Thread: stuck on an idea

Okay, so I'm trying to get my thoughts together so i can write again.

I know the setting of where i want this to take place, I know the general amount of characters, I know what i want the "story" to be about. but for some reason I don't know what to do. I've never had this problem. why is it happening?

Sometimes I have trouble writing ideas I've been mulling over for a long time becuase I've worked up how they should be. What usually helps me to decide how it begins. Planning that first point of entering the story is hard, but it's a nice way to focus and get down to business. From there I recommend planning out key points you know you need in the story and organizing where they should be. Sometimes for bigger and more complex ideas, writing this sort of outline down can be a world of difference.

I seem to recall you're new to writing scripts, Guitar. Try writing a scene first. Or 4 pages or something. If you're as far along in thinking this as you say, you must have an idea of some of the scenes. Write them down, work on getting the format working for you. It's awkward at first, but you incorporate it and will quicly learn to blace along in script writing format just like writing an essay.

Which is what makes it important to get it right. I'm not going to quibble about what "right" is...you've seen scripts and formats and will atempt to get in the general groove. But just like you don't want to play bad notes in music because it creates "reverse practice" effect, you want to iron out the format early on. Write a couple of pages and show them around. Anything really glaringly wrong will have more than one person jump on it. Study up on it, get so you can write a scene (just a couple of pages) without screwing up too bad. Then try something a little longer for peer review.

Even if you don't use these scenes, you're learning to write better ones for your project. And probably they will be things you can start bolting together into a script. Dramatic writing (along with formal poetry) is about the only form of creative writing that has technique and format. So the learning curve starts out steep until you're used to it.

Next problem is tougher...structure. There are jillions of tutorials and schmes and charts and breakdowns of that...most of them full of crap. But one thing's for sure, you want your script to get to a "turning point" or "inciting incident" or whatever you want to call it when things start happening pretty quickly and smoothly, move things along with a mix of action and dialog, build and relieve suspense, reach a climax point, then come quickly down to some sort of denoument or wrapup or downbeat or gag at the ending. Your script needs to be describable in terms like: "This story is about Bob and Jim, and which one ends up with Jill. That gets complicated because evil robot lawyers are going to tear down their city and sell it to the Chinese for scrap. This matters because Jill loves the city and her dad is the mayor. They deal with the problem by working together, almost screw it up by ego competition between the two of them, then save the day with a clever stroke and lots of action. This makes a man out of both of them and they go seperate but equal ways and realize that they are too good friends to break up over possessiveness. Besides, it's become obvious Jill's a lesbian anyway, which gives everybody a good laugh."

I'm sure you can see that I'm not suggesting that particular line, but that you are trying to form your script into something that can be laid out like that. Try describing some films you've seen like that. It's not as easy at it seems. Read around the internet at how other people describe "Raiders of the Ark" or "Sophie's Choice". This is the sort of thinking that helps you write a logline when you need it as well: the skeleton key of your play.

Avoid a common newbie problem, writing in things that can't be seen or heard. You can't just write "TOM HEARTHROB enters, early twenties, handsome, athletic and nursing a secret grudge against his boss." Because there's no way we can know that. If we HAVE to know that, you have to figure out a way to show us or tell us about it, but you can't just write it for the director to read.

Keep parenthetical expressions under control: don't use them instead of action lines--they've actually more confining. And don't EVER use a parenthetical in one actor's lines to give direction for another character or anything other than modifying that character's speech. Sounds obvious, but I see a lot of it.

Good luck

Here's something you should find useful, especially if you've got a couple of screenwriting books and they are contradicting each other and telling you about camera angles and shit.

What's "right" for spec scripts keeps changing. This piece was been read, discussed, and generally approved of two years ago when I was spending time of script forums. It's a good guideline to accompany a format guide downloaded from the Academy site of WGA.

By the way... having a second plot or substory helps strengthen a plot. Look for chances to do that. If you look, you'll probably notice that good sitcoms on TV usually have three, or possibly just two, stories going on at once. The subplots generally come together in some way. If they can that in 30 minutes, you can pull it off in 100 pages.

But for now, just work on being able to write a scene without being intimidated or frustrated.

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well i guess telling it helps but for some reason i still have a block. not sure why.

Guitar chick.... this is exactly what you DON'T want to do in my opinion, talk out plots. It takes the edge off your need to express yourself, nobody can really help you much because it's your own vision...and if you do happen to have one of those once-in-a-lifetime high concept brainstorms, you're risking somebody else taking it off.

Get a scene or two down and post them on forums where other screenwriting people wil see them. When it seems like you're doing it right, work on longer shots.

okay, never mind on that idea, for some reason another one of my ideas decided it wanted to be the next one to be written down instead of that one. LOL!

this one is a kind of surreal, scifi horror instead. at least that what i think it is. hahaha.

this will probably give me more time to get things worked out a little more on it.