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This week's Answer: Stuck
in Los Angeles (or Anywhere Else)
I know the feeling, Stuck
(interesting name your parents gave you; I must admit it
causes the imagination to wander into places where it's
best not to go). As
long as you’re not talking about your vehicle being in a
snow bank, I’ll be happy to help you “unstick”
yourself, Stuck (or is it “unstuck yourself”?).
When I’ve been in the same situation – “Stuck
In Los Angeles” (which I hear is the name of the sequel
they’re making to “Sleepless in Seattle.
Premise: A down-and-out screenwriter decides to
visit and jump off the Empire State Building and meets
another screenwriter who is doing the same thing.),
I have to come to the realization that I am overwhelming
myself with future projections that are causing me to
procrastinate, which leads me into that lovely state of
paralysis. (There’s
another “P” in that equation, but it’s not coming to
mind now. “Pontificate”
isn’t it, but that one works, too.
So let me pontificate a little more.)
This may sound a bit odd (or
completely whacked, as some factions of our society might
indicate), but my advice is to not resist the feeling of
being stuck. It
makes your more stuck.
Going back to my reference of your vehicle being
stuck in a snow bank (for those who have always lived in
Southern California or Hawaii, a snow bank is not a bank
where you go to get snow), often, if you step on the
accelerator, the stuck wheel just spins itself more deeply
into the snow, causing even more of a rut (hint, hint).
The wise “stuckeé” puts a board next to the
imprisoned tire, giving it something to roll on, which
often extricates it and the vehicle from said rut.
So, if you find yourself in a writing rut, just get
yourself a board. No,
that’s not it. Anyway, I’m sure or hope you get my point.
I have found, especially when I feel
like I’m in a snow bank – I mean a “writing rut,”
all I need do is take a step (not off a cliff -- or Empire
State Building) towards writing the next screenplay.
That step might be just thinking about what I want
to write. Or,
if I already have that in mind, maybe just thinking about
thinking about what I could be writing.
(That’s a small step.)
Any step towards your intention of writing another
screenplay will do. You
could jot down ideas that come to you regarding the
screenplay. You
don’t have to start at the beginning.
You can start anywhere in a story.
Go where the gusto sends you.
(Sorry. Sounds like a beer commercial.)
You could call a friend and tell him about your
idea. (And,
if he’s a writer and steals it and makes a million, you
can feel proud of yourself that you had such a good one
– idea, that is; not friend.
And there’s nothing wrong with suing a good
friend. Studio
execs do it all the time.
Not really. At
least, I don’t think so.)
Just take a step, then another one.
Before you know it, you’re moving; the momentum
is carrying you. Yes,
my friend, you’re finally writing again.
And, if that doesn’t work, you can
always call a tow truck.
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