Discover the Secret: How Even Small Snippets of Time Can Fuel Your Writing Endeavors
In the world of screenwriting, tackling an elephant-sized project can often feel daunting, leading to procrastination and a loss of faith along the way. However, a growing number of writers are finding success by adopting a simple yet effective strategy: writing in small, consistent chunks of time.
This approach, championed by coaches and industry professionals alike, has been shown to be an effective antidote for fear in writing, helping writers to cut down on the "gearing up" process often associated with starting a new project.
The biggest challenge writers face is resistance, despite having ideas, enthusiasm, and passion. This resistance can stem from various fears, such as overwhelm, self-doubt, fears of success and failure, and more. One way to overcome this resistance and procrastination is by challenging the myth that big blocks of time are necessary for writing.
Writing for short periods daily, such as 15 minutes, can be more productive than writing for long periods less frequently. Professional screenwriter Pamela Gray is a testament to this, writing for 15 minutes a day, six days a week, instead of waiting for big blocks of time.
Steven Pressfield, a screenwriter and novelist, suggests that daily writing is a practice that leads to a career. In the screenwriting world, daily writing is considered a path to professionalism. By committing to writing daily, a writer can build a library of scripts and completed work faster, increasing the likelihood of having creative insights and cementing their status as a professional in the industry.
To make the most of these small writing sessions, it's important to break the screenplay into smaller sections, such as individual scenes. This allows you to focus on one piece at a time, minimizing resistance and preventing burnout. Additionally, setting achievable daily time goals that fit your personality and schedule is crucial. These goals can range from 15 minutes to several hours, depending on your capacity. The key is consistency and gradually increasing writing time as your discipline improves, rather than setting ambitious, daunting targets upfront that can foster procrastination.
Other tactics that support writing in chunks include creating detailed outlines, organizing scenes with tools like index cards, and using techniques like the Pomodoro technique to maintain focus and limit distractions during these sessions. These methods help sustain momentum and build confidence, making the writing process less intimidating and more productive overall.
In sum, consistent small writing sessions combined with scene-by-scene breakdowns and focused time-blocking are proven habits for overcoming procrastination and resistance in screenplay writing. By adopting this approach, writers can transform their writing process, overcome fear, and achieve their creative goals.
- A screenwriter can find success by writing in small, consistent chunks of time, as demonstrated by professional Pamela Gray, who writes for 15 minutes a day, six days a week.
- Daily writing, championed by industry professionals, is considered a path to professionalism in the screenwriting world and leads to a career, according to screenwriter and novelist Steven Pressfield.
- To make the most of small writing sessions, it's important for writers to break their screenplay into smaller sections, such as individual scenes, and set achievable daily time goals that fit their personality and schedule.
- Other tactics that support writing in chunks include creating detailed outlines, organizing scenes with tools like index cards, and using techniques like the Pomodoro technique to maintain focus and limit distractions during these sessions.
- By adopting a strategy of consistent small writing sessions and scene-by-scene breakdowns, writers can transform their writing process, overcome fear, and achieve their creative goals, making the entire screenplay writing process less intimidating and more productive overall.
