Screenwriting : What's your number one struggle right now when it comes to screenwriting? by Pietro Schito

Sometimes the wait for a response, and not getting one, gets on my nerves. I'm a very patient person. If some says wait 6 months I'm okay with it. It's the times you just have to wait, and wait, and wait and get nothing.

The most difficult thing when it comes to my writing this time of year is discipline (or lack thereof). The weather is so beautiful and the lake is so close. Also, work is busier in the summer. Work hard, play harder. Not a bad thing to struggle with I just feel a little guilty neglecting my writing projects. I more than make up for it during the 6 months of colder weather...although, the mountain is also close by. And you?

making money

Dan M - crime pays, screenwriting not so much.

That' it's true, contests are a waste of time, effort and money.

Falling out of love with my own words... Just kidding. My fear is things are slow right now. I mitigate that by promoting my work and looking for interested parties.

Hola Pietro,

My biggest struggle involves verisimilitude. I had a story critiqued back in my beginning days as a writer, and lines or sections of nearly every page were highlighted in yellow by my consultant, and he wrote words like "Oh really?", and "bullshit!", and "he'd never say that!" in BIG RED LETTERS. That really stuck with me.

Believability - regarding what a character would say, or what a character would do - is something that I always have to question for every single line. I always have a pretty good idea of how a story should flow, and what my intent is, but the big question for me is "is this (dialogue or action or consequence) believable? And is this believable?" And so on, and so on.

Many stories are magical/fantasy, and could never happen in real life. But yet those stories - and their dialogues, actions, and consequences - are still believable in the reality of those story worlds. Even stories that are reality-based can fail at being believable in many ways and at many times throughout those stories, too.

So that's my biggest struggle...making every single line believable and realistic in the reality and logic of that story. It's the hardest part of writing for me - at least for me. And I'm probably not alone in that struggle.

Best fortunes in your creative endeavors, Pietro, and stay safe!

Man.. life and finding a moment. I’ve so much stress with personal issues that writing has drifted, sadly. I get bouts of “to have change I need to MAKE change” moments which puts my mind briefly into a different gear. In terms of the actual craft. It’s my age old struggle: the what next? after the script is complete. I’m fortunate to have good contacts and I do have an agent, but in China. I’ve been doing this a long time. There’s always a hurdle - with anything one does in life. Success and good health to all.

Pietro, I'm with Bill in that I'm trying to bring believability into everything I write.

Nick Assunto - Stage32 Script Services Can you tell me more? What's the story you tell yourself?

Getting an immediate viable idea from start to finish.

Despair I won't make it and I'll die before any of my works are made.

Finding a new gig. Right now, it's all rewrites and spec work.

How long everything takes.

WL Wright You mean the writing process for a project? Or in general developing your career?

Phil Parker, rewrites for yourself or for others?

Phil Parker Stephen Olson I have the same question

Dan Guardino What have you tried so far and what failed?

Pietro Schito Scripts vary in how long they take, sometimes it's a few months and then it's the process of submitting. I have three in the running right now, but it's all a waiting game. It takes months and sometimes years for each phase of everything. Writing magic a lot in fairy tales makes me want my own magic wand..Shazam! Done! lol

I’m having a hard time not hating everything I write to be honest.

Pietro Schito Stephen Olson - A couple of producers hired me to rewrite a feature.

Phil Parker - Sweeeet

Chloe Haga Why?

Pietro Schito i have three mental disorders and am almost always in a very negative, “I suck at everything, life it pointless” headspace. But in the moment I’m feeling a bit better, but knowing me it wont last long.

I often just find myself looking at a blank doc on WriterDuet, just trying to figure out how to write what i want to write. I should just write it and worry about editing later but its just hard

Chloe Haga (Forgive me if I sound intrusive) If it's of any encouragement, that's what many of us and even big successful writers and director feel at some point on every project. Maybe being able to dal with that in other parts of your life can become your screenwriting superpower.

I always struggle with being as vulnerable as possible in my writing. I don't go as deep or raw into my emotions, letting my thinking brain take over - and the writing is flat. Chloe Haga, I hate staring at that blank page also but one of my writer friends told me to just vomit that first draft onto the page. Just keep writing and don't let the sensor editor negative brain take over. So when it says things suck or you suck tell it to shut up and keep writing.

Since i feel a bit better right now and have a bit of inspiration ill try just vomiting my firs draft out and see what happens since i already have a vague outline (which is easiest for me to write with, not too much detail, but just enough so i know where my story is going) thanks for the encouragement pietro schito and Michael Elsey. I wish everyone luck on their writing journeys! :)

I struggle that there are so many of us flooding the industry with scripts. Love the enthusiasm, and of course the drive to "make it" is strong, but I worry about being part of the problem myself. Which is why I'm giving more feedback these days vs. writing a lot.

Chloe try not to be discouraged when you realize that your first draft is crap. Every first draft written by a beginner to an old pro is crap. The successful screenwriter knows and accepts this basic truth. Your job is to sift through that crap to mine the nuggets and little hidden gems. Your second draft will be better, but not by much. Keep mining and by the time your into the fourth/fifth draft, you'll begin to get the true direction & drift of your story. Just don't give up!

Thanks for the advice Doug :)

I’m just having fun writing

Also for me, when I think, something is great it usually isn't and when I doubt something the chances are high that it is good. It's hard to judge the own writing.

I know my first draft is gonna suck, but I know when I get past that I can start to make less sucky so I’m just enjoying the process. Writing is both very therapeutic and stressful for me.

Mental fatigue at the moment after a long stint writing. I wonder if meditation helps with that...

Right now, my wife is working from home and we have our two young kids. I'm one of those people who need bigger blocks of time, space and quiet in order to write my best. That scenario has not been happening.

Due to the chaotic environment, my side hustle has turned into more of a main hustle and cuts even more into potential writing time. So things have not been going well with time and productivity right now.

Time.

Craig D Griffiths Do you have a full time job? What else gets in the way?

+1 for Allen Johnson’s post. Same here.

Yes, I have a full time job. Plus a wife that I refuse to ignore and life.

I get up before everyone to write. I use mobile apps and other methods to harvest every minute I can.

If I can retire, I will write full time. Time for me is gold, I can never have enough.

Adjusting to the new normal and pulling it all together smoothly on time and budget.

Craig, believe me - when you retire, you will have less time to write. Life just goes that way.

Nick Assunto - Stage32 Script Services, when I'm banging my head against the wall is the only time I feel brilliant!

Doug Nelson I am a hermit-like person that is forced to earn some cash. Here’s hoping.

Internet procrastination. I bought an e-book on how to avoid procrastinating, but I haven’t gotten around to reading it.

I have confidence in my writing but sometimes lack the belief that it will go anywhere.

Derek Reid To avoid that I created a PDF that I print out and stick on the wall, I reward myself for writing and give myself up to 3 strikes. Let me know if you'd like a copy and I'll email it to you.

Clint Hill Which e-book was that? Where did you buy it?

To find out why exactly I'm doing it.

A movie's eventually coming out that I've written and that's as exciting as it is terrifying. There's bouts of imposter syndrome in there along with worrying the film will be trashed or, even worse, completely ignored. While I know it's a good problem to have, it feels like a new chapter of mind-fuckery after nearly a decade trying to make sense of breaking in. It's like the plank you're trying to balance on doesn't get any wider, it just gets higher.

On top of that, there's the issue of trying to build a career on my true voice. It's been an amazing couple of years for me. I've learned so much through direct experience writing and producing but part of what I've learned is that the kind of specs I like to write are, in many ways, opposed to what's considered commercial. I like writing pulpy low-budget dirt movies akin to the stuff popular in the early 90's. While I'm better off for the insight, it's been a harsh truth to face. It might be that my entire portfolio is next to worthless in today's market. The saving grace is that the movie that will come out is probably as close as I'm going to get to where I want to be so at least I may become known, and subsequently hired, for that kind of material.