MOTIVATION & WRITERS BLOCK

Writers' Block isn't real! There, I've said it. I know, madness, right? But no, it's true, writers' block doesn't exist and here's why.

Writers' block is a myth perpetuated by writers who have run out of things to say, whose idea doesn't have legs or who haven't prepared their screenplay/novel outline properly. "Oh no, I've hit a wall on page 30!" That's because you didn't plan your beat outline, sometimes called a scene by scene, well enough, not because you've hit an actual wall. You should really only run into problems if your planning is lacking and your idea is poorly thought out.

There are also times when your motivation will be low and you find yourself struggling to put words on the page even with a beat outline, but there will never be a point in your career when you simply go blank and can't write anything. There is ALWAYS something you can be getting on with even if that means going back and reworking your beat outline.

Here are a few tips to help avoid the brick wall and keep those words flowing even during moments of low motivation.

• PREPARE IN ADVANCE - Whether you're writing a TV episode or a feature write a paragraph for each beat of your story before you start - usually twenty beats for TV and forty for a feature. Make sure you hit all the necessary points - the catalyst, the break into act two, the midpoint and the break into act three. Work and rework your beat outline until you're happy it works perfectly. Once it's well-worked and polished it then becomes your guide for writing the screenplay.

• JUMP TO ANOTHER BEAT - Even if you do work everything out sometimes you'll come to write a scene and won't know exactly how that scene is going to play out. That's fine, there's no pressure. If this happens just jump to another scene in your outline and write that instead. You'll usually find that when you come back to the original scene you were stuck on it has miraculously sorted itself out in your head while you were writing other scenes.

• FEED YOUR TEA/COFFEE ADDICTION - Can't quite get the core of your scene then go make yourself a drink. Even a few moments away to make yourself a drink can be enough to reignite the ideas and give you inspiration. Drink enough coffee and you'll actually have trouble stopping those words being typed. I find I'm usually at my most productive on two to three cups of coffee. Your acceptable caffeine level may be different.

• WALK THE DOG - Going for a walk for an hour gives you the headspace to restart the brain so that when you get back to your desk those words should flow easily once more. If you can go for a walk where there are trees and grass then even better. Don't think about your work just enjoy the walk and the exercise.

• WRITE BOLLOCKS - Just write. Don't tie yourself up in knots about getting the perfect words down on the page, just write anything. It's easier to rewrite a page of crap than it is to rewrite a blank page. So many writers I know get so hung up on the first sentences of their scenes that they spend an entire day just writing once scene. Just put words on the page and then worry if they're crap or not later. Quantity is for the first draft, quality is for later drafts.

• ANOTHER PAIR OF EYES - If you're really stuck then let someone else read your work and give you feedback. Sometimes you can be so close to your idea you can't see the faults, so a fresh pair of eyes can help move you along.

• MIND MAP - If you've run out of ideas or think you have, try using a mind map to work through your existing ideas and see if they inspire some new ones. I never settle for the first idea that jumps into my head as they are usually clenched and overused. It's when I get to my third, fourth or even tenth idea that I get really excited as I find they're usually the best ones. I find it helps to write down anything to do with my idea before I embark on a beat outline so that I've explored every corner of every branch of every idea to the fullest extent that I can. The more ideas you put down, even the silly ones, the more you have to work from.

• ALCOHOL - Have an alcoholic beverage. Don't get pissed, just have one or two, just enough to distract your brain so you stop thinking so much and start writing lots. This one is usually a last resort if all the others have failed to do their job and is not recommended if you're in the last few hours of a deadline.

As I've said above, if you run into a brick wall it's usually because your planning, that extensive beat outline, isn't as well planned as you originally thought. There's no shame in admitting it and it might even help to stop writing and go back to your beat outline and rework it some more.

The most important thing to remember is not to put pressure on yourself. Put the words on the page and then rework them later so they make sense. Keep the words flowing even if you have to come at your project from a different angle to make it work.

Happy writing!

CREATING CREDIBLE CHARACTERS

I read a lot of screenplays from writers of all abilities and the one thing I often find these screenplays lack are credible character arcs.

Story seems to be the main obsession for most writers. More often than not they focus entirely on their fantastically imaginative stories but populate them with cliched or uninteresting characters we've seen a million times before. It's no wonder then that writers are puzzled and frustrated as to why their screenplays don't get the attention they expect. So how can you ensure your characters match the ambition of your story ideas?

By asking yourself the following questions about your character. If you can't answer all of these questions about your character then you really don't know who they are. And if you don't know who your characters are how do you expect your audience to know?

Character Flaws: What is your character's major flaw? What is it about him/her/it that makes them absolutely the very worst person to be going on this journey?

In LIAR LIAR, Fletcher lies to everyone, his clients, his colleagues, judges and even his son. It's not only his job to lie, but it's also the core of who he is. He's a born liar. So when his son wishes that his dad can't lie for one whole day, Fletcher has to find another way to win the case he's presenting in court. If the same wish was cast upon a priest, for example, the outcome wouldn't have such a huge impact as it would on someone who lies for a living, as the priest would be used to telling the truth. However, if that priest didn't believe in God and always broke the ten commandments then his life would be thrown into as much chaos as Fletcher's.

It is also often the case that the character's major flaw is what saves him/her/it. In Fletcher's case, because he's been an expert liar all his life he's able to spot another lie and this eventually helps him win his case in court.

Character Journeys: When your story begins what is it your character wants? What is their goal? How do they go about getting what they want and reaching that goal?

This is where conflict and the obstacles you put in the way of your main character come in. This is where you put your character through increasingly worsening situations and obstacles on their way to their goal. Fletcher's goal is to win his case. But he can't lie for twenty-four hours and so attempts to delay the court hearing in increasingly more desperate ways so he can win it the next day in the only way he knows how by lying. Of course, he fails and this brings me on to the next part of your character's journey...

What does your character actually need? And how is your character going to realise what he needs? Fletcher needs to stop lying and be more honest with people, especially his son. He only comes to realise this when he wins his case by telling the truth and his son is about to be taken from him. He learns the value of truth and gets his family back. Huzzah! The character may not always be blind to what they need but might have chosen instead to ignore it. This too is an option.

So those questions again are:

1 - What is your character's major flaw?

2 - What does your character want or what is their goal?

3 - How are they going to go about getting what they want or reaching their goal?

4 - What does your character actually need to grow as a person?

5 - How does your character come to realise what they need?

Now you've asked and answered those questions about the main character you have to do exactly the same for all your other main characters. Even your secondary or background characters will have their own wants and goals and you will have to think about how they're going to go about getting what they want or achieving their goals. Your secondary or background characters won't necessarily require a need like your main characters but they will require a want or goal for them to work towards.

Remember, try to think of several answers for each of the questions above for each of your characters. Try a few different combinations and try to steer yourself clear of cliche. The more original, interesting and unusual your characters are, the more memorable they will be.

Now your characters are a little clearer in your mind you'll find your fantastically imaginative story has just got a whole lot better. Now you've explored your imagination new ideas for your story will present themselves elevating your already quite decent idea to something special.

Happy writing!