by Jenna | Jan 21, 2023 | ScriptMag Articles
In this month’s “Ask the Coach” article, I’m responding to a question about giving up a writing group, or not, including looking at the larger issues buried in the question: 1) Losing enthusiasm for writing, and 2) having a writing group functioning as their “only outlet.”
In the article, I shared some reasons our inquirer might have lost enthusiasm for writing, so they could see what might resonate, including:
- Nearing the end of a script, and resistance and procrastination rising to keep them “safe” from putting work out there.
- Feeling burned out by running a writing group for others.
- Being affected by other life responsibilities or challenges.
- Processing feedback (positive or negative).
- Taking a wrong turn with the script and having their intuition balking.
- Tiring of the story or losing connection to it.
The article includes some thoughts about solutions for each of these.
I also addressed the aspect of having their group being their “only outlet.”
My ultimate answer to the reader’s question about giving up their group is that sometimes groups arise for a reason, or are with us for only a season. It’s okay to let go of experiences that are no longer serving us, redesign them to better meet our needs, or recommit with renewed intention or energy. A thoughtful inventory of what’s working and what’s not will most likely point us in the right direction.
Writing groups can be wonderful places to feel connected to other writers who get you, cheer for you, and encourage you to keep moving ahead with writing. Writing groups can also become performative, perfunctory, burdensome, or even become a substitute for writing.
Photo by Ron Lach from Pexels
by Jenna | Dec 17, 2022 | ScriptMag Articles
In this month’s “Ask the Coach” article, I’m responding to a question about how much to develop a story before starting to write pages.
In this article, I talk about screenwriter Jeff Howard’s take on the value of outlining and developing a story, particularly for screenwriters, including being able to:
- Get back into a script more readily if life interrupts
- Meet contractual obligations to outline once working professionally
- Layer a story more effectively (easier to do at the outline stage)
- Maintain a consistent tone throughout the entirety of the script once you’re writing pages
My ultimate answer to the reader asking the question was: Yes, do the development work first, along with my reasoning based on their specific question and a recommendation on how to proceed.
It’s always tempting to want to skip over the hard part of solving those issues and just writing what you know so far, but you may well be writing yourself into a corner.
Photo by Ron Lach
by Jenna | Nov 19, 2022 | ScriptMag Articles
In this month’s “Ask the Coach” article, I’m responding to a question about prioritizing writing.
In the article, I talk about what prioritizing writing means, where we run into trouble, and then how to prioritize writing.
Here are some of the key points to give you a sneak peek:
- Think of writing as “important, not urgent,” aka something you invest in — taking action on writing is about being the leader of your own life.
- Craft a workable writing schedule that helps you make your priorities actually happen.
- Set writing goals for yourself so you know what you’re doing when you sit down to write.
- Set boundaries around your writing time with others — and yourself.
- Match your attention, intention, and action — so you’re being the writer you want to be.
Ultimately, prioritizing writing boils down to a collection of choices we make about ourselves and our lives that are reflected in our goals, actions, attention, and intentions.
Photo by Ann H on Pexels
by Jenna | Oct 22, 2022 | ScriptMag Articles
In this month's "Ask the Coach" article, I’m responding to a comment on Twitter about handling procrastination. This is a topic I never tire of talking about with writers because it's so relevant and important to understand and navigate. Plus, I've recently reviewed some newer (and empowering) research about procrastination, which I've shared in the article.
In the article, I review five high-level reasons writers procrastinate to help us unpack this common struggle. I describe each reason more fully in the article, but here's the core overview:
- We procrastinate because we’re afraid.
- We procrastinate because writing matters to us.
- We procrastinate to manage challenging emotions. 👈 the newer part!
- We procrastinate to get dopamine hits.
- We procrastinate to process intuition and information.
With this understanding of why we procrastinate, I also offer ways we can manage procrastination, including rewriting negative thoughts, creating community and support around writing with other writers, using deadlines and other external motivations, and more.
The bottom line is that we procrastinate for very real reasons.
by Jenna | Sep 18, 2022 | ScriptMag Articles
In this month’s “Ask the Coach” article I’m answering a reader question about how to build a consistent writing routine, even while managing work and family.
This is the high level view of the 7 tips I shared to help writers start to establish a consistent writing routine and rhythm. Each tip is described more fully in the article, but here’s the list to get you started:
- Begin with sustainability in mind.
- Study your own “resistance threshold.”
- Explore your optimal time of day for writing.
- Trim time from less fulfilling activities.
- Design a writing schedule.
- Build in writing associations or triggers.
- Implement and refine.
In order to be consistent, a useful strategy is selecting a sustainable level of effort for each of your writing sessions.
Photo by Tara Winstead from Pexels
