When it comes to being a writer, probably everyone has moments when you can't stand your own writing. No matter who you are, there are moments when you just lose it and feel that you can't manage to get anything right.
This is especially true when it comes to projects that are demanding and time consuming. When you're dealing with projects that take months to complete, it's almost guaranteed that you'll have moments when everything seems to fall apart.
So when it comes to these 'meltdown' moments - that might even lead to throwing away your script - you should be prepared for them. Even though you can't prevent these bad days from happening, you can certainly be prepared for them.
Below are the most important tips for those who tend to have these really awful days as a writer. Following these simple tips will help you and will likely prevent you from doing anything too stupid during your writing projects.
1) Make sure you have a writing schedule that isn't too tight.
If it's only possible, make sure that you reserve enough time for your writing projects. You should have a writing schedule that allows you to make mistakes and that leaves you enough time to get everything (at least most of the things) figured out.
1) Make sure you have a writing schedule that isn't too tight.
If it's only possible, make sure that you reserve enough time for your writing projects. You should have a writing schedule that allows you to make mistakes and that leaves you enough time to get everything (at least most of the things) figured out.
After all, everyone - no matter how talented or experienced you are - makes mistakes as a writer. No one is able to everything right in their first draft, no matter how hard you might be willing to work on your precious project.
In my case, even though I have a pretty tight writing routine, I try to give myself enough time to figure things out. I reserve at least two days for my articles, at least two weeks for my television scripts and a month / several months for movie / book writing projects.
2) Don't write or read your script when you're too tired.
This point should be fairly obvious, but in reality cannot be emphasized enough. If you're too stressed and tired from other things in life, you shouldn't be forcing yourself to write or read demanding stuff if it looks like things won't go your way.
After all, if you're too tired, there's a good chance that you'll freak out and start 'panic editing' your script - especially during a rewrite phase. In these cases you'll make horrible editing choices, and will make your script worse.
In my case, especially if I have had to speak in front of an audience during the day (I'm an introvert) and have had other exhausting tasks, I try not to write much that day. I try to take it easy and work on something else so that things won't get out of control.
3) Know the difference between big and small mistakes.
Even though no one likes making mistakes, you should be able to differentiate big mistakes from relatively small ones. There's clearly a difference between making a big structural mistake and making a simple typo in your screenplay.
After all, no matter how surprised you might be that missed a tiny typo, there's no point in freaking out over these mistakes. 99% of the time, they don't really lessen the value of your script, even though you might be thinking that at first.
In my case, I have tried not to get too bothered about small mistakes anymore. I know that they are easy to fix and even if I don't manage to notice them, those who read my script later won't care about them that much either.
This point should be fairly obvious, but in reality cannot be emphasized enough. If you're too stressed and tired from other things in life, you shouldn't be forcing yourself to write or read demanding stuff if it looks like things won't go your way.
After all, if you're too tired, there's a good chance that you'll freak out and start 'panic editing' your script - especially during a rewrite phase. In these cases you'll make horrible editing choices, and will make your script worse.
In my case, especially if I have had to speak in front of an audience during the day (I'm an introvert) and have had other exhausting tasks, I try not to write much that day. I try to take it easy and work on something else so that things won't get out of control.
3) Know the difference between big and small mistakes.
Even though no one likes making mistakes, you should be able to differentiate big mistakes from relatively small ones. There's clearly a difference between making a big structural mistake and making a simple typo in your screenplay.
After all, no matter how surprised you might be that missed a tiny typo, there's no point in freaking out over these mistakes. 99% of the time, they don't really lessen the value of your script, even though you might be thinking that at first.
In my case, I have tried not to get too bothered about small mistakes anymore. I know that they are easy to fix and even if I don't manage to notice them, those who read my script later won't care about them that much either.
4) Know how to use writing tools / writing software.
One of the things that I have only learned lately is that writing programs have pretty sophisticated 'undo' buttons. It's possible to go back all the way to your first edit of your current session, which can turn out to be really useful.
After all, there are times when you spend hours rewriting stuff without making your script any better. In these cases simply clicking the 'undo'-button will fairly quickly get you back to your earlier draft and you can take another shot at your project.
In my case, especially with my never ending book project, this undo-button has been a real life saver. It has allowed me go back to an earlier version of a draft / paragraph when I haven't managed to improve my draft during a writing session.
One of the things that I have only learned lately is that writing programs have pretty sophisticated 'undo' buttons. It's possible to go back all the way to your first edit of your current session, which can turn out to be really useful.
After all, there are times when you spend hours rewriting stuff without making your script any better. In these cases simply clicking the 'undo'-button will fairly quickly get you back to your earlier draft and you can take another shot at your project.
In my case, especially with my never ending book project, this undo-button has been a real life saver. It has allowed me go back to an earlier version of a draft / paragraph when I haven't managed to improve my draft during a writing session.
5) Remember to take enough copies of your script.
Furthermore, now that pretty much everyone uses a personal computer, saving and taking copies of your script has never been easier. You don't need to use a typewriter and a printer to get extra copies of your manuscript anymore.
The reason to have multiple copies of your scripts on different platforms is to prevent any 'accidents' from happening. If something happens to your copy of the script - laptop breaks down or you'll have an emotional breakdown - you'll have your backups.
In my case, I have multiple copies of my script on both my desktop and my laptop. I upload drafts of my screenplays to my email account and to my google drive, in case something unexpected would happen to my pc or to myself.
6) Understand that you can't always control everything.
In the end, when you put it all together, it's really important that you know that you can't always control things as a writer. Your mind will sometimes pull all kinds of tricks on you and you can't always rely on your brain to work.
After all, there are days when your brain simply won't agree to co-operate with you - no matter how good things might seem at first. There are going to be days when you won't write good stuff regardless of how 'prepared' you might be.
In that sense, the faster you notice that you need to take a break, the better. The faster you understand that you won't able to get things done that day, the easier it is to walk away from the situation and do something else instead.
In the end, when you put it all together, it's really important that you know that you can't always control things as a writer. Your mind will sometimes pull all kinds of tricks on you and you can't always rely on your brain to work.
After all, there are days when your brain simply won't agree to co-operate with you - no matter how good things might seem at first. There are going to be days when you won't write good stuff regardless of how 'prepared' you might be.
In that sense, the faster you notice that you need to take a break, the better. The faster you understand that you won't able to get things done that day, the easier it is to walk away from the situation and do something else instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment