You've written a general outline and you have well-developed character bio's, but you're stuck staring at the words FADE IN. You need a Hook, an exciting attention grabber, to glue the audience in their seats. Or, you're in the middle of the first draft and your mind has gone blank. What do you do to stimulate your creative juices?
Screenwriting : Stimulating Creativity by Patrick M McCormick
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If I'm in that kind of dilemma...I'll scan my story board and try to do some brainstorming in one of the scenes. I'll ask myself questions like "how's that scene gonna begin?....where's the conflict?....what's the purpose?..." Basics like that. Analytical questions like that usually fire up the chemicals that kick in the creative side. So instead of running away and feeling down or negative, I attack, get enthused and positve . "Fight or flight" is a well-studied brain activity and research has shown that people who try to "drive positively" out of such a situation instead of "wallowing" get chemical releases in their brains (like noradrenaline and dopamine) that spur creativity. Even some simple physical exercises release dopamine, which then can trigger a noradrenaline release. "Runner's high" works the same way. Sometimes when I'm exercising, my brain just starts firing out all kinds of great things. When I'm at my desk, though...mentally "steering" myself in a positive way is how I beat that bad blank boy back to palookaville....or I'll do a load of push-ups or something like that. And if all that fails....it's chocolate bacon time, baby! Heh-heh....just kidding....chocolate bacon is my reward for when I finish a writing task. Good luck, Patrick!
Patrick : Do you know your ending. If I know my ending, even if it changes as I take my characters to that climax, knowing the obstacles that I will be dropping in the way, helps me a great deal and of course the characters themselves speak to me. You gotta listen to them.
Bill, I thought the chocolate was a good idea.
It always helps me to keep my theme in mind. I try to think of visual scenes or dialogue that will reinforce or create conflict with the theme. Basically, creative noodling.
Great advice from @bill. It's easy to get into the slough of despondency of "wallowing". Exercise is a great way to re energise thought patterns and re boot "creativity" into projects that have hit a stale period. Doesn't have to be a punishing gym ritual, a stroll along the canal does it for me, instead of struggling to think of ways to embellish plots the characters come back to speak to me.
My particular problem is that I finished work on a screenplay several weeks ago and I've been in sort of a funk since then. I want to go back and rewrite the second half of one I wrote last year, but it's not working.
You've all been a help. I think, for today, I'll take Debbie's advice. I don't have a canal, but I am near a nice beach. I think I'll catch the sunset.
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Watched the sunset on Turtle Beach yesterday. When I came home, I turned on some inspiring music and wrote the outline that's been evading me for the past two weeks. This site's full of creative people with great ideas... thank you all.
Patrick, permit me quantify this "creativity" as a measure of our concentration that's opposed to issues like excitement, fatigue, distractions, lack of enthusiasm etc... At some level in writing, an average brain starts slowing down, inspiration drops so does creativity. Other thoughts start coming in and jumping out because we want to remain on target and move on. Sometimes we don't even see the way forward with the story and then blood begins pumping and we're trying to visualize the best possibilities to twist through and come out where we can move forward with it but at this point where we feel stuck Lets call it "creative crest", the best way to re-ignite that creative motor is halt and flow with those issues that lead you out of the story. Remember, stepping out of it is still a part of your creative motor at work and just maybe, it's gonna lead you to the key out of that locker and you may find yourself rushing back to your study to jot down ideas just so they don't jump out and disappear like every other, during that time. I have read on one post here that a single quote, a single phrase, a sentence, someone's speech etc, plays a lot in inspiring them write elaborate stories/scripts. I think that word, phrase, anything that we jot down at that point determines another ascend in that creative acceleration all the way to the "creative peak". It goes like wave vibrations... Does this make sense?
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I'm with you, Conrad. I meditate a lot to clear my mind but, this time, I just couldn't get going. I just finished a screenplay I'd been working on fairly intensely for the past six months. It was something I'd never done and I think there was an emotional letdown afterwards.
Emotional let down... I'll prefer you don't look at it that way. You took the time it required to get it completed and now that you have, all you need do is read through and I promise you, you're gonna get new insights to what already exists. Try it and say goodbye to every emotional letdown, trust me.
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Well... I go over a screenplay every day at least once until I don't make changes anymore. This one was a spec Horror, never done one before, and it took about 100 reads to get it the way I liked it. The one I'm rewriting is a sci-fi adventure that I am removing the last half of and doing a new ending. I've been in and out of creative adventures all my life and never hit a creative block... old age I guess. Learn something new every day.
Hahahah ah... I don't know if brain cells grow old since they only coordinate growth and newness, my good Patrick but I must confess, I too feel that way. Wanting to change a whole lot of pages to make it better and that too is helpful. No thought is ever entirety useless and I'm sure the older an idea is the more inspiring...
Love horror and Sci-Fi themes too
Was trying to write Terrifying, not Inspiring, but I believe I achieved what I was after. Two fairly strong reviews. Entered a couple of contests... we shall have to wait and see.
I must say at this point that I'm happy for you. ;)
I like to watch a favorite film I haven't seen in a while. Reminds me why I'm doing this, and I find it super inspirational. Or read a book I haven't had time to read. Connect with some really great storytelling. And, yes, chocolate works too... Have to disagree with @Bill on this one -- sorry Bill! But unless someone else hides the stash saving it's just not an option.
Well, if y'all go through my previous post, here: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/What-inspires-you-as-a-scre... You'll find that this issue should raise the eyebrows of many if not, all creative writers no matter how best or what level they've attained now.