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Last week I talked about the importance of focusing on one idea and completing it. Today I want to talk about all those other ideas and false starts you have.
Depending upon how long you've been writing you may have an idea file or even a file of rough or nearly completed drafts of scripts. If you've been at it for awhile you might have a dozen or so concepts (maybe more, maybe less) that you've given some thought to but put aside for one reason or another.
When you're going through a dry spell or you can't get juiced up about any of your new ideas, consider going back into your idea file and see what's there.
Maybe you'll come upon an Outline or Treatment that will get you excited. Or you'll re-read the first act of something and suddenly fall in love with your lead character again. Maybe you'll look at two false starts and find a way to combine them. Or take a nicely developed character from a weak storyline and put her into that plot heavy idea and the two will meld.
Whether you call it picking the bones of your past work or just creatively mining for new gold, going backwards and examining where you've been might turn up something cool for you to work on. |
