Obstacles and Hurdles

[Strange Mind]

give it to me. i want to know. what STOPS you from writing?

are these obstacles and hurdles internal or external? you know -

that job getting in the way?
no time, too tired?
maybe you're tired of not having a social life?
your partner doesn't care for it, or believe enough in you?
you don't know if you can do it?
you'll "wait" till you're "good enough"?
you don't want it to come at the expense of other "important life things"?

i've always contended that if you treat writing like it's a hobby, no matter how passionate, it'll never pay off. my stance is this:

it's your FIRST job. even if you're not getting remunerated. if you're working as an accountant and want to make it as a screenwriter, and are writing your script, then being an accountant is your SECOND job.

i'm luckier than a few. i don't have to work, so i can write full time. that's how i've gotten things done relatively fast. more time to focus, more yield thusly.

but how do you guys see it? do you dread it? or is it a mistress who beckons (i will allow pony mag and s&m jokes on my thread)?

presumably everyone here wants to be a screenwriter. who feels ready? and how much will you give up?

[StRogue]

Work gets in the way of my writing (lately because I fired the front desk clerk - that will do it every time).

How today went:

6:30am emails -
quick shower at work by 8am
8:30 meeting with my the owners of the hotel
9:30-12pm work
12pm-2pm - part time moderator for online community
2-what time is it now?
work till 8pm

I've yet to write my rewrites today. Will I?
I'm on it. I've got to rewrite three pages today.

Do I dread writing? God no! I LOVE it! I get to tell a story! You hear me? I get to tell a story!

Pizza and screenwriting, what else is there?

Charli

[Strange Mind]

8 - 8 is pretty rough. how many hours a day do you assign to writing?

[kingscross]

What stops me from writing more is the talk about the inability to protect High Concept submissions. I even asked about it. No answer.

But I'll keep writing and re-writing (including those painful edits) anyway.

[Wewantangel]

Creative Obstacles: Taking ideas out of the oven before they're done. Thinking too much. Being subconsciously paralyzed by the wish I had lived as Joseph Conrad sailing the seas and then writing about it all. I think he would have made a pretty damn good screenwriter.

Daily Obstacles: Working eight til five and maintaining/resuscitating the necessary energy to work through creative lulls, story structure mind****s, and the ultimate knowledge that I'm working in total obscurity.

Misc: Resulting from the above not enough time to enjoy things like a weekend camping without. Sure, I could bring the laptop, a journal. But the losing oneself to find oneself (read to find one's story) paradox is tough to do with little time.

Last but not least, lately anyway, spending a little too much time trying to connect with other writers on the Internet.

[JaneaDahl]

To avoid self discovery.

Janea

[English Bob]

I write in my spare periods at college. The main problems I face are just the usual, no ideas, hate the dialogue, hate what I've done so far so I change it.

It's quite frustrating. I have the story set out but when I come to write the scenes I just hate what I;ve done. It's not so much that I don't like the scene or the story, I'm just never sure if the way I've described things is good enough and I always convinve myself it isn't. I know I should stay with it and keep going as I'm sure it's good but theres always that thought in the back of my mind that it's crap and what I'm doing is a waste of time.

[Muckraker]

My biggest obstacle is probably myself. Getting up at 5:30 to get in a couple hours of writing before heading off to work, sitting down to write on the weekend when it's sunny and beautiful outside...getting started under these conditions is my challenge. The funny thing is, as soon as I do get started, I'm loving every second of it.

And drinking tends not to help. "Oh, I'll enjoy a couple drinks to get the creativity flowing" can easily become "I can't believe I wrote this crap yesterday. Boy, I must have been wasted."

Lastly, I dread the rewrite. It's so much more fun to sit and create something totally fresh instead of laboring over the same script I've seen five hundred times, making changes and more changes. How evil.

[Meltdown]

Work is my big killer. I'm on this project ( and went from joe grunt engineer to lead when the other left) that requires me to work 9 hour days - so I'm up at 6:00 am to carpool to work 1/2 lunch, leave work at 5 pm - get home by about 6:p m. Depending on the night, I either spend time with my son until he goes to bed at 9:00, then work out/train from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm or spend some with my son until about 7:30 and go off to badminton (I coach and play)until about 11:30 pm.

I write during lunches - though once we get a computer at home, I'll try to write on weekends. At this point I'm looking forward to getting off this project so I can go back to 8 hour days and and 1 hr lunch.

[Cornell]

Work, homemaking, charities, social functions, work, work and work. These are the living aspects of life that keep me from writing, plus a whole lot of writer's block.

Most of my creative writing is done between 10P-2A. There's something about being up after midnight, when the whole world seems asleep, except you, your thoughts and a blank page...that's when the black and white of the everyday grind turns to color.

P.S.
Oh, but wait...another stopper is when Strange Mind calls EVERYday to discuss the day's trash topic on the Jerry Springer show...yak-yak-yak.... He always says that he could write that show better. ;)

[Neurotic Writer]

Laziness and self-doubt. Fortunately I've gotten over the first. The second (hopefully) helps to ensure that I won't turn out crap as long as I don't let it stop me from writing or sending my stuff out, and as long as I use the energy fueled by it to be meticulous in my rewrites, which is ultimately what it is good for.

Tony

[THE LATIN HEAT]

Da only hurdle dat gets in my way of writings is da numerous womens in my life!

[Cornell]

Ooooh, Latin Heat, den I tink that you tink with da wong head.... :evil

P.S.
Let's write those screenplays people! Yeah! :rollin

[CRASH]

"Da wong head?" Was that a Chinese accent you were doing, Cornell? With a Chinese emoticon at the end?

Flake.

[Meltdown]

Better a flake than a floozie...

[Cornell]

Crash-man, Cornell say dat you read wong way...also, dat she try to add culture to board. You like? :b

See, Strange Mind and Latin Heat? Thees is da kind of stuff dat stops me from being productive in my writings. Si, Amigos?

And, Crash-man...you will tink of me next time dat snow flake hit tongue.

And, Melt, thank you for taking da time to come to my rescue.

>>>dancin' away doing the Mamba<<<

[TravisBickle]

Oh for de love of de almighty God, somebody put a bullet in dis thread!

[Cornell]

Tank you, Travis...you are de man! I feels the same way! Gee, de way dat some peoples gets off de thread topic make me choke on my burrito. :)

[Meltdown]

Some one say bullet into something? (Loading rifle...)

HAve can of "thread derailer" will travel.

[Strange Mind]

ok i said pony girls and s&m was allowed, but i have to absolutely forbid bad imitations of latino-chinese dialogue. yuck!

[Meltdown]

Latino-chinese?

Sounds like those Looooooosiaaaannnnnaaa types after they drink too much canuck beer.

(Kosk if I happen to drive to Hollyweird, I'll stop by on my way and drop off Wildcat Strong for ya to guzzle)

[jacinthee]

Meltdown, ever tried some Quebec beers? I heard that La Fin du Monde (The End of the World) and La Maudite ($%@#*, literally) are a real kick in the pants (the 80% alcohol probably helps). But I wouldn't know - I'm more of a Port person.

[Meltdown]

I ain't a drinker, just from a "breed" of drinkers (engineers). When I lived in Waterloo, Ont. I remember some of the boys talking about a couple micro breweries that has some "gut rot of the gasoline ocatne rating" beers - not including the Molson's Labatt Max Ice, XXX stuff ( for you south of the border types - these were 7.1 % alcohol beers)

Don't want to Poo Poo the 80% volume ( that 160 proof!)thing, but the world record beer is some nasty ass thing from the new england area at around 19 %. I do know there is a commercially available Bock out of the north eastern states that sits around 17%

Now that would make for a nasty hurdle to your writing wouldn't it...

[ksk2]

(Since cut/paste seems to be the encroaching fashion, I'll see if this works...)

*****

(Kosk if I happen to drive to Hollyweird, I'll stop by on my way and drop off Wildcat Strong for ya to guzzle)

Well, that brew can't be worse than what the yuppies would have me drink. And I'll gladly take up the offer if you promise to pass a case to Dennis Leary with my compliments, and throw the empties onto the parking lot of the DGA.

And Jacinthee, Port is nasty. It should be reserved for paunchy-ass British Bulldog detectives stuck in the Christchurch/Whitechapel districts. As poor ol' Tony Randall would say, "Have some Medeira, muh dear..."

[StRogue]

Strange - I rewrote one page last night, I fell asleep! lol I was able to do some writing this morning, but the day so far has been filled with problems. I have housekeeping problems, had a conference with all the maids today..I had to bag and tag a room - the guy left ALL of his stuff! VCR, wet suits, surf boards, mountain bike-he told me to give it away!

I'm tired. I'll be rewriting now until dinner. Wish me luck. btw I concentrate on pages not time, my goal is three pages a day.

Charli

[jacinthee]

Meltdown, New England you say? Must be Hawthorne's wonderfully nefarious influence still lingering in the air that pushes those folks to make such beer.

Kosk, muh dear, noooooo. Port seems nasty to me only in the most wicked ways. Insanely velvety. And those cigars...don't get me started. (do I sound like the lush I ain't? Great, where's my poodle? Bunny?)

[Daughter of Lir]

Glad you haven't changed a bit, darling <neeeeiiiiiigh!>

:evil

um, dunno whats kept me from writing, but haven't been able to write a word in two months, wheee... (and this when I've had time to kill) Could be that pesky cancer on my Dad's spine, could be me just having a midlife crisis...

[CRASH]

Welcome back Kosk and DOL.

[StRogue]

Wb Kosk.
Wb DoL.

[Mr Godfree]

Finding out the concept you've been working on for over a year has already been given to an established writer.

@#%$ it though, at least I got my first screenplay completed. Thats more than most people can say right?

[Cornell]

Welcome back you two.

Dol...your father will be in my prayers.

[Strange Mind]

DOL -- welcome back. sorry to hear about your father. truly, i am.

KSK -- this might be redundant where you and i are concerned, but definitely welcome back. :evil

CHARLI -- there is one place for all of that stuff: ebay. :)

[ksk2]

Well, don't welcome me back too soon; I might have lost my "Moxy"...

(Sandra Bernhard voice):"Moxy! Ball-ball!"

Anyway, to answer the question of Strangely Minded, sometimes the hurdle is The "Uhhh" voice. You pitch something to an agent/contact/etc., and they say "Uhhhh". After they tell you you're funny, talented, clever, etc. .

Yet, at the moment you (as a writer) might make some headway (after they've liked your samples), they say, "uhhhh".

And that's when you know you've paddled your canoe up the river of High Concept. Along the rapids. Hoping that oar is sufficient to make headway.

Or, there's a better one: when someone's really interested in your stuff, calls/e-mails back quickly and regularly while you're discussing what *they* want, but fall into radio-silence when you ask about things like "Where and who will this go to? Are you interested in the idea, or my writing the idea I'm presenting? Can we get that in writing?"

Or even better yet: you write about something dear to your heart, embedded in your soul. Let's say, oh, The Fox Queen myth of Asia. And you to pitch it around. And you hear, "It's great, it's articulate, it 'sings', but you can't do *that* until you've been a staff writer for 10 years. Plus, it's a little too (---) for (---)." Then you go to a "sales" area of this (or any other) site, and you see a script about the exact same subject matter. That sold. By a PA who was never a staff writer. Except that the title is now "When Fox Queen Mate With Martians", purchased by Troma Prod's. And it's showing on USA and just got picked up for (---) episodes of a miniseries. Starring one of the bimbos from Cleopatra 2020.

That just makes me wanna take a hammer to my monitor.

But instead, I just "hammer" away...

Great question, S/M. I wish I didn't feel the need to answer it... :rollin

"We were born to be simple, we were born to be free..."

**************

[ferds]

Strange Mind,

I've given myself just about every reason I could think of to procrastinate, except that I'm rather lucky to have a very supportive wife (who happens to have a journalism background like I do).

My main goals in life are: to be a great husband, to be a great father and to be a great writer. As you might have guessed, I need to work on the third one (in terms of screenwriting).

Let me tell you, though, one of my favorite reasons to stop writing: I'm always waiting for the better idea, a brighter idea than what I have right now, for this and that part of my screenplay.

Just about every stupid question that I posted on the board has something to do with my first screenplay one way or the other. All your responses have eased my pain, not only because you gave me answers to specific technical questions but also you made me realize that I'm not alone in this neurosy I got into. I'm normal!

I feel your passion for writing and that strengthens me, and I'm just about ready to resume writing.

Thank you all.

ferds

[Neurotic Writer]

DoL - welcome back. It's good to see you here again.

Kosk you haven't "lost it" at all... oh, and it's great to have you back too, as well as Nem. Now all we need are Lil and Gig and the "party" can start again :evil

Tony

[Sepheria]

Strange Mind,
If anything can be said of me and my writing, it's that i don't lack for working at it. Seven days a week, when I get home from work. I live, breathe, eat, sleep screenwriting now, and fortunately, have a spouse that understands my desire to do this. I try to make time for going to a movie, or a walk, but I always find my mind turning back to whatever script I'm working on. \
Must be my addictive nature, and at least this time around, the bruises don't show.

[callitt]

I'm stunned. No one has admitted spending too much time on internet message boards stops them from writing.


Strange makes a great point to start with--writing needs to be the first priority if any of us every expect it to pay off, and I have come to realize that over the past two months or so. I now write every day, in some form or other, whether it's screen form, novel or notes. I write in the car, at work (and there's a lot of time there) at dinner, watching the Sopranos, etc.

And I'm letting it be known what I do. Talking about it makes it more real, both with family, friends and coworkers. @#%$'em if they don't understand or appreciate someone taking a creative challenge. that's their problem, not mine.


My biggest delay right now is writing TOO MUCH. I have two book projects (including the one that has publisher interest), three screenplays, and a few script reviews in various stages of progress.
The big novel gets priority, of course, and although it seems I'm not getting enough done on anything else (since I just work on that stuff as 'a break') each item is moving along nicely.

I want it to happen faster. that's why it seems like I'm not writing enough. I'm tired of the real world and want to be known as one thing--author.

[Neurotic Writer]

When people ask you what you "do" tell them you're a writer. Always. Tell them it's your profession (forget the day-job unless your day-job is your first priority and writing is a hobby, then this post isn't for you). I've found in my own experience that if you take a firm stance and don't wobble, and DON'T say "well, I work part/full time doing (insert job title here), but I'm trying my hand at..." or "well, I'm TRYING (bad, bad word) to write" or "well (another bad word - NO HESITATION), I've saved up some money and I'm going to do this screenwriting thing", or "oh nothing (god I used that one so much when I got out of college that I started believing it myself and was really out of the game for two years) then you'll get a lot more respect from people. Instead of them saying stuff like "isn't everybody" or "oh, thaaaaat's nice" or "oh, since you're not doing anything important..." they'll start giving you movie ideas and giving you advice on how to break into the "business" even though they've never been anywhere near the "business" (that one cracks me up, though occasionally I have gotten some good advice), and supporting you in ways and extremes that you never thought possible. Everybody wants to have a buddy/aquaintance/good friend/cousin that works in Hollywood so that they can tell their friends, "yeah, I know this guy Tony and he's a screenwriter and he's actually working, yada yada yada". But he who hesitates in answering the initial question is utterly lost as any detection that you aren't "serious" and people know, somehow, on an instinctual level that if you aren't fully committed you won't make it. Even "lay people" know this. Crazy.

Tony

[ksk2]

I have a current/new delay that eats away at writing time... making emoticons for cool folks!

Like the one I made for the author of this thread...

http://www.zing.com/picture/pe870817e531076a00250955662a5b308/feb745c7.gif.orig.gif

Or St. Rogue...

http://www.zing.com/picture/pfde5514df2f9608f87cceff91779cb68/feb5757f.gif.orig.gif

Seriously, though, the joke is just a levity-mak over the face of a real obstacle: "systems-dyslexia". If I am confronted with the need to understand something "left-brain" (figuring out computer gunk, reading/deciphering the real meaning of "terms of use", programming the bloody VCR...) I can't think about anything else until I solve the puzzle. It's like that crappy old-wives'-tale about throwing rice infront of a vampire because they'll feel compelled to count the grains.

Another/more viscious one (which I'm sure Callitt will raise a glass to) is something often attributed to gaelic-blood: stubborn hubris. I often have to figure things out myself. I have to waste days trying to do something on my own, when, if I just asked for a little help from someone else, I could "make it happen" in a day, or in hours. Luckily I'm getting over that (the assistance I received from others here RE TV format is a classic example; many thanks again to all who replied and helped).

[Strange Mind]

bastich...damn, what's the name of that character that uses that? a comic - i forget...some crazy bastard whom no one can stand.

callitt: good for you. btw, i'm tied to my powerbook almost 12 hours a day, writing or outlining or even thinking about scene executions. coming to the board is a great way to take my mind off things. i take frequent writing breaks. just want to add to what you said, that talking or telling people about it is a COMMITTMENT that you are more urged to follow through with. worked for me.

sepheria: good for you, too. and you should feed that addictive nature and put it to good use. after all, writers are supposed to be a little whack, right? no point you trying not to be. and no bruises. just repetitive strain injury and tendonitis.

thanks to ksk for the emoticon and to others for responding. to those of you who work the long-assed 12 hour days and squeeze in a couple of hours of writing everynight, still, i admire you. i don't think i could do that. not my ideal way of doing things, but we all have priorities and committments. so cheers to you and let's hope writing starts to pay off soon, so you can do what you want to do.

let's keep adding to this thread, because i think people are getting something out of this.

[Meltdown]

Ya Fraggin' Bastich - that'd be LOBO, the main man, the master of Frag...

Bet Kosk saw that coming....

[RubyToo]

Major obstacle: My babysitter's social life.

Intermitant hurdles: My own self-doubt, i.e. it's a great story, it's a good story, it's hopeless, it'll never sell.

Tony,
The killer response for me to "I'm a writer" is "oh, what have you published?" Even my 12 yo babysitter asked me that. It cuts the conversation cold, I tell ya. It's like being back in academia.

[CRASH]

Your babysitter has too much influence on you.

[callitt]

Glass raised indeed Epstein, er Kosk. Toasted you with a Harp in absentia on St. Patrick's day. I know it's not your usual fodder, but hey, this is Jersey and I did the best I could do. At least it was a lager.

[akaRichie]

Been a while since I've been on. Been working in the bush and cell service has been horid. So hello again, hopfully I'll be able to stick around for a few days.

Great post,,,I use to worry about motivation/procrastination/I should be writing, but found every time I forced myself to write I turned out crap.
I stopped looking at everything going on around me as a distraction but as 'life' and part of the writing experience. When I'm dealing with a-holes or spending the day with my family, the 'life experiences' I'm having are part of writing. To me the actual spewing out on paper is the orgasm to all the life foreplay.

'whew' I think I'll lay back and smoke a cigarette

Cheers once again from 'The Great White North'