1. Write something every work-day, and preferably, every day; don't wait for inspiration to strike.
2. Remember that if you have even just fifteen minutes, you can get something done.
3. Don't binge on writing.
4. If you have trouble re-entering a project, stop working in mid-thought -- even mid-sentence -- so it's easy to dive back in later.
5. Don't get distracted by how much you are or aren't getting done.
6. Creative thinking comes most easily when you're writing regularly and frequently, when you're constantly thinking about your project.
7. Remember that lots of good ideas and great writing come during the revision stage.
8. Develop a method of keeping track of thoughts, ideas, articles, or anything that catches your attention.
9. Pay attention to your physical comfort.
10. Try to eliminate interruptions.
11. Over his writing desk, Franz Kafka had one word: "Wait." My brilliantly creative friend Tad Low, however, keeps a different word on his desk: "Now." Both pieces of advice are good.
12. If you're stuck, try going for a walk and reading a really good book
13. At least in my experience, the most important tip for getting writing done? Have something to say!
Actually one of the best pieces of advice is from the ensuing comments:
"From a writer of 17 novels and 4 nonfiction books, might I add: give yourself permission to write crap. Unstructured sentences loaded with misspellings--however crap-writing is defined for you. Just write. Let 'er rip. Writing is writing. Crap can be fixed or deleted later. Blank pages can't. Nine times out of ten, writing crap will fire that sloggy mental engine. The real writing is and always has been in the revisions. The trick is, you have to have something on paper to revise."Or as they say, "Writing is rewriting."
UPDATE: Per E.C.'s question in comments. As noted here last week, I'm taking part in the UCLA Extension Writers' Program Cyberhouse event. You can go here to register. It's a 3-day online event where (for free) people can engage with Writers' Program instructors. I'd say there's probably about 30 instructors participating, covering both creative writing, TV and screenwriting.
To E.C.'s specific question, I am scheduled to do a live chat session tonight at 7PM U.S. Pacific Daylight Time. To be honest, I was about the first WP instructor to use the live-chat 'office hour' tool and have been doing that as part of the courses I've taught since 2002. I'll typically schedule one live-chat per week in my multi-week courses and one for the 1-week courses.
Normally the live-chat sessions are free-ranging discussions about screenwriting, but often in the context of a class, we'll drill down into a student's story -- problem areas -- and I think it's safe to say that 9 times out of 10, these sessions are incredible learning experiences.
Tonight's session will be a bit different as the specific subject will be the 10-week advanced screenwriting course I'll be teaching beginning on June 24. I'll also be prepared to discuss the four 1-week courses I rotate through during the year. And as usual, I'm open to talk about anything screenwriting related.
The session will last from 7-8PM and is available to anybody who registers.
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5 comments:
14. Stop wasting your time reading these tips, and write something already!
Scott,
A little off topic, but you're slated to be doing an hour of chatting at the UCLA extention. I'm going to check it out, what goes on durring these, "chats?"
- E.C. Henry from (you should know where by now)
Alissa, that's awesome!
Great tips. And I am happy to see that I'm actually following most of them.
So, does that mean I'm on my way to greatness?
Scott, GREAT job last night. Didn't know anybodys fingers could type so fast. Impressive.
I did call UCLA extention to register today for Reg # U9925 Introduction to Screenwriting with William Hasley thinking the cost was $55, as in the Disscusion area of the class it had $55 Non-refundable at the bottom. I thought that was the cost of the class.
So I called in and the operator informed me that the class costed $525, at which time my jaw hit the floor. I guess I didn't do my homework, BUT this was my first exposure to UCLA extention classes, and in my opinion UCLA SHOULD have a better job of posting the actual costs of the class.
Not to say your teaching isn't worth it, but for three days I really thought the 2 month online class was $55, not $525.
- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA
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