on details that stand out to you. You freewrite for five minutes on each of the three films and discover that you have much more to say about one than the others. You focus on that one, expanding your freewrite into an outline for the entire idea that sprung into your mind.

2) If you have an idea and an outline but can't think of an interesting opening for the film...

Try beginning in the middle. Or the end. In fact, start writing at whatever point you like and leave the opening or the first scenes until later. The reader will never know that you wrote the script "backwards. Besides, some writers routinely save the first scenes (or any scenes) until later, when they have a clearer idea of what the main idea and purpose of the script will be. After you finish the first draft of the script and the story is completely drafted, you can get all the scenes in the correct order and read it start-to-finish to ensure that transitions are smooth.

Example: You have to complete a script and hate writing the middle. You have no idea how to come up with the midpoint and the major reversals. In order to complete the project, you overcome your anxiety about writing that part of the script by first writing the opening or the ending, and you flesh out your characters. Working from the inside out, you come up with the characters' major flaws. That gives you an idea of what those characters may find as an obstacle on their way to attaining their goal and materializing their desire. You figure out what the unconscious needs they have are that block those needs from being recognized. Finally, you see the real theme of the script. Now you know what it's about. It makes sense to you. You have all the answers! You write the opening again, reorder the scenes, and revise holistically to attain your final vision for the story.

3) If you have been assigned a project that bores you as a professional

Determine how much creative control you have over the project by talking to your coworkers. Talk to your script consultant and other creatives in the field, and discuss how much the project can be adjusted. If there is a lot of room for flexibility, choose a particular aspect of the project you are interested in.

If you’ve chosen a common project just because you thought it would be easy to write about, reconsider: it’s easiest to write about something in which you have a personal interest.

Talk to your coworkers about how you can personalize a topic.

If you can’t change the major scope or goal of the project, try to understand why you’re being asked to write it that way. What knowledge will you personally gain from completing the assignment? What skills will you be able to practice in your craft at that point? Who would benefit from watching the final product, and how would that positively affect the audience?

Example: You work for a production company and have been assigned to write a script for a documentary about unemployment. Although at first your producer asks you to simply take a conventional approach to the documentary and just lay out the facts because it will be broadcast on local TV stations, you find that you’re much more interested in dealing with the subject from a less conventional angle and making it more personal by interviewing people from all walks of life, all kinds of ages, and all kinds of professions. You talk to your producer and get permission to write the script that engages you more.

Example: The same scenario as above, but your producer tells you that you have to write along the original, more general premise. Although it’s boring to you, you reflect that you’ll gain experience and a writer's credit for presenting a mass of information in concise language, certainly a useful skill for a screenwriter. Additionally, there are thousands of people who would benefit from the information your informative documentary will cover. This motivates you to write the script.

Our right part of the brain is the most creative one

4) If you don't understand the writing assignment given to you in the screenwriting workshop

Find out what is expected of you. Read the written instructions you’ve been given again and make a list of questions you still have about the assignment. Consult your teacher, a textbook, or a classmate. Make it clear that you’ve read the teacher’s or supervisor’s materials and tried to solve the problem on your own, and be specific about what’s confusing you. The better you can articulate the source of confusion, the more help others can give you.

Example: Your screenwriting instructor has asked you to write something using non-linear narrative. The assignment sheet provides a definition of "non-linear narrative," and you have some class notes that further clarify the concept. But after reviewing these materials, you’re still not certain if your instructor would allow you to write your script with not only flash-backs but also flash-forwards, or if the ideas that you have may not fit this type of narrative; you'd rather stick to the traditional three-act structure, and you feel insecure about your creativity. Ask to talk to your instructor during office hours to ask if this approach would be acceptable, taking your own notes and the class notes with you. Ask for more creative input, discuss your idea, and you will soon find out there are more ways to approach this than you originally thought possible. Do not feel insecure about discussing this in class, too, as your classmates will give you their own perspectives on the subject, which will help you come up with some interesting new ideas.

5) If you are worried that you will write a bad script

Remember that the first draft is not the final draft. If you’re not sure where the plot will lead, just start writing it and see where it takes you. You can always delete scenes that don’t work out later, but the best insights often come from pushing yourself into uncertain territory—if you never feel unsure about your creative choices, you’re probably just reproducing existing cliches!

If you’re worried that a small detail is incorrect, that’s okay in the draft phase. Rather than spending a lot of time checking every small detail as you go, just leave a note to yourself to check your notes on screenwriting format later. Or, leave the troublesome scene for later and work on a part of the script that you’re more confident writing about.

Another example: You’re writing a film on the biography of a historical figure and can’t remember off the top of your head whether he or she married two or three times. The answer to this question may not change the entire plot either way if your focus is on one relationship, so you decide it’s not important to look it up right now. You write "two," highlight it, and leave a note to yourself to check this minor supporting fact against your research notes later. When you write the script and you actually discover you could throw in a few lines here and there to indicate that other relationships didn't work for the character and why, it can be done later in the draft.

6) If you are worried your sentences aren't polished enough

Remember, again, that the first draft is not the final draft. The sooner you get some words on the page, the more time you’ll have to edit your lines for clarity and style later. Complete an entire draft before you start editing at the sentence level.

If you find yourself consistently obsessing over individual sentences as you go, try dimming or covering your laptop's or computer monitor’s screen so that you don't pay attention to every word you're typing. You can also try writing in a notebook and typing up your work later.

Consciously stop any non-productive comments from running through your head by replacing them with productive ones. Rather than labeling yourself a "bad writer," think about what parts of the writing process you excel at (idea generation, character development, plotting, etc.) and plan to allot more time for the steps that take you longer.

Example: You have fleshed out your draft, but your dialogue seems cliched and contrived. You are struggling with the characters' voices, and you can't figure out why they sound that way. It looks like they all sound the same—like you! Leave the script aside. Spend time with your characters! Imagine how they feel, how they act, and how they would talk if you actually met them and they talked to you. Suddenly, they will feel more alive and real to you. They will start having their own voices. When that happens, you are ready to rewrite the dialogue.

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7) If you are so stressed out that you can't seem to put a word on the page

Take a short break! If you’re close to a deadline to give your assignment to your tutor or to deliver a script to a producer and worried about losing track of time, then set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes and use that short window to relax before getting back to work. Stretch, move away from your desk, and don’t neglect your sleeping and eating schedule. It’s much harder to write if you’re sleep-deprived or dehydrated.

If you have several days left before your deadline, break the work into manageable parts. Set measurable writing goals for yourself, like writing without interruption for a certain time or writing a certain number of words by a given deadline.

Finally, ask for help! Writing is most stressful when you’re doing it by yourself for a long period of time. Asking a tutor, a consultant, or a friend of yours who is in the creative field to talk your ideas through can help you get some perspective on the script and remind you that it’s nothing to be anxious about.

Example: You have a couple of weeks before a second draft is due, and you’re anxious that the producer will dislike your script before you’ve even completed it. Since you still have time before the deadline, you plan to work on it for three hours every day (or whatever time is needed). You talk to your screenwriting consultant, who helps you make a list of what needs to be revised, and you stick to your writing schedule.

8) If you are easily distracted when you open your computer to write

Try temporarily disabling your internet access. Take your laptop to a space that doesn’t have internet access. Draft by hand in a notebook and type up your work later. Or, simply turn your computer’s wifi detector off or put your document into full-screen or "Focus" mode. These obstacles are easy to overcome, but the time it takes to make the few extra clicks to open an internet browser is sometimes enough to stop yourself.

You can also try setting a timer and forcing yourself to do nothing but write for a short period of time. Even a thirty-minute focused writing session can help you break through the initial writer’s block and build momentum on your project.

Example: You start to work on your script, and after writing one sentence, you feel the impulse to watch just one YouTube video for your research on the project. However, as you have wisely decided to take your computer to the house of a friend who doesn’t have internet access, your browser gives you a frowny face and an error message. You return to your page and keep writing. You can still do the research later. DO NOT RESEARCH AND WRITE AT THE SAME TIME! It just takes you out of the flow.