Screenwriting : Procrastinating by Angavu Grace

Procrastination is me just not being an adult. I know what has to be written, but I am avoiding the work for all forms of reasons. Last night I made the mistake of picking up a guitar when I entered my office and spent the next hour playing “let in be” (I worked on a lick in the middle).

Writers Block for me, is when I have run out of life as fuel. I have used all my experience an subconsciously I cannot find a solution to the writing problem. My brain is say “we are not doing that same shot again”. So I write something else, anything. Or I go live life a little. Something as simple as a phone call to someone and talk about their problems and joys. This engages the old subconscious again and the block will be eroded.

Here is a bit of shameless self promotion. But I made a video about it a few months back. Here is it:

https://youtu.be/txkgFyKSrU8

Hi Angavu Grace - this is so relatable and universal. Sometimes a fresh perspective and new surroundings can help, like going to a coffee shop to work, or taking a walk. Procrastination is also the fear of failing, but I know you can beat it!

Here are some helps reads that can inspire you and give you some tips to jumpstart you brain again!

- https://www.stage32.com/blog/blocking-writers-block-5-ways-to-get-out-of...

- https://www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-deal-with-writers-block-2933

- https://www.stage32.com/blog/the-7-step-process-for-busting-the-myth-of-...

Happy New Year, Angavu Grace! Sometimes when I have writer's block, I take a break from writing, then go back to it. After the break, the writing flows again.

For procrastination, sometimes I have to force myself to stop procrastinating/stop being distracted and write. A deadline helps me with procrastination too.

Writers often exist in their head a lot. Get a gym membership and start the day off with an hour of weight lifting and get your body going. This boosts your body and brain in many ways. It increases many hormones that make you want to get things done. Youre lack of willpower could be a purely physical issue, could be nutritional (many deficiencies result in low levels of energy or neurotransmitters) You may also not have a good work/life balance where you arent having enough fun and social engagement. You are not a writing machine. Youre a human being first, who happens to also write. Humans need good nutrition, social engagement, exercise.

That being said I also have tried many nootropics, herbs, etc to try and help my ADHD brain. Bacopa, African dream root, among many others may have good results. Your milage may vary. I have even tried different energy drinks (your brain uses a ton of energy thinking and focusing. Its an ENERGY HOG)

Breaking writing into small achievable goals. If you "chunk" your writing goals into small achievable ones then youre going to have a better attitude. It could be as simple as "Make some writing connections online" or "Update my Stage32 bio" (just did that today) "Get a script ready to submit to a contest" "research fellowships to apply for". The goal for the day is not "Sell a feature script" That goal will happen when youre doing all the other small goals every single day.

Celebrate all the little successes, and dont be discouraged focusing on how you havent achieved the huge goal. That will come in time.

With treatment...and how do I come up with a story for treatment? Dunno...never had a second thought about it...things just come out in my mind...maybe thousands of movies and dozens of scripts consumed over the years aid out...

Over the last few years, I've developed anxiety before starting a project or coming back to one if I've had to take a break from it. I'm sure I'm just in my head too much, but the anxiety does cause me to procrastinate and have writer's block at times.

What I've started doing is freewriting. I find it incredibly useful to sit at the computer with background music (something I enjoy but don't feel the urge to sing along to) and write anything. Good ideas, clearly bad ideas, things I've already written or figured out about the project, etc... I find that it helps get my mind back onto the task at hand without the pressure of creating something great. I've come up with several ideas this way.

Freewriting is great against procrastination and writer's block, Lisa! And the freewriting can be saved to use in a script later.

I fight procrastination with vodka. I've written a lot, but unfortunately can't read what I've written and don't remember what I wrote about. :)

I'm with Maurice, freewriting is a good tool. But you really have to allow yourself the true freewrite. No rules or judging yourself. If it's word vomit, fine, as long as it's words! Or sometimes random writing prompts, no matter what they are, can help get juices flowing.

I agree, Niki. Really allow yourself the true freewrite. No rules, fear, etc. Just write. Writing prompts help me get new script ideas and scene ideas.

I find a good long walk in nature helps. Then I come at the story I'm working on from a different angle. Character development, a riff on "is there a version where?", or just free writing whatever comes in to my head. I don't suffer from writers' block but usually too many ideas which I sometimes struggle to get marching in the right direction!

Thanks for all the help guys!!

You're welcome, Crisco.

let me approach this question from the point of view of psychology. so, in the psychology of creativity, the craving for writing indicates that a person has some psychological problem that he is trying to sublimate in texts and find a solution to this problem.

accordingly, when the craving for writing texts disappears, it may mean that a person has either found a solution to a psychological problem or was able to sublimate it, neutralize it. or he doesn't find the benefit of writing texts.

I sit down and brainstorm ideas without too much judgment or deliberation.

Taking some sort of action no matter how small always helps me. If I can just start then I end up in a far better place than not.

Arthur I dont think someone being creative and wanting to express ideas through stories automatically means they have psychological problems they are trying to work out. I could aim the psychology spotlight back at you and say that you only believe that is the case for other writers because youre projecting your own reasons for writing on others.

I write for a living. Creating a daily rhythm has been very helpful for me, to anchor the creation process, so I can meet multiple deadlines and generate new work.

Robert Russo, This is the opinion of the psychology of creativity, which I voiced. If the author does not want or cannot write the text, it is worth conducting an introspection and trying to find out the reason for this. And not to fight, tormenting your body. It's OK not to write!

After covid-19, I didn't write for two years. And I don't consider myself flawed because of this. Then one idea came to me, the second, then a letter from the stage 32 website. I went to look and I liked it.

I experienced that today, Sam Mannetti. I needed to do a lot of work on a project. I got some work done, but it wasn't as much as I wanted to get done. Still, doing some work made me feel much better about the project.

I believe procrastination comes from the realization that what you are putting off is not what you want to accomplish.

If the words, the text, are blocked, then switch to writing in Pictures. I do not know of anyone who ever experienced a picture block.

What do you mean by writing in Pictures, Amman?

Maurice Vaughan Screenwriters can write a story with text or write a story with pictures i.e short moving images. If you have a verbal block(i.e writing text) then you can switch to writing in pictures(.e. visualizing). You can then move forward.