Screenplayers!
Have you ever found, that at times (or most of the time), the more you intently work on the script, hour after hour, with no break, no breath, no connection to your body...or your life...that the script, kinda wants to run away from you? Ignore you? Even...hiss at you?
Like, a clingy cat owner, who desperately wants to pet the kitty, "Kitty, I love you! Come here, I want to pet you, come here...!!!"
What happens with kitty?
Kitty says..."get the heck away from me".
At times as a screenwriter, when I obsess about my script: Get it done get it done get it done...I must finish it within this time frame....aahhh...
The screenplay feels like it shuts down, turns the tap off, because that's not what the story wants. And, ironically, when we get a sudden "interruption" in our routine, something we must deal with, and we are removed from the chair, the sofa, the bed where we have been obsessing about the screenplay...in that magical space of not writing...I have gotten get the most necessary, amazing, and mystical breakthroughs the story has been trying to tell me! It could be a day, or a few hours, even a week interruption, but my brain has stopped trying to control the story, and instinctually, trusting that the prep work, and the outline, have done their job, and my idea of the story has gotten me to writing it, I just know I must stop...controlling...what the story wants. What the story needs, where the story wants to go, and how it will live on its own. Like...a cat.
So, comrades in pens, laptops, and letters, what is your thought on this ?
Has your cat / screenplay rejected you, scratched you, and made you feel like an idiot for wanting to love it so much...or have your cats/screenplays reacted the opposite way?
'Yes human, you can pet me to your heart's content, obsess over me, grab me as I am trying to walk into the garden...I was taking a nap, but yes, you may interrupt it by snatching me from the bed and hugging me...did it look like I wanted a hug (no, fool)...I will not hurt you... "
Happy writing!
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Screenplayers. I like that, Juliana Philippi. That's happened to me a lot. I'll do something else and think of a scene, way to fix a plot hole, etc. And I make a detailed outline and mainly stick to it, but things change when I write the script.
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This is why I miss my dogs Juliana Philippi. Our new cat is so much this! But yes, I've had that happen plenty. And the opposite as well...no sleep until I write that page...or that beat sheet...or that first opening page. You know what I'm talking about. LOL.
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Maurice Vaughan Yes, sometimes it just has a life of its own, and we need to trust it! It's coming through us anyway, right? and yeah! Screenplayers, we are , indeed!
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Leonardo Ramirez Yes! Sometimes the story needs you, wants you, like when a cat suddenly jumps on your lap for pets, and you're like, "oh wow! you do love me!", lol. And I do know exactly what you are talking about : )
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A few weeks ago, I decided I was going to complete a movie screenplay in a week. It was a challenge by me to me. The screenplay decided it wasn't happy about fake time limits for no good reason and refused to cooperate. We have made up and are the best of friends again, it's going well, and it will be finished quite soon, or not, we don't care about arbitrary selfish time limits.
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David Taylor Thank you for sharing this story! I laugh to myself, because I have had similar experiences. "The screenplay decided"...indeed. I am so happy to hear you have made up and are the best of friends once more, and exactly, arbitrary times set by our...what, ego...anxiety...sense of competition with an outside thing, person, place...are not relevant to the screenplay. Love this, David.
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Juliana Philippi Thank you for sharing this experience! I think this concept is so valuable to be aware of. I've definitely had similar experiences. My background is in art and animation (I am currently shifting my skills toward screenwriting) and have found it so important and refreshing to force yourself to "step away" from the work for a bit. Especially when it refuses to cooperate with you. In art school, it was mandatory for us to take a 10-minute break every hour and physically step away from the work, just to get our heads out of the weeds and come back with a new eye and perspective. I've found the same is true in the professional setting (although, it can be more challenging to find time to step away). But I certainly advocate for it - especially if it benefits the story/art and even your own artistic eye and sanity. : )
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Elizabeth Wilson Oh, that's so cool! Art and animation, wow. You definitely need to force yourself to take breaks then, that is super focus-oriented, for sure. And congratulations on beginning your journey into screenwriting, I have no doubt the stories you write and your voice will be so unique, I cannot wait for you to start sharing when you have loglines, and scripts ready to go! Physically moving, walking, leaving the room, it makes a thousand percent of a difference, absolutely. I'm so excited you shared, and can't wait to see what more you bring to our community : )
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What a metaphor. A lot of my projects have blended genres so I've always liked doing some research into each one: what audiences expect, what tropes have been subverted, etc. Almost like researching a breed, the behaviors and quirks. Ultimately every story, like every cat, is its own animal. Sooner or later it'll let you know what it needs. Hopefully without drawing blood. Love framing the process like this. Thank you!
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I saw this as a symbol for draft attachment. Of having that draft you love but just know it needs changes but are dreading a page one rewrite for fear of losing the story. That fear tears your writing initiative to shreds.
In this case, outside input can help. That's basically the story with my page one rewrite last fall.
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Andrés Yang Oh, that's super good insight too Andres! Researching genres, like different animals, it sounds silly, but I had never thought of it. Duh, Juliana! I love that, thank you for sharing that : ) And yes, it will let you know what it needs, and very much hopefully without drawing blood : ) Although, growing up, I had a cat that literally scratched me so much I bled, and yet...fabulous stories emerged regardless. And, you're so welcome!
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Michael Dzurak Really good perspective into this, exactly, that's what the draft edits sometimes feel like...it will evolve, it will grow, stretch, the characters will pop their heads out and say, "um, this is nonsense", or, " love this, but that's not really me, is it"? And, of course, the feelings you feel, the emotions, are always the compass...when you are writing from the heart, and you can feel he story...not think it... really good insight, Michael. And, I always get someone to read my first draft, always, an outside perspective, and I take down notes, and if I have doubts, I also ask a trusted advisor. Absolutely.
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The part of your brain that you engage when you try to interact with a keyboard to write great prose is sadly not the same part of your brain that comes up with creative ideas.
It's a bit like trying to be charismatic when you're very self-conscious. Like asking your crush out on a date. Sure, you can picture it going amazingly, but when you come to talk, your brain hemispheres get into a fistfight.
The answer is to separate the creative from the technical, which we do through drafting. However, how a writer drafts best depends on how their mind works. Some re-draft and some pre-draft. Just like some painters carefully sketch out their work before committing to the brush and others just go for it knowing they can paint over everything over and over if needed.
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CJ Walley That makes so much sense, it's a matter of accepting the process, understanding your own needs pre, or post, creative flow, and getting out of your own way : ) and with time, you grow in that, plus self-knowledge, then experience, and confidence. Allowing the cat to be...and it will always come to you, when you are one with the work...thanks CJ, I really like this. I appreciate the time and thoughtfulness of your share.
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Michael, never fear my brother, help is always at hand. Fear is the enemy of creativity. BUT fear with writing suggests something big is afoot.
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Save them and they support you...
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Mark Films Save the cats, and they will save you...kindness to any animal, compassion and love, well, that's the highest vibration : ) So, when that cat that's been lingering outside your home, apartment, follows you home, and you find yourself sans pet, or with pets that would welcome said kitty...well, they say cats choose you. Like stories : )
Pets are like angels sent by God. They protect us, comfort us, and quietly take care of our well-being.
Hi Juliana,
I love this analogy—because it captures something very real, but I’d frame it slightly differently from a craft perspective.
What often feels like the script “resisting” us isn’t the story having a will of its own—it’s usually a signal that the underlying dramatic structure isn’t fully aligned yet.
When we push too hard, we tend to override instinct with control.
And in most cases, that creates friction between:
what the story wants to become
and what we are forcing it to be
From a script doctor’s point of view, I see this a lot:
writers don’t have a motivation problem—they have a clarity-of-engine problem.
If the core dramatic engine is clear (goal, stakes, urgency, opposition), the script rarely “runs away.”
It actually pulls you forward.
That’s why those breakthroughs you mentioned often happen away from the desk—
not because the story is mystical, but because your brain is finally resolving structural contradictions in the background.
One practical way to test this:
When a script starts to “hiss,” I ask—
Is the protagonist’s objective specific and active enough?
Are the stakes escalating, or plateauing?
Is each scene creating a meaningful shift in power, information, or emotion?
If the answer is unclear, no amount of time at the keyboard will fix it.
So I’d say:
it’s not about petting the cat less or more—
it’s about understanding what kind of animal you’re actually dealing with.
Once the structure is aligned, the process feels far less like chasing…
and much more like tracking something that already knows where it’s going.
Really thoughtful post—this is a great conversation around process vs. control.