Screenwriting : Who's Writing This Weekend? by Jason Mirch

I'm working on a new spec concept while I fish for another producer who needs a screenwriter :) As for staying focused - I work in blocks of time during which I ban myself from distractions like social media. At the end of that chunk of time, I reward myself with a little entertainment. Plus, a walk around to stretch the legs.

Working and in the flow on my new RomCom.

Working on the first act of a first draft. I very rarely revise on someone's notes unless I agree with them or I'm working with a producer to move a project to shop to interested parties. I never suffer writer's block if I sit down to write in earnest. I sometimes suffer procrastinator's block.

Working on my third script and just started planning the second act. It's a baseball story about family history and the potential affects of severe perfectionism. This story has been on my mind for 25 years or more! I played pro baseball so I can speak to the inside parts of the game. Also revising my second script, punching up small holes. And did some research on a story idea that came to me after watching an old Cagney film.

On weekends I've got a 5 year-old and a 7 year-old as all-day energy-draining writing obstacles. The trick to refocusing on my work is catnaps. Writing-wise, I'm going outside my usual genre and writing a war drama, a true story from the War of 1812. I'm outlining it as a mini-series, which is a form I've never tackled before. But there's a feature buried in this story too if I end up not liking the mini-series outline and decide to go that way instead, sort of an early 19th century A Few Good Men.

This weekend I will be writing up development notes for projects and getting ready for a consultation tomorrow. So that's the only writing I will get to do the weekend.

But I have a comedy spec that has received some pretty good feedback lately. No specific notes, but I always like to go back and tinker with jokes or dialogue to keep it feeling fresh. It just goes to show, a script is never really "done" just taken away from you at some point.

For someone else: I'm going over scene intents, and strengthening the relationship of the B-story to the A-story. For myself/my partner, I'm working on the movement of a story, and strengthening part of the outline.

Tips on Writer's Block: I don't get Writer's Block. I just stay focused on my tasks at hand, and chunk it out. Plan the work, work the plan. There's never enough time in the day to accomplish everything that I need to accomplish. But Stage32 member Kristina Rezek wrote a nice blog the other day about Writer's Block. For those who are interested, here's the link:

https://www.stage32.com/blog/The-PreSCRIPTion-to-Writer-s-Block-A-Fresh-...

Nice post, Jason - best fortunes to everybody in your creative endeavors!

I don't believe in writer's block. There are times when my story is not clear but I may be blind to that fact. My clue is when scenes are not working or uncertainty of the next moments. I take a deep breath and work on story. Ask more questions. These process moments are short reviews because I already wrote the beat sheet, synopsis.

I'm going through script revisions on a project I'm producing - "Other side of the fence" work if you will. A strange process when the work is not your own and the writer works in a different fashion and speed than you're normally used to.

On a related note, this is the 17th draft of this script. Been a fun ride watching it evolve.

Jason, right now I'm working on two screenplays- one from scratch and the other an effort I actually wrote in 1990. (Both are comedies.)

The one from scratch is "Pixie Dust," about two modern-day students at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities who start their own sorority to reach out to other women UMN-Twin Cities students who are tired of being marginalized.

The script I'm resurrecting is "Jingle Belles," where, in New York City in 1959, a record-store clerk and a small-time songwriter/manager/record producer team up to start a music-publishing company...to help the new breed of rockers get more decent songs to do.

Jason, all the VERY best to you!

I don't really get writer's block, which is kind of double edged. Currently working on 5 screenplays and I'm in pre-production for my first feature. Co-writing for 2 more.

Extremely tiring but at the same time I am switching from project to project to stay fresh. great for progress, not so great for the health.

As far as a tip goes... find your comfortable pace and be consistent with it. Also, and I know it sounds weird, organize your desk or area around you. Not sure about you guys and gals but when I see clutter I focus on that instead.

Thanks for the question, Jason. I'm re-reading my spec OCCUPY THIS, prepping its written pitch, and thinking it might be reworked to fit a Netflix series format (it's about young people trying to save the planet). Gearing up for buying a pitch session, maybe next weekend. Tips for staying focused while writing? I close the door. My family has been well trained: when the door is closed, do not bug mom. However, even that doesn't do the trick for me. I require complete silence to really really write and since I'm currently doing a day job, that means I get my best work done at 3am, and that's a tough one. I find Stage32 to be a big boost to my motivation. Knowing there's a family of Creatives out there and we're rooting for each other - that's a trick that drives me to actually get up at 3am and hit the page.

Weekends are tough. It's not "writer's block" that's ever a problem—me, I don't believe in it either. It's dealing with and juggling life's distractions and responsibilities, mental and physical exhaustion, and the lack of time available to work. Sometimes, I write in 15-minute chunks here and there. And a project is always spinning around in my mind. Who's got time to wait around for inspiration? You gotta just focus, open your mind to creativity, and do the work. Lol! Now that Monday has rolled around, I'm up early and back on a rewrite. Happy writing, everyone! :)

One little tip: For those of us who struggle with time management and distractions, try using a timer. I know, I know, it's a trick often used for elementary school kids, but, hey, it works. Lol! Say... for 30 minutes (or so), I will do nothing else and focus on whatever task is at hand. You gotta enjoy and thrive on tiny successes and build upon each one. I also suggest breaking a project up into sections or phases of work that you can accomplish and then move on to the next. It better helps you deal with feeling overwhelmed or combat any self-doubt that may shut you down—writing a screenplay is a huge undertaking! For example, the major rewrite I'm currently working on I spent two weeks on the outline, other research, and reading over everything I've already written. Then, I broke up the script into 4 sections (or acts) and I am working on 25 or so pages per section in separate files. It's great. I can focus more clearly. Jump between them easily. Better hone the structure. I found, for me, I work more effectively when thinking and writing in sequences or sections, while considering the whole, of course, and not just work in some set random daily goal, of, say, 5 pages a day or 10 pages or 2 hours a day. I know that works well for some writers, but that easily falls apart for me. I need a more project-focused goal or task, so I can better utilize my time and effort. Anyway, I hope that helps. Again, happy writing! ;)

I'm working on updating an outline before a re-write. The thing I try and keep in mind is not to try and get it perfect. The idea for me is just starting and finishing, no editing or anything. I find if this keeps me from getting bogged down. But I won't write more than 90 minutes at a time so that I can keep my head in the game.