Whether you wield words with a pen or keyboard, undoubtedly you face writer’s block at some point. This happens not only to screenwriters, but novelists, journalists, bloggers and many more.
You pour words onto the page with confidence and you hurry yourself to a grinding halt and spiral into a vortex of loss and confusion. “It was all going so well! How did I end up here?”
Ideally you already have your end of your story in mind. If you are writing ahead of yourself, then you may want to sit back and have a think about your ending. I am hoping there are less of you in this category. Most story/script ideas come to mind with a finale conceived before you set to work.
A screenwriter really needs to know where they are writing to. It is a journey with a destination, rather than a rambling adventure. Once the end of the story is worked out, then you have a path. Now it is a matter of plotting the course to that end.
Back on topic, you have now hit a wall along that path. With the endpoint, you have what is necessary to work through this temporary hitch. Put yourself at ease right now and know that you can get past this.
Start by taking a breather and stepping back. Depending on your schedule you may or may not be under the pressure of a deadline. Ideally take enough time (days) out to clear your head. A relaxed state is what you will benefit from when you return to your screenwriting.
With your screenplay in front of you, you might be at a point of blank pages ahead or you are working on an edit or insert. Either way, what I suggest to try here is to “act out” what you have. This could be a mix of action description and dialogue in the scene you’re stuck at.
Your choice here is whether to do this yourself or use family or friends. I would start with a read out loud by yourself, and consider recording this using your phone, or any capable device. In doing so, you unlock the words from the page and put them to the test in a real world scenario.
Don’t single out the dialogue for vocalizing but do read out your scene headings and action description too. It will get your brain into the film mindset and you will begin to get the feel and rhythm of events and get closer to spotting where the narrative or dialogue is going wrong.
This acting out process is also one that can trigger further thoughts and ideas as you “realize” your script. If you can cast others to read for you, then can observe your story in action and have a greater chance at pinpointing the problem and why you have reached writer’s block.
Through this process, if you keep your goal in mind—where you’re aiming at—you may be in a position to steer yourself back on course. Remember that the key to good screenwriting is tension and conflict. Use these to frame your thoughts as to how you proceed.
So when you hit that roadblock and come to a grinding halt, don't panic. Read around the scene, or up to where you have written, and see what feelings you get and whether they prompt the next potential action.
This idea is simply another way of looking at a problem, like turning something upside down to get a different perspective.
Best of luck with your onward writing journey. If you feel you need help and advice, reach out to me via the service page.