Screenwriting : Where do you write? Where are you able to work, focus? Create that elusive script? by Beth Fox Heisinger

I grew up in a large, loud family. I've always functioned better with a little din in the background. Utter silence makes me nervous, like when the birds go silent in the forest. Something inside me knows that's not a good sign.

For me I like it quiet when I write. My wife likes to go to bed early 9:30 - 10:00 so I spend the next couple of hours in the peaceful quiet of the house being creative.

Great answers! I love to work at home. It's quiet. I'm alone. I don't like to be bothered when writing. However, "home" has become a bother in itself, distracting. Lately, I've had a hard time ignoring all the other things in life -- chores, people, responsibilities -- when I'm supposed to be writing. Normally, I allocate time to write. So, forcing myself to leave and work in a different location from time to time has really helped me get back on track.

As a single guy living alone, I'm finding my inspiration dwindling and also feeling isolated due to months and months working on rewrites.. Tony Robbins said it best "If we change nothing, nothing changes"..Not sure if that's what you're seeking Beth but I wanted to chime in :)

Hey Jonathan, yeah, I honestly do think isolation is good for writing -- for me anyway, I mean, to each their own. :) But, too much isolation can kill passion and inspiration. Perhaps you too need to switch up your writing habits. Hang out with the coffee shop hipsters once in a while. Share an electric plug and type away while enjoying a soy latte!

Hey Lyse, yes, restless, that's exactly how I feel these days. My monotonous routine is killing me. I'm easily distracted, I mean, who cares about frickn' laundry?! Anyway, changing my modus operandi has helped me escape my rut, get back into focus, put my writing first. :)

Hey Dan, sometimes I write at night too. But only if I've had some sort of break through and can't stop. Otherwise, night time is when I totally cave in and binge watch some series on Netflix. :)

A writer/director (commercials) I know put black-out covers over the windows of a bedroom, painted the walls black and put down B/W tile on the floor. He has a desk there, his chair, and his computer,but NO telephone, pictures or other furniture, if you don't consider a coffee maker and mini-fridge furniture.

@Dan. That's sad man. You gotta make the time to veg out like the rest of us. Call it "research" or something. :)

@Bill. Are you sure your friend isn't one of those bunker guys? You know, a dooms day enthusiast? That's some serious isolation! :)

@Dan. Of course! More power to ya! Just try to take a break once in a while. :)

Anywhere I can.

I write in a corner somewhere, alone, where I can have few out-of-computer distractions. Those tend to make it longer in getting back to where I was than the online distractions do. If I can't write (blocked) -- I'll watch TV, pet the cat, go shopping, go for a walk to relax the brain to allow ideas to come forth. A lot of times I'll a TV commercial will come on and it sets off an epiphany. Then the writing flow comes back as that idea moves it forward.

I can write anywhere but I need to be alone with my thoughts. I usually write in silence. However, my inspiration comes my favorite genres of music, Dark Classical, Dark Ambient, and related genres. Sometimes i'll write and/or think about the plot with this music in the background and it serves me well. Other than music, I can't have a lot of external distractions. So I couldn't write in a public spot.

Anywhere if I'm either with people I don't know, so I can ignore them, or there are people I know who are doing the the same thing. My favorite place to go is a coffee house. My second favorite place is the table in my kitchen. It's a open space by my living room so if I need to I can get up and pace back and forth.

I'm in a private space and trying to write now but listening to Lady Gaga Fame Monster and singing with the music. It took a few minutes, but got the hang of writing and listening at the same time.

Hot cup of coffee in my small home office. Limited distractions. After the family has gone off to bed. Need the quiet. The coffee is to keep from falling asleep. Sometimes I doze off and notice my finger has been resting on a particular key on my keyboard and there are rows and rows of this one letter across my computer screen. That's when I call it quits and go to bed and sleep for 5 hrs and go to work.

I find writing at night to be the best, when I can't sleep not even rest... the kitchen's the place I'm bound to me... with my trusty lap top and pot of tea.

IF I'm brainstorming, I can write just about anywhere. Outlining, anywhere, but with limited distractions. If actually writing a script, on the couch, with tea or coffee nearby and the TV off.

Earnest Hemmingway wrote standing up behind a slave trading desk. It works! Improving on it, I use voice to text with the headphones having a 15' cord and not only can I sit or stand, I can also exercise (or not), get to the coffee machine, pace, look out the window, even lay down, and with 'em on the lappy, drive.

Interesting question. I can write anywhere except where people might be watching me write. For some reason, that bugs me. Actually my favorite place to write is on the sofa with my laptop watching a great movie or TV show to inspire me--yeah, I get distracted sometimes, but it's where I get some of my best writing done.

I write on everything from envelopes to toilet paper.... the writing part of the thinking process never leaves... not even when trying to sleep.

I start with a massive amount of booze then as the days pass i prepare to dream. When I am ready I ride my push bike for several hours a day and still continue to dream. When i am thinking straight I will wait till their is no signs of booze in me then I will stay dry as I draft the first hundred pages. Eventually if I am under pressure as I am now, I will push myself till it is finished.

I almost always write in my head, while I'm walking or driving. Works far better than sitting down to write, for me. However, I lose some scripts that way too because I can't recall them once I get back to the paper. Probably should start carrying a little tape recorder.!

The first thing I do as soon as I arrive in a new country or city, is to search for the nearest Starbucks. I've always done most of my writing there, because for some reason I find it really hard to work at home -too quiet. However, I AM trying to make myself write EVERYWHERE.

Years ago my second wife and I had finished "fooling around" and with love twinkling in her pretty blue eyes, purred, "... You made me sing a thousand songs." What a line! I jumped out of bed and headed for the computer. I shouldn't have done that! ;o)

Hi Beth - I believe all creatives go through the absence of "muse." However, that's why God made nature (trees, water, clouds, mountains, beautiful hue in sunset. There - you have it ... move as far away from you as possible and write anything until your "inner" answers you "call" to write. YOU can do it.

Wow Bill, that's some pillow talk! I hope that line made it into a great script.

Love these answers. Thanks for sharing them everyone. I wish I was as mobile and versatile a worker bee as you guys. :)

Found this link in my Facebook feed. You'll all likely enjoy. :) BTW, I still think you should pat yourself on the back when you finish a script, though. http://blog.pshares.org/index.php/14-ways-to-tick-off-a-writer/

Not sure if anyone's mentioned or read Steve Pressfield's book, "The War of Art", but it's without doubt the BEST writing about how to address resistance, which at its core, is the hurdle we all face in life when feeling uninspired.. Fear can be crippling and comes in many forms.. Anyway my 2c

Wherever I can! The kitchen table, the living room, anywhere except if I'm too comfortable, then it's difficult because you want to just rest.

I'm trying to train myself to write anywhere, anytime. The day job, office, living room, cafe, car- Don't want to be someone who says "I can't write until I'm here or there."

Anywhere it hits me... I've stopped people mid-conversation just so I can put whatever hits me into my notes... I'm a comic so I tend to get hit with the writing bug almost every other min... actually, gotta go, just got a great idea! ;-)

I've always scoffed at those fancy writer get-aways to beautiful locales. I don't think I could get anything done in Italy!

By finding nature, I meant - when my natural environment is not conducive, or I can't find my "muse" the elements of a BIGGER place give me calm ... Writers write because it cannot be helped - that thing in the belly has got to get out!

I could get a lot done in Italy ;-))

I like to write late at night with TV in background. Sometimes the most basic commercial tag line sends me off on a 'riff'. . BUT I usually devote lots of time to my blog posts... been going on for almost three yrs. First two yrs almost no response. Now we have over 135,000 hits (although no matter WHAT bloggers do, 5 to 15% are gonna be spam..believe me. I've looked into it. Even ppl with 'block'; get it... The BIG TRICK is getting professional representation. THEN writing scripts comes easy because there's a very tangible chance of INCOME at the end. That's why I blog... like a running series of lengthy treatment-like (but very readable) story arcs. Naively did it to (hopefully) attract agents.. I'll let you know when THAT happens. Although SOME industry types ARE starting to tweet me on Twitter. OK, forgive me stream of conscious ramble. thanks... Billy... P.S. stop by on Twitter too... @wilkravitz and leave any and all of your links..

Jacqueline... no matter where you go the thoughts go with you.... I would be the same, organize, but still old habits die hard. I can't help myself... no matter where I happen to be, I even ask bank tellers for a pen to borrow when standing in line...my kitchen is littered with envelopes I can not throw away... Writing children's stories on top of everything else is a challenge. I have one story just about to take flight, another waiting in line... followed by another and another and another.... meantime, I am writing Lucy Goose two for Easter...and... in between writing scripts. Just as well I am a Gemini me thinks.... "May the thought go with you" Smiles.

When I have to wait a long time in line or am walking for awhile I start asking myself questions and problem solve my script. Such as if the heroine steals a painting how do I still make her the heroine? If the antagonist sniffs the lead paint off the painting then what happens next? Then I think of possibilities. And I go from there. So, when I get home to write I have a concrete plan. And usually that curtails procrastination.

@ Laurie - too funny! I have envelopes, little sticky notes everywhere and boy that tissue when it's tired of the ink? Too funny. Have a great day ... Let the creative flow ...

Laurie, I would love to go shopping with you... I can imagine the conversation....