by Jenna | Jun 19, 2025 | ScriptMag Articles
In this month’s “Ask the Coach” article, I’m responding to two readers in response to their submissions to a recent reader survey I conducted.
Their comments and questions coalesced around balancing writing with the rest of a busy life:
“I am struggling with balancing writing with life. I know what I need to do but similar to dieting, there is bingeing then over-compliance. It’s hard to make the habit work with so much to do.”
“I’ve not written in a LONG time — it feels like life events overwhelm me — I’m just not motivated.”
Especially if writing is an optional endeavor—at least in the sense that we’re writing on spec and not being paid (yet!) to write—it’s not easy to balance with the rest of life. Even professional working writers can find writing swallowing up or at least significantly impacting their personal lives, from what I’ve seen.
In the article, I discuss the challenges these writers are facing and then explore some possible strategies and solutions to consider when dealing with a busy life, a propensity to binge, avoid, or overly comply, and a lack of motivation to write.
Solutions:
1. Structure.
2. Rock bottom minimum writing targets.
3. Not to exceed guidelines.
4. The passion rule.
5. Three big rocks.
Much like a screenplay benefits from a proper structure, so do you as a writer. Structure is a container for a story. A writing practice is a container for your writing. It makes a place for writing to be a part of your life. If you don’t have this kind of structure, or container, you have to struggle daily with the “when” and “if” of writing, rather than it being a given.
Want the full scoop? Get all the details in the full article on Script Mag:
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by Jenna | May 15, 2025 | ScriptMag Articles
In this month’s “Ask the Coach” article, I’m responding to two readers in response to their submissions to a recent reader survey I conducted. Their comments and questions coalesced around dealing with distractions from writing:
“I’m struggling most with distractions and interruptions.”
“I am having a hard time writing between family distractions and self-doubt.”
In the article, I focus on distractions in terms of tasks, logistics, and awareness, as well as interruptions and physical challenges, and explore what we can do to corral them and keep them from overtaking our writing:
1. Give tasks a place to live.
2. Create a time to complete tasks.
3. Give logistics their due.
4. Recognize the emotional and mental load you’re carrying.
5. Build protections and resilience around interruptions.
6. Take care of your physical well-being.
7. Cut out the truly unimportant sidetracks.
Drill down into what’s truly important to you and make sure you’re eliminating everything not on that list, so you can focus on what you’re called to do: write.
Want the full scoop? Get all the details in the full article on Script Mag:
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by Jenna | Aug 15, 2024 | ScriptMag Articles
In this month’s “Ask the Coach” article, I’m responding to a question about recovering a writing practice after a busy summer.
Hi Jenna, I’ve lost a lot of my writing momentum over the summer between travel and my kids being off school, though I’ve been able to keep working at a sort-of minimal level. What tips do you have for getting back on track with writing?
Great question! Many parent-writers are in a similar boat, including me.
First, good for you for staying connected even at a minimal level — that will make it much, much easier to regain your momentum.
In the article, I share some tips for getting back on track with writing when your writing practice has been disrupted by all the good stuff summer has to offer.
- Remember, it won’t take long to reconnect to writing.
- Update your writing schedule.
- Create supports to help you stay on track.
- Tap into the “back to school” energy.
- Set a target amount of writing time for each day.
There’s a convenient aspect to the fall energy of “back to school” we can all rely on right now — a sense of motivation and activation to recommit and move ahead with projects we’ve maybe let languish a bit. Give yourself permission to “start over” with this revitalized energy to take action and make writing happen. It can feel fun, empowering, and even exciting.
Don’t think of this as a slow, struggling reboot, but a fresh, happy restart.
Want the full scoop? Get all the details in the full article on Script Mag:
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by Jenna | Jul 18, 2024 | ScriptMag Articles
In this month’s “Ask the Coach” article, I’m responding to a comment from a writer about recovering a writing practice.
Hi Jenna, I’ve found recently that the way I used to write just isn’t working for me anymore. I don’t know if it’s because of the pandemic exactly, but that was when things shifted for me. I used to write every day at the same time, and now I just… can’t. What should I do? I feel like writing has gotten away from me and it feels terrible, like I’ve lost my way.
Regardless of the cause (pandemics, major life disruptions, industry strikes, social change), when our writing practice gets disrupted and we change as a result, what works for us as writers can change as a result.
In the article, I share some strategies that worked well for me in finding new ways to approach my writing practice that got me back on track:
- Be clear (or as clear as you can) about wanting to write.
- Let go of expectations about your former writing practice.
- Believe there is a new way forward.
- Create space to find out what works for you now.
- Lean into sources of inspiration to reinvigorate your imagination.
- Build writing support structures.
- Pay attention to what has changed within you as a writer.
It’s smart to admit when an old pattern isn’t fitting you and your life anymore. We grow and change all the time — and life changes too — which means you may need to adjust your writing practice to better fit where things are for you.
Want the full scoop? Get all the details in the full article on Script Mag:
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by Jenna | Feb 18, 2023 | ScriptMag Articles
In this month’s “Ask the Coach” article, I’m responding to a question about how to keep up confidence in writing:
“My biggest challenge is making regular time to write and work on a script. My question is about keeping my confidence up that I can do this.”
Here’s the high-level overview of my response:
- Being confident means feeling self-assured, believing in yourself and your abilities, and trusting that you can rely on yourself.
- Build confidence through experience and by taking action.
- Protect your confidence by making smart choices about who you interact with and with whom you share your work.
- How you talk to yourself really matters.
- Taking consistent, regular action to write builds confidence.
- Starting and finishing scripts makes a big difference.
- Facing and solving tough story challenges teaches you that your storytelling skills are improving.
- The evidence you take in matters.
- Choosing to believe in yourself ultimately comes first — it’s a choice.
When you take creative risks, however small, and build on your successes, you gradually learn where and how you can trust yourself.
