Dear Script Frenzy Participant,

I can't believe we're already halfway through the Frenzy! What is even more astonishing to me are the people popping up on the Script Frenzy site with over 100 pages. The lesson, especially for those of us stuck below 50 pages, is that you can do the whole enchilada in two weeks.

Just in case that didn’t sink in, let me say it again. People have written 100 pages in 15 days. Though I don’t know each and every participant personally, I can tell you that our rigorous screening process did not reveal a single participant who was also a registered superhero. These folks are just like you and me. We can do this.

The key is in getting through this next week. There's an interesting thing that happens in the writing process that warrants investigation by NASA engineers and brainy brain surgeons. Somewhere mid-story, about where we are today, many stories simply sink.

They do this for a number of reasons, few of which have anything to do with the worthiness of script or the talent of the storyteller. The sinking happens because…

1) You're as far as possible from the exciting beginning and the heart-pounding ending. Starting a project and finishing it are both moments packed with built-in energy and excitement. Confetti rains down. The red carpet rolls out. Champagne corks pop. Being in the middle of a writing project feels very different. The midpoint is more litter than confetti, and more flat soda than champagne.

The thing to remember, though, if you're feeling down right now is that being at this low point (and moving along out of it) is just part of the process. Every script has sailed through these same rough waters of doubt. Which leads us to the fact that…

2) Middles are just plain hard to write. You can begin a script pretty much anywhere. And the ending is really just an outgrowth of the actions that preceded it. But second acts? They can be complete head-scratchers, even for professional scriptwriters. Which is why I’m giving you permission to skip ahead if you need to. Maybe you've been tearing your hair out trying to figure out how to get your character from A to B so they can do C.

You know what? Just do C. Go ahead and write the wedding scene or the epic monster battle. It may feel like cheating, but anything that gives you the writerly momentum you need at this point is good. You can go back next week and fill in the connecting scenes.

Sometimes, though, you may not have a C to jump to because…

3) You've completely run out of outline. You had a handful of scenes and ideas when you started, and those carried you through Week Two. But as you've tried to improvise a story from the point where your outline ends, you've found it slow going. Maybe writing sessions have started to feel less like a joyride and more like a stab in the dark.

If that's the case, it's time to hit the outline again. Decide how many days your outlining sabbatical from writing will last (two is probably a good number), and then come right back to writing. I mean it! Don't forget that I'll be watching you, waiting for your page-count to begin rising again.

4.) The Beat Sheet, baby! Finally, if you just can't see a way forward at all, maybe it's time to examine your script from the shoulders of giants. Most scripts (especially screenplays) follow a rigorous formula that unfolds on a very reliable timetable. That is not to say you can’t be creative or original, far from it, but if you're at a loss for how to proceed, why not borrow a few of the moves that have worked for others in the past? One of my favorite tools is Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet. He's broken down thousands of great films and has found that many are based on a similar skeleton. Download yourself a copy (Thank you Mr. Snyder!), fill it out, and I bet you a thousand times over that it helps get you back on track.

Whether you feel your script is sinking or soaring, there are great things in store in the week ahead. Continue onward through the challenging second act. In two weeks, you can look back on this midway moment when you wanted to quit but didn't. Your victory (and script) will be all the sweeter for the struggle.

Now go!

Oh wait! One more thing! Before you go, please back up that script! Send it as an email to yourself, back it up on a jump drive, or print it out and line your coat with it. Do whatever you need to do to save a copy in case your computer tires of the constant use and dies (computers get grumpy at the midpoint too).

Okay. Now go! Do! Write!

Jennifer
Program Director