Screenwriting : Unfinished script by Aaron Traikovski

Hi, Aaron Traikovski. I'm not sure if Stage 32 has a service for unfinished scripts, but you could email support@stage32.com to see.

Aaron Traikovski It's quite alright to be stuck in a script. I don't know if service is really going to help you flesh out a script because it's sill your story to finish. But, here's what can help. Build a "Beat Board" for the progression of your script. Lay out on cards or in script software where each scene in the story IS and where you want to be. Also, you don't have to write this linear. Meaning, you don't have to write the story from a starting point to an end point. This is what the "Beat Board" allows you to do. If there are two scenes that are going to be really important to the story. Write those first. Then connect the dots. This will allow you to weigh the importance of each scene too. Hope this helps. Happy writing.

The logline service should help.

-- what Daniel said!

I can help you. Asked for an add.

Hey Aaron Traikovski, I know how that feels. And the reason for me to be stuck has always been due to me not believing in my ability -or- me not being sufficiently interested in the topic/approach I'm writing.

I have learned that not all my stories need to be told, even if they begin as a great idea.

The ones that do, cannot be kept in the drawer for long before they start popping out of the drawer.

In my current foremost project I wrote the last scene first. That gave me an endpoint to build up to, so I created additional scenes until I had a story. After that I added scenes and did rewrites, gradually improving the story until it was ready for someone else to read it. After that it was re-write after re-write until it started routinely getting accolades in contests. Right now it’s on the Coverfly Red List, and for 2025 has banked a semi-finalist accolade, two quarter-finalist accolades and is awaiting advancement in the latter two. I think I do things the hard way, and I should map out scenes on cards before I start writing, but I’m a Taurus.

In my experience writing books if I get stuck ill take a break take my shoes off go outside to the lawn and stand there feet to earth and not think about the work but relax the mind.

I close my eyes and breath deep hold exhale.

I do it for about 10 minutes thinking about how my body is feeling.

After this experience my mindset seems to clear and energize. Never drink coffee or energy drinks they don't work for long hauls.

I believe the body has needs we don't know about until we experience them. The breath exercise is meeting the brains need for oxygen and exercising the many small synapses which help creativity.

Put it aside, start something else. come back with fresh eyes.

I am working on a book and started using a writing plugin that forced me to break that novel into chapters. This was the best thing to happen to me because I can skip to a random chapter and dive in deep in a way that is difficult to maintain linearly over time.

the brain gets tired or bored over time. Give it something new to chew on.

To echo Maurice's suggestion, I 100% recommend emailing the Stage 32 Success Team- Success@Stage32.com! Let them know where you are in your process and what your goals are. They can recommend specific resources that best fit your needs.

I always take a break when I am writing, and think of something, maybe you could find inspiration for your writer's block.

John August has these card decks that help shake up your writing when you get stuck.

https://store.johnaugust.com/products/writer-emergency-pack-single-deck

Writer Emergency Pack – The John August Store

Aaron, in my experience, writers' block usually means one of two things. Either you don't have a story, or you need to go back to research. Only you know which it is, both are solvable. Good luck.

Hi Aaron Traikovski, please do email us at success@stage32.com and we can help! Generally, I'd recommend booking a career development consultation with a writer or producer to have a full-hour to pick their brain and brainstorm ideas to get you unstuck!

Aaron Traikovski You don't give us a lot to go on, Aaron so we don't know where or what the problem is. Basically any story has one main character and three parts and you say you're stuck in the middle. Now if you have an ending, then work your way backwards to figure out how to get all of the players in place. Sometimes I'll draw a diagram of the final location and move pieces around like colorforms (who remembers those?) In the case of a chase scene, matchbox cars are always fun or I skulk around the house with a toy gun working out any fight scenes.

The key is to be stringent with your Logic of Progression. A leads to B culminating in C without too big of a leap of faith. If a character constantly displays a certain behavior, they can't just change that behavior to fit the narrative. They either have to experience a major event or you have to find a way to get them to their decisions in a natural way.

If you have written yourself into corner where the ends won't justify the means, change either the ends or the means. You are the creator. The story you are creating is your clay. Sculpt it into art but remember that realism has rules where abstraction...not so much.

Lastly, be true to the theme of the story you wish to tell. You had a concept that you started with and it was clear in your mind then. What changed? Did something happen in your real life that made you question your original premise? If so, use that to adapt the story to your new lesson. Are you bored with what you're writing? What do you think will look cool and play well on screen?

You have not come to a wall. You simply were traveling on this road and it ended. Now you have to make your own road to get to your destination. Don't think of it as a task. Take your time to observe your environments. Something as simple as a hummingbird hovering above a flower could hold your answer. Your mind is searching for inspiration. Listen to it. The universe is full of answers. There's just so many of them that sometimes you just have to narrow them down to the best solution.

Core Technique: Reassign the Genre + Rewrite the Treatment

Sometimes what blocks us isn’t the story—it’s the format or genre we've chosen. Try this powerful reset:

Take your story's core idea or theme.

Change the genre completely.

Thriller → Romantic Comedy

Drama → Sci-Fi

Action → Noir Mystery

Historical → Fantasy

Write a new logline and short treatment in that new genre.

Use your protagonist, but rethink the conflict, tone, and world through a different lens.

Ask yourself: What did this new version unlock that the original version didn’t?

Aaron Traikovski Hi Aaron, this sounds more like a process problem and that maybe you didn’t do the development work needed to birth the story. Forget about trying to fit it into a three act structure; story dictates form, not form story.

Go back and look at the story you had and what sparked your interest. What is your emotional connection with the story and go about translating it into the story.

Hi Aaron Traikovski. Also the "what if" questions can help you to get unstuck. What if the character does this? What if this thing happens to him/her? What if the character meets... ? What if the character looses this..? what if the character goes there? And so on and so for...

Usually when a writer gets half way through and hits the invisible wall it's because you didn't plot your story. You didn't create a conflict that could sustain itself through the middle act. Can this script be completed. Most likely, yes. How? You need to sit down and think about your protagonist and opponent. What does your protagonist want? What does your Opponent want? Not all the conflict will be Pro v. Opp. The other characters around the protagonist are in conflict with him/her as well. Sustain your conflict through the story, and in the third act the final battle/conflict happens. It's not just a fight for the sake of fighting. It's a battle over who is right, a battle of values, and a battle of beliefs. Get some paper and pen and go figure it out!!

For me plotting is crucial.

Aaron, as a writer who admits that I don't love the outline process and being married to it, I have found my own ways to answer what happens once you are heavily in progress with your script and going "wait, how do I do the rest?" There are some methods to the madness that help my spark and writing isn't jus the act of writing, but stimulating and surrounding yourself with the materials that help you complete the act of it - i.e. research, going on walks and listening to a playlist that feels like the essence of your film, books, blogs, podcasts, etc. There are more ways to "write" and move forward, even if it is not just the act of writing. Would be happy to do a session to crack this with you if you interested!