Screenwriting : A question by Omnia Algaml

be patient, love! whenever I am feeling unmotivated, disconnected, unable to write, etc. I just try to be present in the moment, honor it, and let it pass. It takes some time, sometimes even weeks, but it always passes. keep a journal handy and jot down anything that comes to mind as well, no matter how seemingly insignificant. good luck <3

Just start writing.

Maybe by having an ad hoc power nap -- and hoping that no one will assassinate you while enjoying it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29byfYNuuUM

Start writing, read news stories, wacky news stories are always good, listen to music.

Juhani: "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" LOL.

Great link, and best continued fortunes in your creative endeavors, Juhani!

Connect with your "Why" - why are you doing what you're doing? Make a list of why if you don't have one already

Hi Omnia,

I guess that kinda depends on how you mean "motivation from nothing" - like, in a generalized way, or in a specific way.

In a general sense....you have to really love writing to commit to writing. It's a lonely and painful road at times - and that's not even taking into consideration the entire picture, like the supply and demand picture; how the Powers-That-Be have many choices for any given project; and the biases that exist in any part of the world. Being a committed writer usually addresses the "motivation from nothing" dilemma.

So you really have to "want" to be a writer, and love writing, above all else.

In a specific sense....you really have to want to write specific stories, or specific types of stories. That could be because you love to make people laugh; or because you love to make people get scared. It could be because you love to make people enjoy exciting or thrilling stories. It could be because you want to expose some injustices, or because you want to tell the story of a person or group of people who helped change the world for the better (or for the worse).

I don't know if this helps....but I hope it does. And it certainly isn't the definitive explanation of finding "motivation from nothing" - I'm sure some people have other beliefs regarding that, too.

Best fortunes in your creative endeavors, Omnia!

Do something else. If you never come back it was meant to be that way.

My humble advice. Bring up a blank screen on your computer (I assume you have one)...type the word 'The'. Sit back & look at that word, then ask yourself the 'what?'. Next word...'Day'. Then ask the day 'what?'. The day 'Billy stepped off the bus'. Then just keep going...keep the questions coming...the 'what, when, where, why'...and keep answering them. It can become a mystery, a Sci-fi, a comedy, a horror - whatever you want it to be. The point is to just start. The inspiration and motivation will emerge organically. Try it.

Personally, when I need motivation, I read, doesn't matter what. I got one from an ad for DAV drivers. History works well for me, always something interesting there like Bass Reeves, an African-American U.S. Marshal at the turn of the 20th Century, just saw it on Linkedin, if that ain't a Western story, film, I don't know what is.

For your character or for yourself?

Doug Nelson is right. "If you build it, he will come."

You can't. If you don't have motivation naturally, then you won't find it some other way. Have you written a script or play? (your description says you're a screenwriter and playwright) If you have, perhaps you can find the motivation in the same place you found it before.

I just start writing - no outline - nothing - just a fleck of an idea

"Nothing" suggests "Void". Fill the void with action, write something, do something, research something. You need to motivate yourself to do something new rather than analyse why there is a vortex commanding your attention at this moment.

Try being one with everything.

Look for the writing on the wall. There are so many parallels from that I could begin but advice from mastering that I couldn't on your individual path.

William Martell for myself.

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions, I will work hard to use them.

Observe the world around you. Our planet is a miracle! Life is a miracle!

Think about the stories you read. All stories have long been told. If you don't currently see anything that might seem like a good story for you personally, consider telling a well-known story your own way.

Let's say Antigone. She is the symbol of a lonely and powerless individual who fights against sovereigns. Are there no such examples in your environment?

Any great literary work is great because it is timeless. But it can always be retold in a contemporary context after a thousand years.

Well, if you don't have immediate inspiration, find a story from the history of civilization and tell it from your own perspective!

I hope I helped you!

Write about something or someone very personl to you. An embarrassing situation or something private or sensitive. No one will see it and it can be very freeing.

Imagine you are a hockey goalie. "Nothing" - as in no goals scored on you -- is incredibly inspiring.

Words of wisdom from IsMySCreenplayCrap.com

To me its your definition of nothing. Example, as a child I would lay and the grass and do nothing while the sun is out. As I got older, getting an afternoon nap or just keeping a blank mind with the window open, listening to the world go by.

Get out of the apartment. The first thing you see may be your story! A homeless man who begs you for a dollar! Maybe he's a banker who had hundreds of millions of dollars by yesterday? His wife took everything when he failed on the stock market. The kids love him and look for him. He gave up his life. The kids find him on the street, and he finds again the meaning, purpose and goal worth fighting for and starting from the beginning ...

Motivation: You want, maybe need, to tell stories. You need to love the writing itself, because that is the only thing that you control. After that, it's all about DETERMINATION. You decide that you are going to do it, then do it. Then it's all about productivity - getting pages written and screenplays finished. Here is an article and interview segment... https://sex-in-a-sub.blogspot.com/2018/06/film-courage-plus-how-to-be-pr...

Ever tried caffeine? How about asking yourself what everyone says you should ask about your main character: what does s/he want? What do you want more than you want what not doing that thing means?

I think you need to add "Socratic Philosopher" to your self-description.