Make sure you read this entire pep talk by Script Frenzy Program Director Jen. It's a inspiration powerhouse!

Dear scriptwriter,

The first half of Script Frenzy is largely a building process. New worlds are created and personalities invented. It reminds me of playing with Legos. You decide on the setting of your new civilization (the moon, underwater, under the kitchen sink), build the city tall or wide, find the little men, act out the one scene that sparked the idea for this place, and then...

The cursor flashes at you. It is waiting for more. It is waiting for the story.

Something has to happen in this amazing, never-before-seen place. It is just the backdrop to the events that take place in it. Your brilliant, unique characters have to do something. Even the most interesting character isn't going to be much fun to watch if they don't do anything.

This is the place where your idea becomes a story.

This might also be the place where you're thinking of abandoning your idea because the story isn't clear to you. There are some sure-fire signs that you're at this stage; your page count may have become stagnant, daily writing feels like a chore, or your fleshed-out characters are much more boring than you imagined. You'll be tempted to give up on this idea and start again with another one.

(You are not alone. I go through this horrible, doubtful, cold place every single time I sketch an idea out into a story.)

I'm here to ask you, on behalf of your story, to keep going.

I'm here to tell you, from witnessing thousands of Script Frenzy experiences, that you can get through this.

You are creative and interesting, and this idea got your attention. It was worthy of your time and love at the start of April and, like all deep relationships, needs you to stick with it even when it gets tricky.

Unexpected connections and paths will start emerging, and the spark that hooked you in the beginning will turn into a light, then a rip-roaring fire of a story. For that to happen, you must continue to give it your time, energy, and creativity.

This is not the time to give up.

Pinky swear that you'll keep going.

I'll take your continued reading as a 'yes.'

Every writer will find a different way out of this stage, but I have a few ideas that might help you throw lighter fluid onto the spark:

1. Send in an asteroid. Not a metaphorical asteroid. Crash a real piece of rock from space into your character's front lawn. Do something unplanned, larger than life, and impossible to ignore. (A tornado, flood, lightning bolt, or a blackout will all work, too.) Your characters will have no choice but to start behaving like themselves in the face of a crisis. It is never too late to peek into their psyche and see who they are when death is at the door.

2. Write towards the polar-opposite ending. Were you writing a romantic comedy and planned on the lovebirds living happily ever after? Tear 'em apart. Or were the good guys supposed to win by conquering the zombies? What if the zombies won? Take a look at another ending. It might be more compelling to write the unexpected.

3. If you have characters or plot that you don't know very well (like writing about the opposite sex or dealing with the technical details of a submarine), talk your way around it. If you don't know something and it is stopping you from writing, write just that. (Guy 1: I don't know what guys say when they're this wasted and trapped in a room with three hookers. But, I gotta say, I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable. Guy 2: Isn't that a bit girlish? Guy 1: How should I know?) These moments can ring true and feel very honest. This approach also applies to technical and scientific elements in your story. The results can be a surprise or mystery to your characters, too. They could even say something as easy as, "I have no idea what'll happen when the results print." Just get something down on the page, and keep going.

4. Make it up. There is no sound is space, hobbits aren't real, and there is no evidence that a long, long time ago Jedis fought the Empire. The best part about writing fiction is that these facts don't impact an audiences' willingness (and often eagerness) to believe in them. Make up your own version Superbowl or Academy Awards if your story needs it. You're already making up people and time, so don't get bogged down in what the world already knows about or what might technically be accurate. If you say something is so, the audience will believe that it is so in your world.

5. Skip ahead to the next scene that excites you. There is no rule that you need to write in chronological order. If the scene that you are writing isn't exciting you, chances are it isn't going to make it to the next draft. So skip it. If you need to have a title card explain that a year, a decade, or a generation has passed, do it. If your character was supposed to be the keynote speaker at a conference, but you're not loving her speech (or don't have a clue how to write a speech about thermodynamics), either have an extra shake hands with your hero in the bathroom and compliment a job well-done, or have her skip out on it. Why she might skip it might be ten times more interesting to you than what she'd say if she were there.

6. Try a flashback and/or a dream sequence. These scenes don't need to make it to draft two, but they might help you learn more about your characters and what makes them tick. This could reveal a hidden desire that your character has wanted all along. And, who knows? It may be the best scene in your script.

A great teacher of mine once said, "No one ever made a movie about the day nothing happened." Send chaos into your new world. Be brave and don't hold back. Your character doesn't needs your protection. Rather, this idea is your invention that needs nothing short of dedication and bravery in order to become a story. Discover it page by page.

This is a critical place to be, and I know you can get through it.

Just. Keep. Writing.

Good luck, writer!

Jen

Happy Week Four,
Tavia