I expain the title.

How much time do you spend to write every day? how much every week?

How much time do you  spend to finish the first draft? How much time to finish the whole script?

For me....

I write 3-4-5 days per week about 2-3 hours per day. But i spend much more time thinking about it and work it in my head.........

I finish a first draft in a range of 100-220 days (feature, i dont write shorts , but i will do it sometime).

I dont consider my scripts to be completed ( all 4 of them) so i cant answer the last question................

Quoted from Dimitris I expain the title. How much time do you spend to write every day? how much every week? How much time do you  spend to finish the first draft? How much time to finish the whole script? For me.... I write 3-4-5 days per week about 2-3 hours per day. But i spend much more time thinking about it and work it in my head......... I finish a first draft in a range of 100-220 days (feature, i dont write shorts , but i will do it sometime). I dont consider my scripts to be completed ( all 4 of them) so i cant answer the last question................

I write every day. Usually, it's a total of about 20 minutes writing and 2 and a half hours of staring at the screen. I also write a lot in my head but can't get it typed out.

Lol... 2,547 days to finish my first feature (Not when I started writing, when I started my first feature-length script idea). As for shorts, depending on the idea, I could have all drafts done properly in about 4 or 5 hours.

As I've never completed one, I'm in a similar boat as you on this last one, Dimitris.

Mr. Blonde, I'm like you. I write everyday. Sometimes twenty minutes, sometimes two to three hours. It took me around three months to finish the one and only feature I have finished. I am still tweaking on it. I also write constantly in my head, virtually twenty four hours a day, it seems. Marvin.  

Damn, all of the above are pretty dedicated, at least a lot more than me anyway.

My writing habits are too sporadic (which is merely a lame, umbrella euphemism for laziness, inconsistency and procrastination) so to answer your question...I can't.

Good topic though, be interesting to see what people say.

Hey Col,

I'm with you - my day starts at 5:30 am and I'm rarely home before 7:00...

Add in eating, cleaning up and a little wife time, and I defy anyone to try and write on that schedule...

So my day starts at 5:30 on the weekends as well - I write pretty much whenever I don't have anything else to do on the weekends (errands, family things, etc.).  I can get a fairly substantial block of time in on Sat and Sun. When I was writing my feature, it was pretty much an all day thing...

Now that I'm scaled back to working on a couple of shorts, I spend most of my time trying to repay reads here.

AJR

I think through as much of the script as I possible can in my head before I even hit a key stroke. This usually takes 3 to 6 months. Then I write every day 7 days a week until I see "FADE OUT"

Shawn.....><

My writing hours are wildly inconsistent because, as we all know, annoying things like making money to stay alive sometimes have to come first.  That said, I always write every day, even if I only have time to open a script, re-read the latest ten pages, and do little dialogue edits and so on.  I think it's important to just keep your fingers moving.

A first draft for me means about three months of mental preparation (not a single page written) followed by eight or nine days of writing all day every day.  After that, I will rewrite whenever I can, for as long as I can, until whoever the script is for imposes a  deadline.

I write everyday. Sometimes 3 hours; sometimes ten hours or more. When I'm not writing at the computer or in a notebook, I'm thinking about writing and I'm taking in life.

Sandra

When I'm working on a feature, I try to write everyday. I try to write one or two full scenes in a single sitting but I'll write more if I find myself in a good groove. I'll usually work on one scene for half an hour before I think it's fit to walk away from. I seldom write less than that amount of time. I've finished the majority of my features within three weeks. Within two months, they'll actually be presentable. I'll finish shorts within a week, sometimes in only a few days.

Even when I don't have anything to work on per se, I try to write at least twice a week, polishing up older scripts or working on treatments. I guess I average three days a week at this point as well as all the instances I'll go back to a line or action I've written and change or add something to it.

Like some others, the majority of the "writing time" actually goes on in my head.  I like to lay each and every detail out so that it makes sense.  I like to write my characters the same way...in my head, long before a single key stroke takes place.

I think my best "head writing" time occurs at the gym, when I'm on a treadmill or elliptical machine for 30-45 minutes.  I'll continually go over and over a certain scene in my head until I like what I've got.  I'll do this a for a few days and then make certain tweaks here and there.  When I've got it down in my head, I'll just put it on the computer, and it pretty much flows out the way I intended it to.

As for actual writing time at the computer, I'd say I write 10 pages or so every couple hours, which includes multiple edits.  Every passage I write, I'll go over at least 10 times in the writing session.

I'm also like Col, in that I don't try to write every day at all.  When I'm into it, I'm into it, when I'm not, well, I'm not.

I haven't written anything in a few months and the last thing I finished was for SoulShadows last year.

With all that has been going on this past year it's hard to concentrate on much.

For me the more busy I am the better I did and when I had too much time on my hands I did very little.

Quoted from Old Time Wesley I haven't written anything in a few months and the last thing I finished was for SoulShadows last year. With all that has been going on this past year it's hard to concentrate on much. For me the more busy I am the better I did and when I had too much time on my hands I did very little.

If you are studying for school at/for "whatever" or heavily involved in work and family, I understand that you might be spread too thin. One cannot be everywhere at once and unless we are superheroes, we can't be omnipresent and prolific writers.

All any of us have is today-- not even that. All we have is the moment. Nothing is guaranteed otherwise. So, it's a bit of a trick. Often when we're young, we think we have all the time in the world hence: Youth is wasted on the young. And then life happens and family and we're trying to make a go of it. We often are too spent to exercise our dreams.

In the words of John Lennon:

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.


My advice is don't look so much to "an end", but look around at "where you are".

Sandra

Quoted from Sandra Elstree. If you are studying for school at/for "whatever" or heavily involved in work and family, I understand that you might be spread too thin. One cannot be everywhere at once and unless we are superheroes, we can't be omnipresent and prolific writers. All any of us have is today-- not even that. All we have is the moment. Nothing is guaranteed otherwise. So, it's a bit of a trick. Often when we're young, we think we have all the time in the world hence: Youth is wasted on the young. And then life happens and family and we're trying to make a go of it. We often are too spent to exercise our dreams. In the words of John Lennon: Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. My advice is don't look so much to "an end", but look around at "where you are". Sandra

A feeling that i never have. Inside me i feel im gonna live forever , of course onother deluded young person , but thats the way i feel. But i dont agree with Lennon i will change his quote to this

Life is what happens to you when you are making other plans.

P.S. I hope i will always find time to make other plans like writing. After all superior to talent is the time you spend to write.

It depends - when I hit a case of writer's block, it could be a week or two before I get back to it.

But I generally find that the last hour or two before I *know* I have to go to bed are the most productive.  And if I get on a roll during the weekends, it really doesn't matter when I'm writing.  In virtually all cases, I have to have music playing in the background that somehow keeps me focus (I know, that seems contradictory).

If I have an outline written (even one I know I may deviate from), it generally helps avoid writer's block.  But I have to not know exactly how the story will go, otherwise I lose interest.

Long way of saying that it depends on what I'm facing when I turn on the computer.

Ken,

Not weird at all - I have music on constantly as well. I think it's an ADD thing, really...

When I was writing my feature, since it's set in the '80s, I gave myself a steady dose of Heart, KISS, Billy Joel, Bruce, etc. to keep me in that head space.

Right now, since I'm working on more of a psychological thriller, it's been a heavy dose of Pink Floyd...

And even when I read, I have jazz on. Coltrane, Oscar, Bill Evans, Joe Pass, Stan Getz - all of these work well...

AJR

Quoted from ajr When I was writing my feature, since it's set in the '80s, I gave myself a steady dose of Heart, KISS, Billy Joel, Bruce, etc. to keep me in that head space.

Nice.  

I don't really "dedicate" any specific amount of time to write.  It just kinda happens.  It can be anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

I've always got music on, but nothing really "set" for writing.  Sometimes it's jazz on the radio but most of the time it's either oldies or some variant of rock n roll.    It's actually the Christmas music in November/December that inspires me to write the most.  I guess it's the soothing calmness that it brings to the table or something.

-Greg

Quoted from ajr Right now, since I'm working on more of a psychological thriller, it's been a heavy dose of Pink Floyd... AJR

Thats work fot me too. But not when im writing. Before i start writing. Now i listen Pink floyd all the time to help me finish my script. Especially: Echoes.

Damn, I don't own Echoes - or Obscured By Clouds - gotta get me an Amazon gift certificate...

I did a full turn of "The Wall" and that got me over my writer's block.  I also dug out "The Final Cut" - if you remember, "Not Now, John" was the hit off that CD, and it cracks me up because with all the censorship nowadays that song was allowed to go out clean over the radio.

For those of you who don't know the song, Gilmour constantly repeats the phrase "eff all that", as do the female backup singers.

The other Floyd disc I've given heavy rotation is "The Division Bell" - sure, it's not pure Floyd because Waters is gone, but it's Gimour experimenting. It's very jazzy, with hints of U2 and Steely Dan.

I can't write everyday, even if I wanted too, I couldn't. I have to be in the mood, if I'm not, anything I do write is deleted the next day as it doesn't look right. There are some days when I have hours to myself but I can't write anything because I'm not in the mood. Other days I can write 10-15 pages and be happy with them the next day. Very inconsistent.

I've just spent a decent amount of time writing a feature comedy, finished a first draft but binned it a few days later as I wasn't happy with it. I'm happy with the concept, just not with the direction I took the story, all because I was forcing myself to write when I had other things to sort out. Time wasted. Now if I feel that anything I write isn't my best, I close my computer and watch a DVD. That helps a lot.

In case anyone cares, I got off the Floyd and switched to "Wrecking Ball" from Emmylou Harris...

Incredibly, powerfully emotional album, full of pathos...

Yeah, not quite sure what pathos is, but I'm sure these songs are full of it...

Quoted from ajr Yeah, not quite sure what pathos is, but I'm sure these songs are full of it...

Pathos is the greek word for passion.........

Yes, and sarcasm is the American word for oh never mind...
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I write a minimum of 5-10 pages every day.

I wrote a short today. I didn't say it was good. Just said I wrote a short...

A Memoir from Ghost...

It varies. When I start I write as few as five pages a day, which might well take less than an hour. But I might have spent six hours prior to that thinking about what I was going to write, playing and replaying the scene in my mind over and over again until I get it right. By the end I could be writing 20 to 30 pages in damn near eight concentrated hours.

I don’t write every day atleast not now.  Sometimes I might go for a month without writing. But I am always thinking and plotting. I tend to write by seeing the scene in my head, like a movie, and describing what I see. If I have a lot of scenes in my head, I write a lot. If my head’s blank, the words won’t come, no matter how long I sit in front of my laptop!

Ghostwriter

Ghost, I couldn't agree with you more.  Exact same deal with me.

I sorta write whenever i get time. I write it by hand first then copy to the computer.

I'm a lazy bastard, so I write not nearly enough.

David Goyer's view on this issue (point 1) is interesting, however.

Andrew

Quoted from Andrew I'm a lazy bastard, so I write not nearly enough. David Goyer's view on this issue (point 1) is interesting, however. Andrew

I think if you genuinely want to be a professional screenwriter, that's just a screenwriter, not say a writer/director or whatever...it's probable you have to be able to write every single day.

How can you be trusted enough to work for pay, under pressure if you can't get into thst routine?

You at least need to be able to complete an assignment within a given time. So if you have to finish something within two weeks, you need to be able to call on your muse enough times within that time period to get it done. If you are someone who only writes when the mod takes you, can you guarante that yo'll be able to manage?

If you direct your own stuff, it's probably a bit different as you just need to make sure you've got that one script you like, every now and again.

You also need to develop the ability to come up with ideas all the time, as many as 6 workable ideas a day (that figure is one that the head of writing at the BBc told me).

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films I think if you genuinely want to be a professional screenwriter, that's just a screenwriter, not say a writer/director or whatever...it's probable you have to be able to write every single day. How can you be trusted enough to work for pay, under pressure if you can't get into thst routine? You at least need to be able to complete an assignment within a given time. So if you have to finish something within two weeks, you need to be able to call on your muse enough times within that time period to get it done. If you are someone who only writes when the mod takes you, can you guarante that yo'll be able to manage? If you direct your own stuff, it's probably a bit different as you just need to make sure you've got that one script you like, every now and again. You also need to develop the ability to come up with ideas all the time, as many as 6 workable ideas a day (that figure is one that the head of writing at the BBc told me).

I agree that that work ethic is the minimum requirement for any screenwriter, working or not, to be successful.

For me, the bigger question it raises is whether or not that work ethic is innate when it comes to writing, or is something you can develop, which is what Goyer was loosely suggesting.

Andrew

Thanks Andrew for the David Goyer's view you post..... I think this is an excellent tip:

''I found a place to work (i.e. “office”) that wasn’t in my home.''

The times that i cant work are the times spend surfing internet ,watch tv or girlfriend time. If i had a place especially for writing and nothing else i feel my problem will end.... Now i need someone to pay my << office>> rent....

Quoted from Dimitris Thanks Andrew for the David Goyer's view you post..... I think this is an excellent tip: ''I found a place to work (i.e. “office”) that wasn’t in my home.'' The times that i cant work are the times spend surfing internet ,watch tv or girlfriend time. If i had a place especially for writing and nothing else i feel my problem will end.... Now i need someone to pay my << office>> rent....

Coffee shop, library or bar.

You only need a pen and a pad of paper....

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films Coffee shop, library or bar. You only need a pen and a pad of paper....

I cant  ...When i write ( and i believe many others here) i act strange ... So i need to be alone.

Quoted from Dimitris I cant  ...When i write ( and i believe many others here) i act strange ... So i need to be alone.

What do you do?  

I write wherever. I wrote a dismemberment scene for Christmas Eve At St. Mary's while at work answering phones.

Quoted from Grandma Bear What do you do?

Mostly talk to myself, looking the screen like an idiot , make noise.

There is a nice movie that i cant remember the title now ( anyone knows it , post the title please) that a guy stole the basic instict ( i think ) script from a screenwriter's car and then rerwite it ..... He does very funny things in the process... Its a romantic comedy .