A problem when I write scripts is that in the middle of writing, I think of another idea for a script. So I want to do that one instead of the one I'm working on. But I can't really decide what to do. That's what happens to me most of the time and I never really get any script done (Maybe that's why I don't have alot on the site). Can anyone help me out? :-/

You need discipline.  This happens to everyone.  You have to learn to start and finish one project at a time and ignore the other ideas.


Phil

I'll try and do that Phil, thx for the adivice. I'll try and keep that in mind

I write the idea down and never go back to it, i have about ten of those ideas.

lol, same with me, well it happened to me about two times and I never got back to it. It's a little funny to me though

I have a vault of unfinished songs, script ideas and animations. I'm ambitious for a moment then the laziness sets in.

Don't deny new ideas from coming, and don't force other ideas to be finished. What I do is everytime I get an idea I write it down, and then when I get stalled on a project or want to start another, I just look through all the notes I have collected and start combining alike things and build my scenes on that.

I have my own vault of ideas, but I pick the one I like the most and start writing it. I write on it until it's done or it's dead. It is all about discipline as Dogglebe said. You have to will yourself to stick with it. I've written stuff for other people that I wasn't into, but I pressed forward figuring I'd fix whatever sucked in rewrites. Remember that it doesn't have to be perfect the first time around. You can fix it later. The important part is to finish that all important first draft.

When you get the new ideas, by all means write them down. Take notes on them, but then go back and finish the one you started on.

I have a small vault myself but, when I want to write one I get excited about it, but then ater when I'm writing I lose interest. I'm writing a script now and not losing interest in so far.

Phil and George are correct, writing is discipline.

Ideas are two a penny but completing a project requires you as a writer to plan your story so you have a kind of map which you can follow as you write it.

Writing a basic synposis is one way of writing a story idea down.

An outline or treatment is a more in-depth form of a plan in that you can write 20, 30, 40 and even more which can be a very detailed plan of the whole screenplay, characters, plot points and much more.

You can jot your ideas down using some software available on the market.

StoryView provides this very function. It provides the writer with a graphical view of a 3 act timeline illustrating how your story progresses in time, it shows, the 3 acts, sequences and scenes. Switch over to the Outline view and whatever you have written in those segments will be displayed in an outline form like regular text on a page or pages. You can switch on and off the various elements to display all or one of them. If you only wanted to display the 3 Acts then you could also export this to Rich Text file format which will load into Microsoft Word so you can print this to hard copy for your own reference. You can also export a StoryView file to MovieMagic Screenwriter script format. This means if you have written an outline for a 90 min script, for example, the this could act as a rough draft without dialogue when you import into Movie Magic so at least you have a rough template of your story in front of you as you write, modify and re-write to obtain that actual first draft.

The Tennessee Screenwriting Association
http://www.tennscreen.com/

Have a story premise worksheet in Microsoft Word format which you can download, print and fill in by hand which will help give you stucture to your story and characters.

The Story Premise Worksheet is a great tool. When used properly, it forces you to identify the most basic elements of your story.

http://www.tennscreen.com/tips/storypremise.doc

Having a plan of what you are going to write beforehand is like using a map. You wouldn't drive across America without a map would you? Likewise with a synposis or outline, it acts as a map to help you know where you are going.

Write an outline first and this will help to consolifate your ideas and help you complete that screenplay.

Kevan

This happens to me all the time. I tend to lose focus on all my projects immediately. Sometimes its because of a new idea but other times it can be because my creative juices   simply run out. Either way, I usually end up dropping the project. I think the person who spoke about discipline is correct. Writing is work. I like to only work when I'm truly inspired, but I need to work on going back to my work even when I am not 100% in the mood. Otherwise, all my projects will be incomplete.

Good thread. Nice to know this doesn't just happen to me 'cuz I was beginning to wonder. lol.

You're not alone DDP, trust me on that lol

I'm on page 43 of a horror story, I've been on this page for the last 2 months!!! And I have no clue where to go from here... I do plan things before I start writing and I do, for the most part, have dicipline. But for some reason my brain is, and has been dead for a while... And to make matters worse, the other night I heard Sheryl Crows' " First Cut is The Deepest " and this song reminded me of another idea I thought of sometime ago, so I stopped everything and went back to that idea...

It's good to have to dicipline and finish what you started, but on the other hand I think you should also follow your heart and write whatever comes to mind, as long as it's coming straight from the heart...isn't this a title of a song??? hmmm! This reminds me of another idea!!!   (story of my life)

Quoted from Ayham And to make matters worse, the other night I heard Sheryl Crows' " First Cut is The Deepest " and this song reminded me of another idea I thought of sometime ago, so I stopped everything and went back to that idea...

Ha! The same thing happened to me because of Sheryl Crow's "Always on Your Side." I was beginning to write my first script and I put on this song and then I got inspired to write a totally different script. For a while, I too stopped my first script and started writing down my brand new idea so I wouldn’t forget. Thankfully, though, I had the discipline to go back to my original script.

But that is so funny. Sheryl Crow and her music, who would have thought it was inspiring writers everywhere! Haha.

I didn't mind that Sheryl Crow song called... I remember in the music clip its about all sorts of people switching location with each. Had a few well known faces in it too. Oh, and i don't mind that beach one. None of her songs have ever inspired me. Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay gave me an idea once.

Quoted from Ayham I'm on page 43 of a horror story, I've been on this page for the last 2 months!!! And I have no clue where to go from here... I do plan things before I start writing and I do, for the most part, have dicipline.

I got exactly the same thing going on. I planned out the story, but only very simplistically and now im stuck on specifics.

And she's cute, too. Maybe we should try watching her music videos as well while we write lol I'm talking about Sheryl Crow, of course.

I write better when there's music playing in the back ground. I pick the music that I think would do great as a sound track to my future movie. In my story Mirrors of The Nile I picked "Aretha Franklins'" (I say A Little Prayer For You), among other songs and I can't begin to describe to you how inspiring that was...

I've found that writing a script is more planning than actual writing. I don't see any harm in planning a new script while writing another, especially if the one you're writing is already mapped out since you know exactly where you want to go with it. Planning for me entails taking down notes and ideas on an upcoming project for weeks, sometimes months, prior to writing it. This way, my focus isn't taken away from the main project at hand and once that one is done, you'll have enough stuff to work with to focus on the next one full time. For the most part, however, I think it's important to focus on one thing at a time so as not to churn out a bunch of half-assed material.

Quoted from James McClung I've found that writing a script is more planning than actual writing.

Think you nailed this to the post, James.

I reckon you're right. Writing a screenplay is more about planning. I'd say its about writing a decent logline, a synopsis and an outline so you know your story so well that when you do sit down to write the thing, well, it writes itself.

Couldn't have put it better myself..

I definitely agree that planning and mapping out an idea is the way to go, however, sometimes when you get to the actual writing of it, things change abit as you discover certain holes in the plot that need reworking, and that's where you should stop and go back to the drawing boards and rethink certain events, which is always a good thing rather than "churning out a halfassed project" like James said... and that's exactly where I am with my next project.

By the way, Kevan, is your script Man in The Mirror available on these boards? if yes, where can I find it? I gave it a read last night (from your website) and had a couple of comments but I couldn't find it.