Analysis paralysis. Stuck in indecision. Overwhelmed at the choices available. However you describe it, this is one of the most common reasons I’ve heard writers give for abandoning a screenplay before it’s finished.
But, I think we can all agree, finishing is a pretty important part of screenwriting.
Not only do you need finished screenplays to get any traction, but you learn more (about the craft, about yourself as a writer) from finishing one screenplay than by starting and not-finishing ten.
And you learn even more by going through the process of rewriting a script, which forces you to identify issues in a story and figure out how to address them. But you can’t rewrite what isn’t on the page.
For all of these reasons, finishing is something every writer needs to figure out how to do. But when fear of making the wrong choice stops you in your tracks, how do you move forward?
Switching projects probably isn’t the answer
If your usual solution is to abandon whatever script you’re stuck on and start something new, you’re not alone. A lot of writers (myself included) have used this avoidance tactic. I mean, strategy.
And it’s easy to see why. If you’re stuck and it feels impossible to make your current project work, it’s logical to think there’s something fundamentally wrong with it, so moving onto the next thing only makes sense.
But there probably isn’t something fundamentally wrong with the story idea. Maybe it’s a killer movie concept, maybe it’s not. But chances are there is a workable story there.
How will you gain the ability to see whether a story can actually work or not if you run away when you run into trouble? Especially if you’re in the early learning phase of your screenwriting journey, seeing an idea all the way through to complete draft is a hugely important milestone.
A mindset trick to get unstuck
Still, I know you started writing that screenplay intending to finish it. Lack of desire isn’t what’s stopping you.
You probably just need a little help getting through the fear or resistance.
I came across a useful mindset trick recently in this snippet from a book called The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking by Edward Burger and Michael Starbird:
“If you think, ‘I’m stuck and giving up. I know I can’t get it right,’ then get it wrong. Once you make the mistake, you can ask, ‘Why is that wrong?’ Now you’re back on track, tackling the original challenge.”
And while we’ve all probably heard of the idea of writing the “crappy first draft,” the way the authors phrased this advice is a little different, which I think could make it useful to a lot of writers.
Because maybe you’re not aiming for a “crappy” first draft. That can feel too defeatist. You may be aiming for a pretty good first draft, and it’s because of that you’re finding yourself in that decision overwhelm, unsure you’re doing it right at any number of points along the way.
And that’s what I particularly like about this version of the advice: it applies on a micro level, per-decision basis, too.
If you find yourself stuck at a crossroads in the script, unsure which choice is better, or feeling like there’s no way you can get it right…
Try something “wrong.”
Take some of that pressure off of yourself. Choose a direction, any direction – even if you know it’s a “mistake” – execute it, and then evaluate it. Why is it “wrong”? What’s not working?
You can do this with a whole screenplay, you can do it with an individual scene, and anything in between.
This week’s action steps
Here’s how I would apply it:
If you have been struggling or agonizing over a choice in your screenplay, list out the options and then choose one and see it through.
It doesn’t have to be the right choice. Make the “wrong” choice so that you can evaluate why it’s wrong. That will give you valuable information about what doesn’t work so that you can then figure out what does.
If you loathe wasting time or “wasting writing”, choose a direction and see it through in outline form, or even as a journal entry or morning pages. So long as you can walk through the story from your decision point on and see how it plays out, it’ll help.
And if you need some guidance on evaluating what’s working or not, and why, I’m here to help. Let’s schedule a session to discuss your project and get you moving again.