Screenwriting : Getting Your Mojo Back After a Break by Anne Pariseau

Anne. I quit writing screenplays for a couple of years once. I jointed a site similar to this one and it helped me get back into writing screenplays again.

I took a break for seven years. I got really discouraged, because I wasn't making the progress I wanted to make. I gave up on filmmaking entirely. I came back to it, but had to start over pretty much from the very beginning again.

I regret it, mostly because of the lost time. I'm glad to say though, that my love for movies, television, and filmmaking helped me get past the discouragement, and it inspired me to get started again.

I'm still moving slower than I'd like, and I'm still nowhere near as good or as experienced as I'd like to be. But I now understand that my chances of getting where I want to be are much better if I just stick with it... Plus, I realized that worst case scenario, I'd rather be a shitty filmmaker than not be a filmmaker at all. :)

Anyway, I think remembering why you even wanted to get into filmmaking to begin with will help you get back into it.

Go up to the tallest mountain in your area. Then meditate for a few days. Come back down and have a McDonald's Happy Meal. Then drink a few expressos and begin writing.

"Regaining inspiration"....or "fitting writing in with the rest of my life, which at times/all the time is quite busy and even chaotic?"

If it's the latter...life indeed can be quite chaotic and busy.....kinda like an opera at times. It should be, though, shouldn't it? If it's not...I'm not living life right. Heh-heh. (Seriously, though.)

It's not easy to be a creative writer under those (normal) conditions. I've taken a few breaks over the years, and what works best for me in getting me going again is the pre-writing phase. I love conceptualizing and creating a wall board with my story beats/plot points on it, which allows me to see the entire story world. I also create a pretty good profile of my characters, and of their personalities/complexities/strengths/weaknesses; their motivations; and how their changes/transformations/realizations throughout the story correspond to the beats/plot points of the story.

And then I begin writing again. Scene-by-scene, and usually in order. I'll write the scenes early in the morning, and try to visit what I wrote throughout the day in my rare free moments. Studies have shown that the best time to be creative is in the morning - that's when our prefrontal cortex is most active - and that corresponds to how my brain operates, too. Night owls will argue against that, but morning writing is my best/most efficient/most productive writing.

And then getting into that type of established routine helps a lot, too, of course. And reminding myself how much I love writing, which I do, and have all of my life. Everything comes back together again, but getting my wallboard and the story planning going is the most critical part, at least for me - and also by having the time and energy to fit everything in with the rest of my life, too, of course.

Good luck and Happy Writing, Anne!

As for writing, I force myself to write. Every day. Even if it's garbage or has no purpose (like just a daily account). Eventually, things start to flow again. Same with editing - if the hiatus has been long, I'll put together something from old videos of friends and watch a bunch of training videos. Seeing other people thriving in the work is a big motivator for me. Or login here every day and read through the Lounge discussions. :)

Phil, E. H, that made me laugh.

Of course now I'm going to have The Beatles' "Fool on the hill" stuck in my head.

Hi Anne, it's hard to trace precisely what I did or what happened to me that caused my return to writing after a long interval, as it was a gradual thing, not like throwing a switch. I read books, watched movies, traveled with my GF, and eventually decided to try writing again just for the hell of it. One script I never finished. The short stories I wrote, partly inspired by a favorite movie & PC game, drew eager attention at a gaming forum. Then I returned to one of my older scripts, to see if a total rewrite would help it. Not only did I enjoy the process, the rewrites (4 in all) were far & away better than the original; one of them won 3rd place in a contest.

Alow your self to day dreaming about what you like to do, think, see, make....then it will come to you and it's starts all ower again.

Watch movies. Write. Watch movies. Write. Read some scripts. Watch more movies. Write.

Ditch writers' forums & online gurus and hangout with filmmakers. All this book theory and watching movies is useless in real world situations, under stress and deadlines. Who knows, maybe you will find an industry job you'd like to do other than being the rockstar Writer/Director.

Dan M. I agree. I read a few screenplays to get an idea how they are written and that is about it. I read a half a book when I first started out and read another when I was employed as a Staff Writer. That book screwed me up royally so I quit being a Staff Writer and on my Agent's recommendation I threw that book out with the rest of the trash.

I agree in the real world you have to get to know producers. I never wanted a job in the business so I used my spec screenplays to get to know people in the business. It doesn't matter how you meet them as long as you meet them.

Also, like you said there are always deadlines to meet. When you write a screenplay on assignment you don't have time to do half the crap amateurs do when they write their screenplays. I don't get stress out it though because I always finish before the deadlines is up by at least a couple of hours. lol

Hanging out at places where my scenes would take place helps me.

Yes and, or imagine them in my mind. And write about things that really matter to me.

You remember you create your own enthusiasm. Find things that inspire and expire you. You got this! Get back to it! Awesome!

Thanks everyone!! I laid low for a little longer and found inspiration here recently in taking on directing a full feature film. Getting active on set reignites me. I forgot that is how I got started in the beginning. So I'll take this one along and then see what's next... one of my own or another great script that I find. I love all of your ideas though and find inspiration in them as well as the community that we have here.

Anne:

Just the opposite worked for me.

After writing the Journal of Rudd (book) I started slogging through the screenplay. I was exhausted by the book(!) Just burnt out. So... I stopped. I left all historical-fiction for well over six months.

Came back to it in September, fresh eyes, perspective, fresh everything. Now, I'm roaring along.

When I get stuck writing - I go for a long, a very long walk - and mumble my questions to the Universe... then I listen.

Thanks Jack, that's a great point as well. Sometimes I just need to rest my mind.

Anne...

Yes, rest your mind/brain... but also open your mind to receiving the creativity you need (not want). I find going into Nature, meditating, wandering an art museum, a bookstore, or reading a book entirely out of my comfort zone, works.

If the brain is so clogged with "current stuff", how can a new, fresh creative idea get in - and stay - and be developed while it is competing with the "current stuff?"

Annie - I know the feeling. I've not written anything for months and now it's time to start up once again - I'm a little overwhelmed right now.