The best-laid plans are possible! Maybe Monday is looming with a whole week of possibility ahead, or it’s halfway over, and you’re still determined to make it count. Perfect: You’re in the right place, and the right mindset. Because how you frame things is half the battle. Think it’s over and the opportunity is missed? It will be. See each day, each new block of time, as a fresh start? That’s the secret to a flourishing writing life; one where you produce pages instead of giving in to fear, the grind, or false beliefs that “it’s never going to happen.” You got this.
Here are five strategies you can use to organize not only your week, but how you think about it, so your chances of getting closer to typing ‘THE END’ open up.
Consider Your Wins
“I got half my To Do list done.” If I was lucky, even that much. “I could’ve, should’ve, would’ve…” We’ve all been there; taken stock of the things we didn’t do. But instead, what if we stopped to take account of all the things we did do. Especially the seemingly insignificant tasks, or even the thought we put into a project without putting anything on paper. It all counts.
Begin by taking stock on Sunday of your previous week’s Wins. Sure, there’s probably a lot that went wrong or important things that fell off the To Do list, because, well, life. But this is the time to consider your wins. What went well, what you actually did accomplish; even the smallest things are still a step forward. Even if it was a plot problem unlocked while driving, you took a voice note on, or managed to fire off one networking email or query.
Think of it as a little gratitude check. Something that will give you a boost, inspiring you to—and this is the most important part—keep going. Sometimes it feels like we’re constantly behind or starting over, especially if screenwriting isn’t our full time gig yet. But that doesn’t mean that what we are doing isn’t worthwhile.
Plan Ahead
The next step is to plan ahead. If you have time or the mental energy on a Sunday, by all means, do the next exercise then. If not, early Monday over your first cup of coffee before the rest of the world gets to you is an excellent time to map out your writing week. Not every day will look the same, and that’s okay. Try a few different combinations, for at least two weeks, to see what fits your lifestyle and generates the most writing energy, and then implement.
Everything is cyclical: In summer, it might be easier to get up with sun and set yourself a timer to write before the demands of the day set in and steal your muse’s attention. Aesthetically, that may even work in the winter months because the dark aids your horror or dramatic themes. Perhaps it’s the twilight hours or long after the rest of the day is done that your brain is finally free to explore the world of your story. Schedule those blocks of time into your agenda like you would work or an important appointment; because it is. You owe it to yourself to tell your story. Then, plan the rest of the day with pockets to take care of pitching, social media, reading, learning, and all the other ‘housekeeping’ items that come with the screenwriting life.
Alternatively, you might plan your week by day instead of by the hour. Mondays are for getting the logistics of outlining and character research done. Tuesdays for admin. Wednesday through Friday your brain might be then more freed up to get creative and actually work on the script.
Find a rhythm and balance that works for you. There’s no right way, unless it’s the one that gets you progress.
Get Specific
When it comes to Goal Setting, there are a number of ways to handle it. One of the most effective methods is specificity. In short: set yourself S.M.A.R.T. Goals. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound Goals, that is.
By getting granular with your intentions for your screenplay, the work that needs to go into it, and the Big Picture of your screenwriting career, you’re giving yourself a manageable, intentional framework to take make time and energy for your creative brain to write. Why? Because you’ll always know what you’re doing when you sit down to work on it. Set task parameters and deadlines with time frames, even when it comes to story research so you don’t suddenly go down the social media “research” hole or get suddenly overwhelmed with the sheer amount of writing and admin that goes into getting one screenplay pitched.
Type S.M.A.R.T. Goals into Google, and numerous reliable sources will further break down how to exactly write and ensure they’re met. To get you started, they look something like this:
Specific: What script am I working on first, and why?
Measurable: I will write and pitch ‘x’ script. I will also write ‘x’ amount of scripts total this year to create a portfolio.
Achievable: Be honest with yourself about how much you can accomplish. This is important to feel like you’re making progress, rather than falling behind.
Relevant: How am I spending my Screenwriting Time? Is it on a project that will get me noticed? Am I networking intentionally?
Time-Bound Goals: Set work blocks and due dates!
Create Buckets
Similar to Planning Ahead, creating buckets involves referencing the areas of your life that are most important to your overall mental and physical health and ensuring you fill each of them regularly.
In general, these cover Education, Free Time, Career/Job/Work, Mental/Physical Health, Spirituality/Religion, Family, Relationships, Friendships/Social. Screenwriting might be in one or more columns, so while you plan out your week to ensure each of your critical buckets has a block of time for your attention, you could make a sub-list of buckets specific to screenwriting: Writing, Research, Networking, Intentional Social Media, Working on the pitch, etc. Then, return to the Planning Ahead step above for how to work each of those into your week.
Set Yourself Up For Success
We know that being tied to a desk doesn’t always feed the muse, so try these 5 Different Places to Write Your Screenplay. From your bedroom to a local café to the great outdoors, where do you feel most inspired when it is gloriously time to actually play in your story world? Where you write, like the time of day, can influence everything from setting to character to tone. From the tunes coming over the café sound system to the people you observe walking by at the park, everything is up for grabs when it comes to the imagination using it, twisting it, and turning that spark into something uniquely your own. So don’t discount that voice note you took between errands last Tuesday. Put it on the page, play with it, and see where it goes.
While you’re in a comfortable space that encourages word flow, it’s also important to think about how setting plays into the tone and world of your story. We wanted to be grounded so we can trust you, Dear Writer. Make it evocative and authentic, and we’ll go with you anywhere.
Remember: Every day, every week, is a fresh opportunity to make it your Monday and Begin again. Write again. Then keep going. Whether it’s from the list above or the own routine you discover while trying some of these tips out, whatever you do, do it intentionally and it’ll never be a waste of time. It all counts towards your screenwriting goals because you’re still here, doing the thing.
Happy writing!