John August

Writing Process

Todd Graff on How I Write

First Person, Writing Process

Todd Grafffirst personThe first thing you need to know is that I write longhand, on legal pads, which makes me either a romantic or a dinosaur or both. When an idea starts percolating in my head, I jot notes everywhere: matchbook covers, snaking around all the white areas in a magazine ad, etc. Bad movies seem to get my juices flowing, and I’m forever ripping up popcorn containers, scribbling on their oily, white insides with the tiny wallet-clip pen my boyfriend bought me for Xmas (a far more useful present than the gym membership).

These notes all make it onto individual index cards. As time passes, the pile of cards grows, until all that’s missing is the connective scene-tissue between all the jotted down sequences.

When it’s time to write, I procrastinate as much as the next guy. I find I have to sneak up on it — like I sit down to work, knowing I absolutely have to be somewhere in an hour. That way I can’t fuck up too much at any one time.

I also take long showers, where I don’t let myself leave until I’ve had at least one valuable idea about the script. Solved one problem. My hot water bills are always an accurate gauge of how blocked I am.
***
Todd Graff wrote and directed CAMP. As a writer and
producer, his other credits include BEAUTICIAN
AND THE BEAST, ANGIE, THE
VANISHING and
USED PEOPLE.

Generating ideas

QandA, Writing Process

Do you have a method to generate your ideas?

–Anonymous

Not really. I’ve never found it particularly hard to generate ideas. Most of the time, I have far too many different things I want to write, and the challenge is deciding which ones are actually worth the investment of time and thought. So I don’t really have any methods for generating ideas. I don’t brainstorm. I don’t draw mind-maps. I only outline if I’m concerned about fitting the pieces together.

In fact, 90% of the time, I’m trying to find methods for shutting competing ideas out, so that I’ll actually get my work finished. Or get to sleep.

I’m drawing a distinction here between coming up with new ideas (“a biker movie in space”) and figuring out how to solve specific problems with a story or scene (“how should the villain capture the Millenium Harley?”). Obviously, every writer is going to have to find ways to get over these hurdles when they come up. A few techniques that often help include:

  • figuring out what the outcome needs to be, then working backwards;
  • deciding what caused the problem in the first place, and whether it can be changed or cut;
  • looking at the moment from another character’s perspective;
  • quickly writing several different solutions, then judging whether one or a combination of several best address the problem.

For all the talk of high-concept comedies or big-idea action tentpole movies, a screenwriter’s daily life is almost entirely about coming up with the “little” ideas that help get the story told.

Script comments

QandA, Writing Process

When you finish a first draft, how many close friends or
confidants, do you show
it to? Do their comments change the script much?

–George Moise

At this point, the only person who reads absolutely everything is my assistant
Dana, not only for her opinion but also her much-needed proof-reading skills.
I think every writer needs a Dana – be it a friend, a parent, a colleague or
professor – to be a trusted set of eyes, and hopefully give unbiased feedback.

Many screenwriters have a circle of other writer friends with which they share
their work, either in person during a weekly writing group, or on-line. Walter
Bernstein, who at 83 has written more than 27 movies, uses the
emailing-with-notes function of Final Draft to swap scripts with his colleagues.
It’s a great idea.

The extent to which you end up changing your script depends entirely on how
much you believe in the notes. Obviously, never make a change you disagree
with, unless some other factor makes it obligatory.

Writer’s block

QandA, Writing Process

I have a number of ideas for screenplays. My main obstacle is me. I become
periodically immobilized by writer’s block. I am wondering if perhaps I would
be better off writing with a partner or a team of folks instead of struggling
on alone. Any thoughts on this?

–Kathryn Featherston

Whenever I see "writer’s block" in a movie, I’m baffled, because
I’ve never suffered from the ailment shown. You know the symptoms: the writer
sits down at an empty sheet of paper (or computer screen) and can’t think of
anything to write. He shuffles; he paces; he crumples paper which overflows
from his wire wastepaper basket. Then the writer inevitably gets involved in
some sort of affair or caper that revitalizes his creativity.

More often than I care to admit, I suffer work stoppages. But I’d hestitate
to call them Writer’s Block. Rather, I think they’re subtly different conditions,
such as Pure Damn Laziness, Brain Lock and Perfection Paralysis.

Pure Damn Laziness is the most pervasive of these ailments, and the easiest
to diagnose. Writing is really hard work – much harder than playing Diablo
II, or reading US Weekly – and sometimes you just don’t want to do it. The
more you try to force yourself, the more you rebel, and your id ends up dragging
your ego around like a grumpy four-year old at a shopping mall.

Brain Lock usually occurs from overwork or exhaustion, and is characterized
by the inability to put an entire sentence together. The only cure is usually
to go to bed. (Or, get a really mindless day job, so that your brain is completely
rested when you get home from work.)

Perfection Paralysis is when I avoid writing a certain scene because I know
it will be a disaster unless it’s done just right, and what if I do it wrong?
Of all these disorders, this is the hardest to treat, although deadlines seem
to help.

Would you be better off writing with a partner or in a group? Maybe. The advantage
to having other people around is that you can’t fall into the same traps that
keep you from writing (though you’re likely to devise some new ones). My other
advice would be to ease off on the self-flagellation. There are times when
you’ll get a lot written, and times when you won’t. But don’t make a career
of torturing yourself over it.