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SCREENWRITING TIPS

Ten Ideas for Curing Writer's Block

CONTINUED

6.  EXPLORE YOUR LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER

Every slasher film ever made has one of these characters:  we're supposed to hate him or her from the start and cheer when he or she is finally slaughtered in an especially gruesome manner.  In a romantic comedy, it's usually the Other Man/Woman who everyone except the hero/heroine can see is obviously completely wrong.   Even if you're not writing a slasher film or romantic comedy, there's probably one character you don't like.  It's probably the character who represents the opposite of the theme or message of your film, who represents everything you hate.   Find out who this character is and what makes him or her tick.  Put aside your personal opinions and beliefs and approach this character as a real person.  Write the story from his or her point of view.  It can't hurt and can only help to have multiple points of view.

7. PLAY "WHAT IF . . . ?"

What if the hero was a woman instead of a man?  What if she was older or younger?  How would that change the story, and would it still work?  Would it be more interesting?  Maybe not, but it never hurts to ask the questions.

8.  TAKE A WALK

I found this one by accident.  My wife and I share one car, so I walk most places I go.  And I usually come home with plenty of new ideas and I can't wait to sit down at the computer again.   Then I read somewhere that aerobic exercises (like walking) help stimulate brain activity.  Go figure.

9.  SEE A MOVIE, READ A PLAY . . .

. . . or see a play, read a book.  If there's a specific narrative problem bugging you in your script, check a video guide or the Internet Movie Database for films dealing with similar themes, ideas, or topics and see what others have done before you.  If you don't like it, try the opposite approach.  But there is no shame in learning from posterity -- the greatest artists did (and still do) it all the time.

10.  THINK DIFFERENT

Stories don't have to unfold in simple chronological order the way life does.  Read or watch Death of a Salesman; watch Rashamon, and The Limey (to name just a few) as examples of great stories which unfold in small peices, the way we learn about or remember past events.   If you're stuck on the next scene, move on to a scene you're more confident about.  Maybe it will work better there, maybe not.  But with the magic of modern technology it's easy enough to insert that scene into its proper place once it's finished.   Or combine it with that other story you've had lurking in the back of your mind.  That's how I ended up writing The Substance of Hope.  If it feels right, try it.  You can always change it later.  The important point is to write and keep on writing, until that writer's block is a thing of the past.

SOME RECCOMENDED READING: For more on screenwriting, check out these books . . .

SCREENPLAY by Syd Field. The industry standard for screenwriters, this book sets the groundwork for the aspiring screenwriter.   Anything else you read on the subject will either echo, expand on, or react against the principles in this book.

Writing Great Screenplays for Film and TV by Donna Cooper. The more intuitive approach of this book serves as a good counterbalance to Field's more analytical approach.

WRITING GREAT SCREENPLAYS FOR FILM AND TV

SCREENPLAY: THE FOUNDATIONS OF SCREENWRITING

ORDER THESE . . . << just click on the titles >>