Does this sound like an oxymoron? It may, but it shouldn’t. As working professionals (or aspirants) we need to establish good writing habits. Your tax accountant doesn’t wait for inspiration to strike before filing your tax forms, so why should you? Okay, the analogy may be a little harsh because your accountant doesn’t need to design a new tax form for each client. However, some rules of working habits still apply.
I’m not a fan of writers’ block. I get writers’ fatigue, which means I need a break. I can’t say I’ve ever been short of ideas. I always keep a notebook on hand, wherever I am, in case the muse strikes. I jot down anything that resembles a story idea, no matter how raw. I refer to my notes often whether it be a line of dialogue I heard or a scene. This stokes my subliminal mind. If I have a deadline, I put a post-it on the wall with some keywords of a scene I need to develop eg John loses his dog who’s also his only friend. Each day I add a post-it to progress the story. I have also done this with flow charts. This ensures that my subliminal creative mind is working, but the thoughts don’t sink too far into my subconscious or unconscious mind.
Follow your mood. Changing your mood can be difficult, so work with it. Many psychologists believe we are at our most creative, when we in a positive frame of mind, but at our most passionate, when we are angry and negative! Sounds like a win-win situation because the latter fires our desire to tell a story, while the former allows us to execute it. When we are in a positive mindset, our mind is conducive to unstructured, loose activity. When we are in a negative state of mind, we work better with structured, linear and ordered tasks.
Think about love and things you love; people, pets, objects. Some psychologists believe that love triggers the release of biochemicals in the bloodstream that enhance the creative process. We dream, consider endless possibilities and are generally uninhibited in such states. Conversely, sex is associated with adrenaline release to fulfill an immediate reproductive need. Not much creativity there from your mind’s perspective. Sex tends to lead to more linear, analytical thinking which is less conducive to the creative process.
We tend to be at our most creative during periods of reduced consciousness. This can be very early in the morning, when it is still dark, or very late at night, when the infomericals have stopped playing on tv. I have heard stories of writers coming off their 12 hour shifts and spending an hour writing before getting some rest You can too.
If you’re anything like me, you like to dither and procrastinate. Sitting in front of your computer for endless hours may not always be the most efficient use of your time. If it takes you a while to crank up your creative motor (like me) set a time limit for those distracting online tasks like emails, facebook, banking, ebay etc. Stick to it.
Set a time limit and structure for your work session. Say 30 mins for emails and personal tasks, 2 hours writing, 15 minute personal break, 1 hour writing. Write it down before you commence work and stick to it. There is software online that can physically disable your internet connection for a period of time. Don’t forget to plan for leisure time. This is vital in keeping your creative subconscious bubbling while performing other activities.
Some experts suggest keeping regular writing times, such as between 5-7 am before the kids wake up, or Saturday afternoon between noon and 3pm. This time is highly personal and intensely private; much like praying. There are no distractions allowed. If you need to reschedule from a particular writing session, plan an alternative time beforehand.
Set outcomes. Some writers don’t like to be tied down to specific writing times, especially if they aren’t in the mood. They simply decide to write for a fixed period of time each time, say one hour. Others are more outcome based and decide to write a set number of pages each day, regardless of the time taken. I know of writers who have vowed to write something everyday, ignoring all time and page count parameters.
Write during your lunch/ coffee breaks. Jim Cameron, used to park his truck back in the day and write a few words at the truckstop. Now we know why his deliveries were always late. Go to sleep an hour later or wake up an hour earlier. Statistics show that there aren’t more hours in the day in 2010 than there were a hundred years ago.
Decide if you are writing a freeform session of structured one. One spurs the other. This is a wonderful tool for me. These are the essential blocks for building your screenplay. Within a few weeks you’ll have completed your script. Even research is classed as writing time. Make sure you can account for each writing session.
Some people prefer to set weekly goals; say write for ten hours each week. If you miss a day, you can make up for it on another one. Keep a writing diary, so you can monitor your achievements over the course of any given time frame.
Reward yourself regularly. Given that you in this for the long haul, give yourself a treat once a task is finished, no matter how small. No need to wait until your script is finished. You will experience ample rejection, so you need something to keep you motivated. Hold off buying that video game until you complete your script. Conversely, punish yourself, if you do not achieve your goals, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Once you develop regular and consistent habits, there’s no stopping you. So hit those keyboards. You may have more time available to write a feature film script, but in television writing, the production train waits for no-one, not even you.
A typical Hollywood writer has a lead-in period of about ten years (some as early as five, others as late as fifteen) before they break through. Stories of “overnight success” are invariably apocryphal. Once produced, the lifespan of a typical Hollywood writer with a voracious appetite for new voices, is about five years. Despite these sobering statistics, the rewards can be mammoth. Remember, taking a while to be produced is not a failure. You are a writer as soon as finish your first script and promptly begin your second. Someone who writes one script over five years as a hobby is dabbling, but not you. Remember to stay humble, Treat each script as a virgin experience; a Pandora’s box filled with delightful surprises. Even when you become successful, stay humble. The Greek gods frowned upon men who manifested hubris; an arrogant, unfounded pride. Don’t fuel their wrath. Obey your muse.
In ancient Rome, art and sex were almost synonymous. They spoke of tortured, pained, troubled souls in both cases. In fact both were described in unpleasurable terms. Call it passion rather than pain.
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who came alive.” – Howard Thurman
If not me, who? If not now, when? – Hillel The Elder
Carol Golembiewski (@redcarol57)
March 22, 2012
Great blog. And it’s true that I’m more creative when something ticks me off. I find a way to work it into a story, scene or dialogue.
I read that Ray Bradbury used to make index cards whenever he had idea for a story. Usually it was a sentence or two. He said when he got writer’s block, he simply pulled out his little box of index cards and one of them usually ended up being a short story at the very least.