mary-masked

Writing is Hard

Published: January 16th 2018, 3:00:01 pm

I'm doing this thing where I focus on one project for five weeks (I mean, kind of. I'm still pitching and working on essays, and designing the new apartment and such.) But for, like, personal writing stuff I'm just working on my screenplay till it's finished. Or for five weeks. Or until I hate it and myself so much that I just give up.

I don't know if it's the subject matter, or my brain chemistry, or the fact that I'm writing in a format that's kind of new to me, or that I've been jamming so much story structure into my brain that I almost threw my copy of The Writer's Journey across the room last night, but writing this screenplay has been REALLY. FUCKING. HARD.

Cathrynne Valente has said that she writes really quickly because she's trying to outrace her own self doubt. She only has about a two month window in which she can write something without doubting it and herself and giving up on the whole thing. On this project I have a similar window, but it's only open for about an hour a day.

I mostly just seem to be able to write montages, which isn't terrible. I just probably can't make this whole movie one long string of music videos....though I guess it wouldn't be the first movie that was.

I guess it's a starting point, though, and maybe once I get going the characters will actually start talking.