In this edition of Screenwriting Q&A we cover that most perilous issue: what do you do if you just can’t (no matter what you do) finish your screenplay?
The screenwriting gurus will tell you that you GOTTA finish every script you start. (But this isn’t always the case.)
So, here are 4 strategies you can use to re-start (or reinvent) your stalled and creatively-stuck screenplay. (Don’t forget, if you would, give us a “like” or “subscribe” while you’re at it!)
Key Takeaways (or For Those Who Have ADD):
- You don’t always have to finish a script.
- You could always turn that script into…something else.
- You can always find a writing partner; hopefully one a bit less lazy than you.
- You can always ask yourself why you’re blocked – and work out ways to get through it.
Transcript:
Hi there it’s Michael Rogan from ScriptBully magazine and in this installment of Screenwriting Q&A I want to answer a question I got from Anthony…which was…what do you do if you can’t seem to finish a script no matter how many hours you spend — or caffeine you drink?
Well, Anthony, you have quite a few options:
1) You could simply not finish the script. I don’t recommend this – as you’ll learn far more from finishing a script that isn’t working then starting up a new project from scratch. But sometimes, especially if you have been working on a script for years, the need and motivation to write a story just ain’t there anymore.
2) You could spin the story into a totally new media. There’s no law that says you HAVE to keep it in screenplay form. Is your story feeling a bit too interior and emotive, but not much going on? Then maybe it’s really a novel. Or is it just super talky, with long scenes of dialogue but no plot. Then maybe it’s really a play. Sometimes the best thing you do for material is release from its very strict screenplay jacket.
3) You could find a writing partner. This will depend entirely on your own personality. As a rule, I don’t like people. So working with them is a big no-no. But bringing a partner onto an existing project can be a great way to get some awesome objective feedback. (Not to mention help you come up with some clever story fixes.)
4) And this is probably my recommended option, is to ask yourself WHY you’re blocked? What’s the reason you can’t go on with the story? Maybe it’s because the wrong character is the hero? (Maybe you care helluva lot more about the manipulative goth outsider than the all-american quarterback? Or maybe you’ve got the wrong genre? Maybe you’re writing horror – not family drama. Or this western will work better as sci-fi? Or Fantasy? Or dystopian futurism with teenagers hunting each other with crossbows?
Chances are there’s a part of you that knows how to fix your story. And though it may be scary – and it may not be what reasonable upstanding members of society might do – it’s the best thing for your story. (And your career.)
