by Dave
I talked yesterday about setting realistic goals for yourself to keep your writing momentum heading forward. I also mentioned that setting a daily page count goal is not one of those realistic goals. There are several reasons for this. I touched on the first reason yesterday. You don't always have something to write. In fact I would say there are more days where you aren't actually writing than there are days where you are. Screenwriting is not something where you say "I have a great idea for a movie. I'm going to go write that". That path only leads to madness. You need to plan, prep, prepare, plan some more and then take some time to think about it before you start writing. A writer needs to realize this and incorporate that into their writing process.
Further complicating matters is the fact that if you write just to write you will end up creating more work for yourself in the future. It is a lot easier to identify and fix problem areas of your script in the planning process than once it is on paper. Let's say you write five pages, just because that is your goal, and they actually come out kind of all right. But the problem you keep running into is the fact that those five pages are based upon a weak plot point or scene that needs to go. Now you are in worse shape than where you started because not only do you need to fix that scene but you also are going to have to adjust the narrative thread of every scene that came after that. That can be a very time consuming and frustrating fix.
So that has led to the question I have heard the most. What types of goals do I set for myself? Instead of a page count I have decided to set a time goal. Ideally I want to spend at least an hour each day working on a story. Do I always reach that goal? No, but other days I far exceed it. That is why it is called a goal and not a requirement. But with a time goal I actually have less pressure to produce something specific and therefor I end up producing more. If I was always sweating about my page count I would burn myself out on a story. Instead I can pause and think "I haven't spent any time working on a story today". Usually that will spur me to at least spend a half hour focused on story development. That half hour can be something as simple to jotting notes on paper, working on structure, actually writing, or doing everyone's favorite task of editing. Even if I do not reach the hour goal it has spurred me to work and I therefor keep my momentum going. The pages will come and the finished product will come. By devoting time to the small stuff and not just focusing on pages, pages, pages they actually come easier.
I talked yesterday about setting realistic goals for yourself to keep your writing momentum heading forward. I also mentioned that setting a daily page count goal is not one of those realistic goals. There are several reasons for this. I touched on the first reason yesterday. You don't always have something to write. In fact I would say there are more days where you aren't actually writing than there are days where you are. Screenwriting is not something where you say "I have a great idea for a movie. I'm going to go write that". That path only leads to madness. You need to plan, prep, prepare, plan some more and then take some time to think about it before you start writing. A writer needs to realize this and incorporate that into their writing process.
Further complicating matters is the fact that if you write just to write you will end up creating more work for yourself in the future. It is a lot easier to identify and fix problem areas of your script in the planning process than once it is on paper. Let's say you write five pages, just because that is your goal, and they actually come out kind of all right. But the problem you keep running into is the fact that those five pages are based upon a weak plot point or scene that needs to go. Now you are in worse shape than where you started because not only do you need to fix that scene but you also are going to have to adjust the narrative thread of every scene that came after that. That can be a very time consuming and frustrating fix.
So that has led to the question I have heard the most. What types of goals do I set for myself? Instead of a page count I have decided to set a time goal. Ideally I want to spend at least an hour each day working on a story. Do I always reach that goal? No, but other days I far exceed it. That is why it is called a goal and not a requirement. But with a time goal I actually have less pressure to produce something specific and therefor I end up producing more. If I was always sweating about my page count I would burn myself out on a story. Instead I can pause and think "I haven't spent any time working on a story today". Usually that will spur me to at least spend a half hour focused on story development. That half hour can be something as simple to jotting notes on paper, working on structure, actually writing, or doing everyone's favorite task of editing. Even if I do not reach the hour goal it has spurred me to work and I therefor keep my momentum going. The pages will come and the finished product will come. By devoting time to the small stuff and not just focusing on pages, pages, pages they actually come easier.
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