Hi people. Have you ever had many movies or TV ideas that you can't seem to write because you don't know how to open the first scene or you realize that you have too many characters in your story?
I finished my first screenplay and having trouble writing the second. I'm in the middle of rewriting my TV fantasy series that I didn't finish yet.
Maybe I'm thinking too much. LOL
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Sure, sometimes. ;) But when trying to figure out a story or an approach, I figure it out in my head first. Sit with it a while. Then dive into planning and sussing out all my ideas, options, and possibilities in an outline and/or in exploratory notes. Find what seems best to execute the idea. Sometimes it takes a few tries. Sometimes not. But typically and generally, less is usually more. If it becomes too complicated or too convoluted, I simplify or trim the fat so to speak. Reassess. Plus taking a break from a project—a break from focusing/thinking too much—also helps to find solutions. Amazing how distance offers sudden clarity of thought. ;) Hope that helps!
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Hi Kellie...
There are those moments when you do think too much and I agree with Beth and Aray. Also, sometimes when this happens to me, I will just toss (the character) on paper, write a very brief idea I may be having about the character for that moment, and leave it. Ofttimes, I find myself going back to it at a later time when the full concept suddenly pop in my head. Many times I end of with great characters in my screenplay or one of my stage plays. Hope this helps and the very best! :)
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Thank you ladies. I guess it's my anxiety kicking my butt. I have to relax. I have my second screenplay that I'm jotting down right now. I have the beginning and the ending, the middle will come. Sometimes I feel that I need to rush but rushing for what? I have no agent and no deals and no deadlines. But the most important thing is to write for myself and I have to remind myself that.
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It seems like every shower I take, or every trip on the 405, I come up with more and more ideas. The only way to keep them at rest is to keep a journal. I like to add camera stills, quotes, ANYTHING to it.... including the script, scene and character ideas. They won't get lost, and you don't have to stop and fall off track pursuing them right away.
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Lindsay, shower is the exact same for me.
Kellie, I try to remember that my beginning will be the same as my end. If my screenplay starts in the woods, it ends in the woods. So if you know your ending, you know your beginning and visa versa. It's a neat way to package your story, in conjunction with classic screenplay structure.