Summer may have traditionally been your time to take a mental break—and we’re not discounting the value of giving your creativity some time off to recharge. But reframing the game during these hot months could actually boost your productivity in the long run. Why not take advantage of the long days and shifted routines? Here are 5 ways to inspire your summer screenwriting habits.
1. Use nature’s light therapy
Summer brings sunshine, and it turns out that natural light is highly valued in the workplace. A 2018 survey reported by the Harvard Business Review found that employees ranked access to daylight and outdoor views as the most important feature of their work environment. This preference isn’t just about aesthetics—studies show it can significantly impact wellness and productivity. Workers exposed to natural light experienced noticeably fewer issues like eyestrain, headaches, and drowsiness, with reductions of over 50% in each case.
So, while getting up with the sun to put some words on the page for those reasons alone is no joke, the others are equally as important. Whether it’s family obligations or a day job that keep you on a schedule, utilizing the longer daylight hours to put in some quality writing time makes summertime your time. Yes, those vacay vibes might be calling you instead, but this is where those small steps come in handy: setting the alarm for a half hour earlier in the morning to rise with the sun gives you time and sun-inspired energy to get the writing done this summer.
2. Play tourist in your own town
Perhaps getting away isn’t an option. In that case, find the bright side of where you live!
Like that Hallmark character discovering her Small Town isn’t as boring as she once thought it was, you, too, can (re)discover the magic of where you live and use it in your writing process. From ancient history and local heritage to inspiring real life characters who call your town home, you’ll never know what secrets you’ll uncover.
Any place has the potential of being an exciting setting—and summer is the perfect time to join the touristy flocks to find out who, what, where and why. You could even book a night in a local hotel, take a recommended tour, walk instead of drive, or take public transportation to broaden your horizons. Getting that bird’s eye view that sets you apart from the place you think you know can open up so many narrative possibilities. You never know what settings, characters, and stories the place where you live could inspire.
3. Learn something new.
There’s something about stretching yourself—pushing your boundaries—that invites the Muse to reveal new inspiration, fresh ways of doing things, or perspectives you hadn’t considered before. Scientifically speaking, the brain can continue to grow as you age, and regularly challenging it through learning enhances memory, mental flexibility, problem-solving skills, concentration, and—yes—creativity!
While regular physical exercise and classic methods like learning a new language can support this process—not to mention boost writing energy (thanks to exercise) and help you write more authentically (through language learning)—here are a few other types of learning that can more directly inspire your screenwriting.
- Directing! Read a book on the subject or sign up for a summer class with a focus on directing to discover how seeing the story through a director’s lens might change your writing perspective. It can also help you write more contained or sellable screenplays when you’re focused on the production side of filmmaking.
- Take the opportunity to deep dive into related filmmaking skills. From sound to picture editing to the business side of producing a short film, there’s no shortage of aspects to learn. Not only can learning all jobs on a set inform your writing, but it can also help you post-writing when it comes to marketing yourself and your screenplays.
- Take a deep dive into Final Draft Screenwriting Software by watching the tutorials and exploring features you might not normally use in your day-to-day writing. Familiarizing yourself with the tools at your disposal can lead to more efficient workflows and open up new avenues for creativity with less effort in the long run.
4. Meet new people
It always feels like everyone has their guard down just a little bit more in summer than during the rest of the year. People seem more open to communicate and acknowledge even just a stranger on the street. Perhaps it’s summer’s adventurous spirit that lower inhibitions or the boost of warmth and extra light that adds sunshine to attitudes, not just days, but interactions outside our comfort zones feels a little more accessible. Whether you’re playing tourist somewhere exotic for real or in your own town, getting to know someone new has benefits for your Creative Life.
- Learn new perspectives. Talking to someone you don’t know, or normally wouldn’t, is your opportunity to discover a whole new world. Engage in different ways of thinking, learn about diverse backgrounds and cultures, and on a more direct level, simply get to know what makes people tick. This can inspire specific traits or whole new characters.
- Problem-solve that plot point. Speaking of different ways of thinking, conversations with others can spark new ways into your story by opening up your neural (creative) pathways.
- Connect to boost endorphins. Face it—even as an introverted writer, connecting with others is an important part of our mental and physical health. By taking care of ourselves in this way, we are easing our inner selves and boosting self-confidence—key aspects to a happy writing life.
5. Screenwriter’s Summer Camp.
While all those writing retreats in faraway places can look so enticing, there’s something to be said for hunkering down in your tried-and-true writing spot and simply doing the work. Carving out time to write can feel hard, self-indulgent, and at times—mission impossible. Having a plan can help: Create your own week-long summer writer’s retreat, set a time for 10 minutes to an hour a day at whatever time works with your schedule where you will actually, realistically, sit down to do the thing, and create your own summer camp for screenwriters. You might tackle formatting and structuring one day, character biographies the next, and so on and so forth. Final Draft also has a course that takes you through writing a screenplay step by step. You could read one section of the course each day as part of your summer retreat, and be ready to tackle your next screenplay with confidence and ease.
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Summer doesn’t have to be a pause in your screenwriting journey—it can be a pivot. Whether you’re chasing new ideas under the sun or using the season to refine your process, these five strategies can help you stay inspired and productive. Embrace the change of pace, tap into the energy of the season, and let summer fuel your creativity rather than stall it.