Habits, heavy lifting, and the possibility of suck
MakingOf has part two of my interview up on the site. (You can see part one here.)
Some notes on certain sections:
0:07 Writing process
In How to Write a Scene, I go into a lot more detail on “looping” and “scribble versions” of scenes.
0:49 How scripts have evolved
My hunch is that the modern era of writing action begins with James Cameron. Every screenwriter I know read and devoured his scripts for Terminator, Aliens and Point Break. We’re all probably channeling him a bit.
1:30 When I write
I really do try to do most of my work during “office hours.” But during crunch times — which has been a lot more, recently — I find myself going back to work after dinner, or setting the alarm for 5 a.m. to get stuff written before breakfast.
Writing is an inherently selfish act: you’re shutting the world out to live in a fantasy. You don’t really appreciate that until you have a family.
2:18 This could possibly suck
One of the main reasons we procrastinate is to give ourselves an excuse for why things might be terrible: “I know it’s not great, but I wrote it in three days.” Suck early and fix it.
3:30 Writer’s block
You know who gets writer’s block? Non-writers. They think it’s cool and romantic to struggle to make Art. They make sure everyone knows how torturous the process is, so when they finally squeeze something out, it won’t be judged on its merits but rather the emotional anguish involved in its creation.
Writers write. Hacks Posers whine about how hard it is.1
4:09 Heavy lifting
The twenty minute timer actually works. Do twenty minutes of solid work, then give yourself ten minutes of freedom.
Ideally, you want finesse: a combination of strength and dexterity that uses a scene’s natural momentum to make everything look effortless. But sometimes, that’s not possible: there isn’t time, or there’s some major impediment. With enough craft, an experienced screenwriter can often muscle a scene that shouldn’t otherwise work.
4:35 You can always cut something
I’m obliquely referencing a meeting for Charlie’s Angels, during which the studio president ripped ten pages out of the script and told me to write around what was missing.
5:10 Most people aren’t screenwriters
If you want to work in film or television, you need to work on films and television shows. Screenwriting is mostly writing, but without experience in how stuff is actually made, you’ll never be very good at it.
- “Hacks” was really the wrong term, because there are some very prolific hacks. There are also some genuinely talented writers who go through spells of low productivity. I find stories glamorizing their travails really tedious, however. ↩
Articles
August 18th, 2009 at 10:37 am
“You know who gets writer’s block? Non-writers.”
FOR SERIOUS. I don’t think I understood/appreciated/believed this nearly enough, not until I started work at a design firm and realized, THESE GUYS ARE CREATIVE ALL DAY LONG. There’s no telling a client, “Sorry, the designers were blocked today.” They want their concepts on time and looking awesome.
Similarly, I’ve launched a challenge to myself to finish my manuscript by the end of August. I might not make it, but with this push-forward mentality, I’ve gotten SO MUCH written. Makes me wonder what the problem was before…
“Writers write. Hacks whine about how hard it is.”
Actually, in the publishing industry, so-called hacks (Stephen King, Nora Roberts, etc.) are the ones who write, and the artsy idealizers are the ones who whine about how hard it is.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:20 am
“Writers write. Hacks whine about how hard it is.”
Ouch.
August 18th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I think your notes on writer’s block are a little harsh, John. I’m glad your thoughts about it in the actual video are more helpful and nuanced. At least two very successful writers I know of, Shane Black and Stephen Gaghan, have been publicly candid about the blocks they went through, and it doesn’t sound like they were doing it for show. And to be honest, among the aspiring writers I know and have known, the ones who say they never get blocked are usually terrible. Personally, I find a good whining session witnessed by a long-suffering friend to be very helpful – as long as I buckle down after I’ve done my bitching!
August 18th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Someone just call Stephen King a hack?
August 18th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
I’ve learned so much from this site already! I loved this post, thanks for sharing.
“Writers write. Hacks whine about how hard it is.”
I came to the realization about 6 months ago that I was very much a hack. You can’t call yourself a writer unless you’re writing and I put this very idea to another writer friend of mine – who coincidentally is a hack, as well – and we both realized that if we ever wanted to do anything we had to stop whining and start writing. We’re both almost finished with a script. I fully believe this statement, having previously been a hack, so I’m glad someone put it out there!
August 18th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I’ve actually always felt like if I make everyone think I’m suffering through writing something, it’ll be judged harder because everyone will think of how much time and effort I’ve put into it, so they’ll expect something great. Whereas if I just write without sharing my emotions about how difficult the process may or may not be, the judgment of the actual work will be more unbiased.
August 18th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
God. It must suck to be you. You don’t struggle to write and you look down on those who do and call them, “hacks.” I won’t pretend to know you, though we’ve met and talked a few times, so I’ll confess to being hack and risk your scorn. I struggle with writing everyday, and sometimes I have writer’s block, but then again sometimes I don’t. And when I’m having success (and I have) at screenwriting, it’s really good. The rest is a pain-in-the-ass and I bitch about it. Lucky for me I have understanding friends, most of them writers, who know the deal and share my misery. Who do you lean on when the writing gets tough? Oh, never mind, for you it never does, right?
August 18th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Climb off it, J.
I railed against this romantic notion of writer’s block being some monster that True Artists must wrestle. This idea that if you didn’t suffer, it doesn’t count.
Sometimes writing is easy. Sometimes it’s hard. But you can say that about almost any endeavor. Rockclimbers don’t get to dangle mid-mountain and whine about being blocked. They find a way to get around the obstacle.
Next time you see me, say this to my face. Or at least sign your name.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Go John. Suck it, J
August 18th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
RE: J. v. John
As someone who faces the obstacle of writer’s block, I have to side with John on this one. I said ouch earlier, but it was because I needed to hear it.
The other creative side of the industry that I regularly work in doesn’t allow time for blocks. You have to deliver and you have to deliver when told. If you cannot, you are not made for this business.
Clearly, I have work to do on self-discipline.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I don’t really know what “hack” means anymore, it gets thrown around so often.
My favorite quote regarding writer’s block comes from Orson Scott Card’s short story, Prior Restraint, which I highly recommend and you can read here. But the quote:
“Blocks are what happen when you’re not good enough to write the thing you know you have to write.”
I like it because it’s not derisive, just frank. I’ve found it to be more true than I’d like.
Additionally, I’m at work and can’t watch the video, so reading this is almost like watching the teaser trailer. Yeah, dorky.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
“There are also some genuinely talented writers who go through spells of low productivity. I find stories glamorizing their travails really tedious, however.”
Fair enough. I once read a book of interviews with William S. Burroughs, and in one of them he talked with Susan Sontag about writer’s block. They didn’t romanticize it, but they did talk about it as a real occupational hazard that they occasionally had to deal with.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Feisty these days, aren’t we John? Believe it not, some writers actually like the romantic notion of struggling, it makes when they finally break through the wall that much more special, true artist in a way. Belittling those who revel (and yes, even whine about it) for their struggle, seems, to me anyway, that you’re putting yourself on some sort of writer pedestal, a writing god amongst mere mortals… Is that you, John? I never thought it was, but, maybe success and power and your blogger fans have changed you.
And next time I see you, I will say what I believe. I always do.
Cya around the water-cooler.
PS: “J” is my name.
August 18th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Team John.
August 18th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Very cool. I don’t get writer’s block. i just get impatient. Taking too long to write a scene and get to the point I’m trying to reach, so I just throw a little fit and stop. Not writer’s block. Just writer’s temper.
August 18th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I studied with Ehrich Van Lowe at USC, and he told our class that writer’s block didn’t exist. I’m paraphrasing here, but he said writer’s block is an excuse used by writers who either: a) don’t know their story well enough to know what to write, or b) don’t have the drive to write what has to be written. That made sense to me. Now when I have problems writing, I consider two questions: Have I sufficiently figured out my story? If so, am I just being lazy?
Sometimes, I’m just being lazy and really don’t want to write the gritty scenes that I’m not excited about. More often, though, I haven’t thought through the whole story yet, and the problem’s that I’m not sure how to write from plot point A to B.
I also work as a staff writer for a software company, and when you’ve got deadlines, there’s no “writer’s block” excuse. Just figure out what you need to write, and do it.
So I’m definitely with John on this.
August 18th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Climbers sometimes do get stuck at some point and can’t work a way around their obstacles and have to abandon the climb. Some even fall to their deaths. Sure, those who make more fuss about the artistry of writing and all the props and cliches about writers are mostly wannabes, but many writers way better than you have experienced blocks at some points in their careers. Of course there’s little chance of getting blocked when you write something so silly and self-indulgent as “The Nines”. One hell of a boring movie and a complete waste of time. You should probably have written something better than “Charlie’s Angels” before you started talking down on people like if you were the hottest screenwriter in town. A hack talking about hacks. It isn’t even ironical because it is way too common. I had this site bookmarked for a long time because I did like it, but the more I read your opinions and comments the less I care for them, so I think I’m out of here for good. Since this post isn’t more disrespectful than your own comments, I hope you’ll be honest enough to publish it and don’t just censor every bit of criticism agains you own.
August 18th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Did the studio president rip out 10 pages randomly? What a wonderful scene for a movie.
August 18th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
well, I’m not surprised you censored my post, sport. also, after watching several of the films you’ve written I shouldn’t be surprised of your words and opinions. can’t wait for the “The Tens”, or even “The Elevens”. yeah, make it a trilogy, like the cool pro you are. thanks for sharing your knowledge and spreading the mediocrity. cheers.
August 18th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Yes, writers block has always puzzled me. I’m never at a loss of things to write. I don’t always know the best way to write something, but I’m never staring at a blank page.
August 18th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Writers write. Hacks Posers whine about how hard it is.
I believe the phrasing you’re looking for is here
August 18th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
A firm deadline is the best cure for writer’s block.
August 18th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Alex, J,
I took what he said to mean real writers don’t say they have ‘writer’s block,’ they say ‘I have no fucking clue what I should be writing next.’
There’s a difference. One is whining about a problem in such a way that it becomes a mystical and entirely ‘blameable’ bogeyman beyond control and analysis, the other is professional self criticism that dovetails nicely into working on a solution. Think of it as the difference between saying “I have consumption” and “I have TB.” The former means you cough into a napkin ’til you die, the latter means you go to the doctor, take your meds, and probably get better. It doesn’t mean there isn’t a very real problem, it means there is also a very real solution that just needs to be found, rather than worried about.
P.S., ‘Feisty’? Really?
August 18th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
So… ummm… Graham? What’s a real writer?
BTW playing semantics with the term ‘writer’s block,’ doesn’t change what it is, you can call it whatever you want, it still is what it is. And, like I wrote in my second post, there are actual ‘real’ and very talented writers who do admit to having writer’s block from time to time. Taking the position that writer’s block doesn’t exist except to wannabes, is just plain unadulterated bullshit.
I didn’t mean to offend John by challenging his superiority or opinion as a talented writer, but neither will I accept his narrow view that a writer cannot have writer’s block. I suspect it happens more often then people admit, most likely not when writing on assignment or TV, but when spec writing. Sometimes you go cold, it happens.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Sounds like a lot of self-professed “writers” are getting defensive because all they’ve written today are responses to this blog. The one who are debating the most vehemently are more than likely the ones who are bitter about other people’s success and frustrated that they can’t push through the second act of yet another unfinished screenplay. Get off the internet and get to work.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Wow. Just checked out the link to “makingof.com.” Amazing! I can’t believe how many writers are on here. Great interview and thank you for showing us this incredible site!
August 19th, 2009 at 12:03 am
It’s kinda strange that makingof.com doesn’t work / load at my place, but works perfectly fine at work. Really wished to see it :(
August 19th, 2009 at 1:36 am
J,
That was my interpretation of John’s argument, and I sincerely regret tying it to the term ‘real writer’ because… yeah.
Truthfully, whether or not Writer’s Block is a bullshit term that people hide behind is something I cannot qualify for anyone other than myself.
So…
At this point in my career there would be little difference between my ‘going cold’ and being a talentless … well, hack. I’m not established, I’m an unproven commodity, and writer’s block is a luxurious nightmare that I can’t yet afford or lay claim to. For me to claim writer’s block as the reason that some chapter or other has evolved into a black hole of thought and action is not something I’m prepared to accept from myself, because at this point it’s just an excuse. Six books from now? God, who knows what I’ll be saying. But I suspect that ‘going cold’ during book one, and ‘going cold’ after book X are two very different experiences that qualify for very different names.
August 19th, 2009 at 2:09 am
I’m not claiming my opinion is the ultimate truth, but I do have to say Mr August tends to be a little too dramatic with those nonnegotiable statements. And for the most part we know what’s implied, but it still sounds so harsh, discouraging, and in some cases insulting, that I can understand why some people snap. In this particular case, I believe what was implied is that the “non-writers” are the ones who do nothing but talk about how hard it is to write, which is why the still haven’t written anything. But the truth is, everyone gets writer’s blocks. It’s impossible to be inspired at all times. Some days athletes can’t run as fast as they’re capable of, some days the singer’s voice doesn’t sound too good because the air is too moist. Sometimes it’s not just about putting things into words, but rather sucking ideas out of thin air, and it’s just not possible to be able to do that at any time on command. Talent is not a flawless machine. But either way, if people get defensive, it doesn’t mean that’s because they really are those above mentioned hacks. It’s just that Mr August’s phrasing tends to leave no room for variations, and those variations are the ones that get hurt.
August 19th, 2009 at 3:51 am
Wow! Lot of bruised and precious egos here. I think what John is getting at is that professional writers simply don’t have the “luxury” of waiting for inspiration to show up. They have to write because they have deadlines. Because someone is expecting a draft. That’s not to say that they don’t encounter resistance. Everybody does. But “not writing” is the easiest thing in the world to do. Mostly, it has to do with fear of sucking – which we all encounter. But I always think it’s easier to fix something than it is to create it. So write the “something” and then figure out a way to make it better.
Over and out.
August 19th, 2009 at 4:08 am
Maybe the problem here is naming it “writer’s block”, because I think it happens in most creative efforts. For instance, I paint -oil painting- and sometimes I just won’t know how to continue with a painting, what to do next. sometimes I’ll have to put the brushes down and just stare at what’s on the canvas for minutes, hours, days,… A couple of months ago I finished a canvas that had been waiting for more than a year. Of course that if I had a deadline for that then I would have finished in time: I’d just paint it, better or worse. But if I want to get it right -or even get it wrong but have it make sense somehow- I need to allow each work its own time. If you have to complete a series of portraits or landscapes, you just paint through it, but I find that the more I get involved into what I’m painting, the more time I need to spend observing and thinking and the less putting paint on the canvas.
I’m not talking about muses or inspiration, just that any creative work means -to me- finding out something new about the images I’m working with, my materials, my own understanding of painting, and I can just schedule beforehand how long that’s going to take. If I need it done by a certain date then I’d most likely have to compromise.
I suppose that if you have to write the screenplay for a popcorn film you are less likely to need that kind of contemplation than if you are writing a story that involves a deeper truth about human nature. Writing good entertainment must be hard as hell too, but I think that in the second situation the writer aims at achieving a deeper knowledge of the world around him -at least that’s how I approach painting and sculpture, and how I’d like to write-, and that has its own schedule -again, I’m not talking about muses or any external force-.
Mystifing the strugles of writing has many perils, but you can’t really blame those who do it: conflict and struggle are the essence of many good stories.
Regarding John’s comment in the video -I don’t know if the second or the first part- about breaking the expectations of the viewer, I remember a nice quote although not who said it: “Give the viewer what he expects but not in the way he expects it”. I think it was William Goldman, but I’m not sure. I’m not really a fan of the “let the viewer come along for the ride” approach. More often than not I’ll find films that work harder in proving expectations wrong than in looking after the way the viewer is going to experience the story, and end up being some shapeless much. I’d say you can go against all expectations and succeed once in a hundred films -yes, completely arbitrary statistic here-, but even then I think it’s and inferior story than if you tried to surprise within the web of expectations. Just because something hasn’t been done before -killing Drew Barrimore in Scream- doesn’t mean it’s going to be a great idea.
Sorry for writing so long. Feel free to edit.
August 19th, 2009 at 5:31 am
I’m with John, but that’s not the point. I can’t believe the severity of some of these responses. I read a lot of blogs, I write one of my own, but I don’t usually leave comments, and especially not when I disagree strongly with something. If I did feel the need to respond, as I do now, I hope that I’d be a little more polite and less aggressive than some of the negative responses here. Of course it’s fine to discuss a point, but personal attacks and vicious asides – I don’t see the point of it, what are you going to achieve?
The reason I wanted to respond to this is that in the UK there was a blogging screenwriter named James Moran who recently quit blogging because people started sending abusive responses. He wrote about it here:
http://jamesmoran.blogspot.com/2009/07/stepping-back.html
And fair play to him – if I had comments like he had and like some of the ones above I’d think twice about continuing. So ease off a bit, otherwise we’ll be in danger of losing one of the best screenwriting blogs left.
August 19th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Per the “writer’s block” kafuffle: I suspect that John is exaggerating to make a point. All writers experience something akin to writer’s block, but most good-to-great writers don’t really talk about this loosely defined term unless asked, say, in a forum or an interview. I think an analogy is in order: All athletes (from amateur to pro) experience burn-out or days/weeks when they just don’t feel like training. But you never hear the really good ones complain about these hurdles. They train–or write–through them.
August 19th, 2009 at 9:20 am
John was just trying to give us the good-ol’ kick-in-the-butt. A lot of problems screenwriters have is derivative of laziness, and an effective solution writing mentors often use in dealing with this problem is to kindly suggest: “JUST WRITE IT ALREADY!”
“Writers write. Posers whine about how hard it is,” is a quote intended for us novices looking for that swift kick-in-the-butt. I don’t think John intended it to be a bash on working writers who get writer’s block.
Other than that, what a great interview! And thanks to John for the little written commentary too. By the way, I just bought a timer on amazon last night!
August 19th, 2009 at 11:07 am
QUOTE J: “…Belittling those who revel (and yes, even whine about it) for their struggle, seems, to me anyway, that you’re putting yourself on some sort of writer pedestal, a writing god amongst mere mortals… Is that you, John? I never thought it was, but, maybe success and power and your blogger fans have changed you…”
Yeah, dude, John August lives to put other aspiring and working writers down. He revels in it. He’s pure evil sent here to lead us all astray. That’s why he lets us in on the nitty gritty of the business, answers questions, and provides us with endless information, for free. Wow, what a bastard.
You don’t agree with him on the issue of writer’s block. No one said you had to. To each his own. Live and let live.
It sounds like you are a working screenwriter, which is fantastic. You’ve already accomplished more than the majority of us here (myself included). In a way, writer’s block or not, you’ve essentially won, so what ARE you whining about? Quit being an ass.
August 19th, 2009 at 11:30 am
I remember reading this New Yorker profile about Paul Simon years ago, right about the time I started writing seriously.
Paul Simon is nothing less than a giant, but I continue to be amazed by the fear with which he talks about the songwriting process. I think what we see in the quote below is a man who suffers from writer’s block, as some here have suggested is inevitable–but then writes his way out of it as John suggests:
November 25, 2002
…Typically, when he concludes a body of work, he thinks that he has depleted his resources, and that they won’t be replenished. “I always feel that the situation is serious,” he said in the car. “I’m in a vacuum, it’s a dearth, and then there’s something–a few notes, a phrase–and I say, ‘I guess there’s something,’ but it’s so small that I don’t even know whether to count it.”
Simon regards writing songs as the effort to find form for sounds he hears in his head. “Maybe ten, fifteen years ago,” he said, “I realized that what I was fascinated with, couldn’t explain, was sound–that you can’t really say why a combination of sounds is moving or feels really good and right–and the whole game was: Can I get the sounds in my head on tape?” His driver brought the car to a stop at a light. Simon looked out the window. “I should get ready to work,” he said softly. “You go into training–you play more, think more, listen more–instead of fretting over why you’re not hearing the melodies.”
August 19th, 2009 at 11:39 am
@Alexander Vogler:
Living room rules, friend. You’re welcome to express your opinion and disagree. But it’s my house. If you’re being uncivil to me or the other people here, I’ll happily delete every word. So keep that in mind before you spend 10 minutes writing something that won’t show up.
August 19th, 2009 at 11:40 am
John, I generally like your comments and insight. However, there’s a lot of “you need to do this” and “you need to to that” peppered throughout; it’s off-putting and makes you sound patronizing. Like you were lecturing instead of sharing your experience.
I think your case could have been made better had you chosen to use first person: “This is what I did, and what happened. This is what I didn’t do and why,” and so on.
Perhaps you’re burnt from fielding career questions from all sorts of people — those with varying degrees of talent, focus or plain delusion — and feel like you’re repeating yourself. Maybe you need a break from that.
Or maybe I need a break from your blog.
August 19th, 2009 at 11:46 am
The semantics of “real” “good” “great” “hack” cloud this issue and should be taken as all language, a means to an end. The point I see is this; if you are a writer who glamorizes the existential dilemma of your inability to move forward with a story, good luck with that. Some writers considered greats in the canon of western literature struggled with romanticized bouts of writers block and some did not. I agree with John, as a writer I find the stories as boring and useless to my working life as those who supposedly “wrote the script in a weekend.” Give me a break.
This site has been a great help to me as I develop a screenwriting career and I currently am stuck on my latest project. John’s analysis is exactly the kick in the ass I look to this site for. I can wallow in creative limbo or I can move forward, just like the rock climber. Many climbers do abort and others die. At the end of the day the question is simple, is that you? I don’t want it to be me.
Great art comes from so many different places and factors that the study of it is a field in and of itself. It can be worthwhile for artists to analyze its creation and pitfalls, or it can be a trap. If I broke down John’s statement as a literary critic, I might find occasion with the sweeping generalization of the word choice, but this, to my understanding, is a site for writers, regardless of the type (good, great, hack, etc…) and at the end of the day, a writer is someone who writes. A firefighter who is at home with PTSD is unemployed, regardless of the understandable reasons behind the lapse. He is no longer a firefighter. And that’s giving writer’s block more than its due.
I would have loved more Salinger novels. Did he need to write them to be a great writer? Not at all. But he stopped being a working writer a long time ago. That’s fine if you have Salinger’s laurels and need a break from being a writer. I don’t have the first and can’t afford the second. So thanks John, I’m getting off this damn internet and back to work.
August 19th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Huh. You know, it’s easy to poke fun at John for Charlie’s Angels — and I bet he wishes it had been a better movie, too. And while, on the other hand, I think The Nines, for any of its flaws, is still admirable and appreciable on many more counts, I’m not sure there’s a point in here that those who are flailing about and flinging their poop at him haven’t missed.
It’s quite a goddamned gift, actually, to have John relay his experience and (yes) wisdom and expertise here, for free, and so regularly. Sure, you may not like his movies, or at least not all of them, but presumably you have some interest in screenwriting, and in screenwriting for Hollywood movies in particular, and that is something that he is incontrovertibly successful at. I guess we’ll all hold our breath as those of you who have so threatened click “Delete Bookmark”, and hope we don’t miss you too much.
And for what it’s worth, I don’t think there’s such a thing as writer’s block, either.
It’s work. It’s hard. It doesn’t always — or ever — come easily. Not if it’s good. The people who loudly lament that they have to work hard at writing are often the same people who are more in love with the idea of being a writer, of having written something, than they are with actually doing it.
Part of the problem with calling it “work” is that it’s not like lifting bricks or swinging a pick: it’s difficult to even explain to a non-writer all the things that go into writing. So it’s not impossible that someone who finds it so difficult — to the point of being “blocked” and not knowing how to proceed — just doesn’t know enough about what they’re doing.
It’s hard to imagine a writer with an understanding of what needs to be written not being able to proceed. So it stands to reason that a large part of being “blocked” is not knowing what needs to be written next. And that means there’s some more work that wasn’t done in the first place to determine what needs to be written.
(4. Unless by “writer’s block” these folks mean “lying around and waiting for inspiration to strike and appear genie-like before me”. In which case neither I nor anyone else can help you. I dunno. Pray harder.)
I just spent 10 minutes writing that. I bet John deletes the part where I call him a cartwheeling asshat.
August 19th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I think that you’re totally wrong about hacks being the only ones. If anything, writing to a deadline is only going to encourage hacking as cliches and the like are already sitting there to use to get around it. I’ve never seen anyone turn out work under pressure that was as good as they do when the pressure is off and something clicks between them and the work at hand. Carpentry, painting, writing, fixing a nationwide network… it’s pretty much the same. If they pressure themselves or someone else does, there’s the inherent human response of resistance both active and passive-aggressive. If they think that nothing is riding on it and the idea is the thing, then they do what they do as they see it unfold in them.
In fact, I think the stuff that Stephen King tossed together no pressure in his early days (short of wanting to afford food), his short stories from the men’s mag days, those were probably for me more honest expressions of his talent to be utterly creepy and frightening than anything he locked himself in his room to force himself to finish that ran five hundred pages. Pressure gives people tunnel vision and too often the solution is sitting to the left or right of that focus. Dial down the pressure and defocus and you trip over it.
Some people just keep quiet about it and pick up another story to work until they feel that click again and get back to it. If some want to obsess or get emotional about it, then let them. For some, it’s a needed experience to work through the shock of hitting a dead end after zooming along thinking everything was fine and it will teach them to think ahead a little more in the future.
August 19th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
I don’t understand why everyone is up in arms about what John is saying. He’s saying if you face a problem, you take it on headfirst. This separates the people who are successful or will succeed from the people who dream about success.
This is universal for any PROFESSIONAL field, not just writing. If you don’t care about making money from writing, then I imagine you can spend the rest of your life feeling tormented and spend years being writer’s blocked at a time.
August 19th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
John is a prince to publish remarks that were so uncivil to him. I think that says a lot about his fairness and character. I feel bad to read someone dismiss good work like The Nines in an attempt to further a silly point of view about writer’s block.
I believe writer’s block exists, but I don’t think John had any sinister motive behind his practical philosophy. I think he is right that we push through our mental roadblocks.
Friends, this is an issue of linguistics, not screenwriting. You can’t elevate or destroy the notion of “writer’s block” without first having agreement on what concept that term points to.
It doesn’t always imply a lazy dilettante in a cafe procrastinating with his work; but it isn’t a complete myth either.
I am disheartened to read the comments here. You are all guests on this blog. You all have a responsibility with your words.
Disagree, but be nice.
August 19th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
A “hack” isn’t someone who doesn’t write much. A “hack” is someone who writes all the time. But not particularly well.
Wonder how this got confused?
August 19th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
It is interesting that of all the things John says in this video most (all? – sorry didn’t read them all) stuck on what he said about writer’s block.
Why is it so provocative? “I’ve got a writer’s block!!” “Oh, fine, write anyway.” That is what you need to be able to do. It’s just a fact. Directors might get away with being romanticizily artistic and bohemian, but a script writer can’t. He/she has to deliver or be out of work.
If you feel that writer’s block works for you, that it makes you feel artistic and all, fine, good for you. But personally, I want to write.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:16 am
did Jim Cameron really write a draft of Point Break? thought it was Peter Iliff who wrote that…. i’ll have to look it up online
August 20th, 2009 at 4:26 am
Maybe we could all agree than some writers, whether they are pros or just wannabes, do get blocked sometimes, and that some other writers never have to face such circumstance. I’m sure pros sometimes fail to meet a deadline and that doesn’t make them any less professional. Not all the climbs are going to lead you to the top of that mountain. Others, like William Goldman, proudly say they’ve never missed a deadline. Well, good for them, and for those waiting for their work.
I think that regardless of what side one takes in this discussion about writer’s block, one can still aknowledge the other side because none of them are wrong -to me- but depend on the circumstances of every writer.
I think “You know who gets writer’s block? Non writers -later called posers-” is a bit of a harsh statement, but maybe John was trying to make his point clear. I can see why some people got defensive, but also that there’s been some overreacting.
August 20th, 2009 at 7:02 am
Why is it so provocative? “I’ve got a writer’s block!!” “Oh, fine, write anyway.” That is what you need to be able to do. It’s just a fact. Directors might get away with being romanticizily artistic and bohemian, but a script writer can’t. He/she has to deliver or be out of work.
Sorry, Desiree, I can’t resist – it must be easier not to get blocked when you feel free to make up words like “romanticizily.” ; )
I’ve also wondered why this subject pushed so many buttons (including mine) and I think it’s because underneath it all, we’re really debating how responsible we are for our actions, or inaction as the case may be, and under what circumstances. It’s very akin to the arguments that inevitably flare up around discussions of alcoholics and their “disease,” or ADD in kids and adults.
I believe writer’s block exists, but I don’t think John had any sinister motive behind his practical philosophy. I think he is right that we push through our mental roadblocks.
Friends, this is an issue of linguistics, not screenwriting. You can’t elevate or destroy the notion of “writer’s block” without first having agreement on what concept that term points to.
I think you nailed it, James. The debate really has nowhere to go until we establish what we’re talking about, and I for one am about ready to move on anyway. The only thing I’m sure of is that I’m spending too much time commenting when I could be writing!
August 20th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Friends, this is an issue of linguistics, not screenwriting. You can’t elevate or destroy the notion of “writer’s block” without first having agreement on what concept that term points to.
Sorry, I meant to italicize that in my post above.
August 20th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Great interview, John. Wish there were more of these video casts around. Very insightful and informative.
I particularly agreed with what you say about how you “hate writing but love having written” — it’s certainly the case for me. Who coined that phrase originally, by the way?
For me, writer’s block is coming to a storytelling obstacle that you end up procrastinating over rather than trying to overcome. Coupled with that lack of enthisiasm to hit those keyboard keys, you can often be left feeling uninspired.
But most of the time you just gotta power through them. And when you do the work, you can often surprise yourself and discover new ideas.
At least, that’s how it is for me.
I think it’s down to what kind of process the writer has.
August 20th, 2009 at 8:34 am
“There is no such thing as writer’s block for writers whose standards are low enough.” –William Stafford
August 20th, 2009 at 9:37 am
this is pretty well off topic…
but watching john’s talk(s) on process here
and the logically high value he places on “make-ability”
(my dumb non-word, not his)
made me think of how much I enjoyed the book
“What Happens Next: A History of American Screenwriting”
by Marc Norman (1999 Oscar winner, adapted screenplay SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE)
which is not at all a how-to manual
but an actual, concise history of the screenwriting craft
and full of examples of how the men and women who practice(d) it
quickly realize(d) the limits of the medium and do their best to work within them
rather than against them
August 20th, 2009 at 9:39 am
John, you’ll find followers of your blog in all parts of the world, including India. I check out your site almost everyday, so do a lot of writer’s here in India. Once in a while you hear someone whining about writer’s block, but eventually everyone gets around it. After all,we’ve all got deadlines to meet.
I got afflicted by writer’s block recently, or maybe that’s what it seemed to be. This is how I got cured!
http://passionforcinema.com/writers-block-a-cure-and-some-juvenile-poetry/
August 20th, 2009 at 10:24 am
John–in your very interesting interview, you hit on something that I think deserves a lot more debate: in the past, screenwriters provided dialogue and structure but kept descriptions of action to a minimum. For awhile now, however, screenwriters have been practicing a much more–let’s call it “novelistic–approach describing every action beat and often larded with tons of interesting technical or historical detail. Rather than being a blueprint for production, scripts are now great reads: literary productions in and of themselves. Unfortunately, I don’t think this has resulted in better scripts or better movies. I think it merely reflects the mostly inefficient system in place for reading and evaluating scripts and the necessity to convince readers who may not be very skilled at imagining a script as a finished movie without a lot of help–I also think this is why producers like graphic novels, by the way. Thus Shakepeare could never get away with his most famous piece of stage direction–”Exit, chased by a bear” (in “A Winter’s Tale”); instead he’d have to write a full page describing the character walking through the woods — a twig snaps — he turns — nothing there — another twig snaps — he turns again — only to see 500 POUNDS OF TOOTHY DEATH — ABLE TO CUT HIM IN HALF WITH A SINGLE SWIPE OF HIS MASSIVE, CLAWED PAW — BEARING DOWN ON TOP OF HIM — ROARING LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN (etc.).
August 20th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Honest question: how do you define a hack?
August 20th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
You pay down his parking tickets.
August 20th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
“Writers write. Posers whine about how hard it is.”
Boom.
That’s a fuckin tattoo.
You guys can whine about how it invaded your pussy space. – I’m gonna look at it in the mirror everyday and we’ll see who’s holding the pages at the end.
August 20th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
@John – Hell yeah on reserving the right to refuse service to douchery!
I saw that dude sniffing the swings in the park outside Koo-Koo-Roo. Thanks for keeping him away from my children. :)
JA dot com! – Swingsniffer free since 2009!
August 20th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
@Synthian – amen!
John – the only “bile” that’s been rising at a startling rate lately has been from all the lovely folks who seem to live to take pot shots at you for the horrible crime of sharing a little bit of your time, expertise and, heaven forbid, an occasional honest opinion.
I just hope all the whining, mean-spiritedness, and general crap-ola that’s been worming its way into the comments on your last two posts doesn’t push you to finally say, what the f*ck am I doing this for?, and then pack up your blog and go home. If it was me, I know I’d be awfully bloody tempted, so I’m hopin’ yer a better man than I.
.
August 21st, 2009 at 1:55 am
Agreed. We really appreciate the work you do here. The internet is a vicious place, but this corner of it is really helpful.
I agree 100% about the poser line. I wrote a script on deadline. Took me 2.5 months from conception. 1 month after that to incorporate notes from the producer. All while working a 60-hour-a-week, shitty Hollywood job.
The script for me? My script? The one I actually cared about? That took a year and a half for the first draft. Finally, I kicked myself in the ass, and I’m 50 pages into the superior second draft after two weeks.
I’m done with “writer’s block.” Never again.
August 21st, 2009 at 2:29 pm
One of my biggest pet peeves about internet debate is the constant complaint of “You didn’t phrase that in the form of an opinion! You just said it! It’s your opinion! It’s not a fact!” It’s such a lame and weak tactic that I can’t believe it hasn’t died by now, but I guess the things that live on forever aren’t always the ones that deserve to.
For crying out loud, people, the website is JOHNAUGUST.com. It’s not THISISTHEFINALANDABSOLUTETRUTHABOUTSCREENWRITING.com. Of course everything is his opinion, and it’s all based on his own observations and what’s worked for him and not necessarily on the entire past, present and future of commerce and the written word.
And, in my humble opinion, attributable only to me and no one else, based on my experience as a human being, not claiming to be the be-all and end-all of knowledge and debate, not valid in Alaska and Hawaii, discontinue use if rash occurs — John’s right. A writer writes. Full stop. Writer’s block is when you choose not to write.
August 22nd, 2009 at 2:17 pm
@Nick, et al
Opinions are like assholes, having one doesn’t make you unique or in this instance, correct. Mr. August does a good thing with this blog. It’s informative and he speaks with assurance because he’s been there and done it. That said, his opinions are just that, his opinions. Your mileage may vary. As it pertains to writer’s block, some great writers have suffered from it, even screenwriters. Generally though, you work your way out it one way or the other.
August 25th, 2009 at 2:27 am
@Gonzo: Hm, yes, not quite the right word. But your comment about it was actually spot on.
My teacher never let us get stuck on words we didn’t know how to spell and if needed find our own – to not get stuck and stop the flow.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:24 am
I’m reminded of Norther Winslow’s writer’s block in Big Fish. All those years and he wrote a 3 line terrible poem. :) :X
August 25th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
It’s not like John’s said anything revolutionary…
Writer’s block = Not knowing what to write next/procrastination
Both have a solution. Figure out what to do and put your ass in the chair to do it.
There’s nothing mystical about writer’s block.
Do you know what comes next? If not, figure it out. Then write it, and don’t worry if it sucks. It’s better to write something that sucks (which you can later revise) than not write at all.
It’s a simple solution. You can either actively figure out where your story is going by asking questions, or you can sit on your ass and complain about how tough it is…
I think John’s got it right — poser’s whine about writer’s block, writers find solutions to their story problems.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:17 am
Everyone speaks like no good writer has ever faced a block he couldn’t write his way out of, like “a real writer never fails, and if he does, he’s a poser”. Pfff.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:05 am
@ Nelson — I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not saying that.
And how does a writer find themselves in a position where they can’t write their way out of their story?
They don’t know what happens next.
Stephen King was blocked on The Stand for 6 months — because he didn’t know what happened next. As soon as he figured it out, he finished the book.
Writer’s Block = Not knowing what happens next/being unwilling to write what happens next.
Both have simple solutions. Not necessarily easy solutions.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:46 am
at Dave: are you possitive about King finishing every book he started out to write? I seriously doubt it, but yes, I have no way of knowing.
August 26th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
@Nelson:
There are also different ways of not finishing something. You can get blocked, realize you’re not getting anywhere and move on to something else — or you can get blocked and just whine about it for months while you sit at home burning through your Netflix queue.
The criticism here is about the second group. Not the first. (I seriously doubt that Stephen King worked on nothing else for that entire six months it took him to find the ending of The Stand.)
August 26th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
You see, Nick, the problem here is that most people -including John- are identifying blocked writers with posers and whiners. What you’ve just written is very sensible and probably true, but that’s not what’s been said here so far. I totally agree with you. I’m just surprised of how quickly writers -or aspiring writers- will team up and try to dismiss other people who share their same dreams and interest -and, to be clear, I’m not talking about me being dismissed but about those supposedly blocked writers-. And it is not in this thread alone. Some lady wrote asking about studio hours to drop her screenplay -naive question, yes- and people are mocking her like this was high school. I just don’t see what’s good about that kind of behavior.
August 26th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
@ Nelson –
I’m not saying that writer’s don’t get blocks. What I’m saying is that the block isn’t some mystical thing, it’s simply not knowing what happens next.
(For the record, I believe Stephen King did write something while he was working on The Stand, though I can’t remember what, and I doubt he finished everything he started)
I don’t have a problem with people getting blocks. It happens.
I just don’t like it when people complain about it and attribute it to some higher power and refuse to take responsibility.
In short, I don’t like it when it’s treated like a disease. “I have writer’s block” versus “I can’t figure out what to do next.”
I’m very anti-complain though, to the point where I’m getting annoyed with myself for complaining about people who complain.
So, in my view:
A writer will put in the work to get through the block, how ever long it takes.
A poser will sit around and complain about the block they have, without ever trying to approach it and work their way through it.
August 26th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
For me, “writer’s block” in the past has really boiled down to fear. Fear that what I write isn’t or won’t be good enough, or that my ideas aren’t strong enough or articulate enough, etc etc. So I put off writing entirely, so I don’t have to confront the fact that I don’t really know how to be a great or even good screenwriter yet.
now i’m an MFA-screenwriting candidate at a major film school and those excuses just won’t cut it any more — thank God, by the way, because, while i wasn’t failing at screenwriting, i also wasn’t learning anything. hopefully i fail and fail a lot, so that in two years i emerge as a halfway competent professional scribe.
cheers to john for doling out the tough love.
August 27th, 2009 at 3:29 am
Ha,ha,ha, gettin annoyed with yourself for complaining about people who complain, so funny. I think that shows how pointless this whole discussion is becoming. Either of us should better be writing, painting, whatever we need to do right now. I accept that we disagree.
Anyway, I’m going to get some work done. Good writing to you.
August 27th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I really don’t understand what the fuss is all about. If you don’t agree with John’s opinion, then don’t. Personally, I do. I find that when I have “writer’s block” it’s because I haven’t taken the time to figure out the story, or because I don’t have the guts to write what needs to be written. Period. There is no other reason that I have personally come across. And, I think if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s pretty much the same for all of us. We’re stuck simply because we don’t know what to do next. Writer’s block, contemplation, laziness, don’t know the story. Call it what you want, that part is semantics. What we should be taking away from the comment is simply that the energy we expend whining about why we’re not writing could be used better by pushing forward and writing.
In regards to John’s comments coming across as patronizing, I really don’t get that. He takes time out of his day as a busy writer to share knowledge with us, for free. It’s not something he has to do. He gives us information, advice, and answers questions. If his brand of honesty offends your delicate sensibilities, I fear you’re in for a painful ride when confronting others in the industry who will quite happily tell you to fuck off. My advice is to develop a thick skin and take John’s comments for what they are, giving back to the writing community.
August 27th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Lol, love the bitter responses on here. Someone needs a nap.
August 27th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Lol, love the bitter responses on here. Some readers needs a nap.
August 28th, 2009 at 6:43 am
Lol, I love the bitter responses. Some readers need a nap. (Oh, I feel so clever after saying that!).
August 29th, 2009 at 11:23 am
How original, someone used my name to impersonate me! I bet nobody has ever done that on the internet. Man I’m gonna have to write that one down.