The first word is the hardest
Screenwriting Tricks for Authors
“The first word is the hardest. The second word is the second hardest…”
I don’t know who said this originally, but Harlan Coben quoted it during his keynote chat at Bouchercon a couple of weeks ago. He went on to detail a conversation he’d had with Stephen King that made Harlan realize that the King has his moments of impostor syndrome just like all the rest of us.
I hadn’t realized how important it was for me to hear this right at that moment, but that line has been keeping me writing over the last few weeks. Part of this slog is what I’ve talked about with some of you — it’s very difficult to focus on anything given the looming existential terror that is the stakes of this election.
But also, it’s no surprise that I’m feeling this struggle or even more to the point: inertia— right in the middle of Act II of this new book.
Because the middle of a book or script is where things tend to get muddy, for all of us.
So it’s been really helpful to remind myself, first thing every day:
I don’t have to solve the book today.
All I have to do today is today’s pages.
(Or words, if you count words).
Right?
If you’re feeling lost in your second act and panicking about all those things that we all end up panicking about (I can’t remember what this book is about nothing is tying together no one’s going to want to read this I hate this book …)
Take a breath and try to remember – You don’t have to solve the book today. Just find one scene/chapter you can write today. Decide it the night before, so you can wake up with purpose— or go with what you wake up most inspired to do. When you keep moving forward, your creative brain will be keeping busy in the background solving some of those problems that seem so insurmountable right now.
I’m finding that mantra You don’t have to solve it today incredibly liberating. It actually helped me keep writing during the whirlwind of Bloody Scotland last weekend, and it’s not easy to write during a festival.
It’s funny/not funny how we always forget how hard this writing thing is.
Now, to continue where we left off, I’ve got specific reminders about Act II: Part 1 below, with links to full discussions.
But first, I have to confess I’ve been feeling a dilemma about going into my usual fall posts for Preptober and Nanowrimo. I’m not affiliated with the Nanowrimo organization, but I do think it’s incredibly useful to use the energy of Nanowrimo to give yourself a push toward the finish line of your book — always with the caveat: use it if it works for you, don’t sweat it if it doesn’t!
But this year, after brutal Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild strikes specifically fighting to set boundaries on studio and producer use of AI, the Nanowrimo organization has put out a series of muddled official messages that started with apparent support for using AI to generate stories. Writers in lots of the forums I belong to have latched onto this development with an outrage that is completely justified — and is also partly just another excuse not to be actually, you know, WRITING.
I don’t want to get involved in a distracting controversy (the election is distracting enough). But I 100% understand if people here feel strongly about this issue and don’t want to “do” Nanowrimo. What do I want to do is make my own posts as helpful to you all as possible. So I’m going to try a poll to take the temperature:
Since most people don’t express preferences, you have great power to request posts on subjects that will specifically help you.
And one more bit of housekeeping! At Bouchercon, I talked to a couple of writers who subscribe to this mailing list who have messaged me through the Substack app, and never got a response. If this has been your experience, I’m so sorry! Please check your email settings to make sure that you’ve enabled emails from both me and Screenwriting Tricks for Authors. And also I’d appreciate it if you let me know by emailing me directly so I can try to work out what the problem is.
Happy Equinox! - Alex
Act II: Part 1 prompts and posts:
What is the expectation and game of your genre?
In Act II, Part 1, it’s important to keep reminding yourself of the expectations of your genre and especially: What game is your genre playing with the reader or audience?
In Act II:1 of a mystery, after the exciting setup of the crime and introduction of the detective, amateur or pro, the specific expectation is that there will be an investigation with suspects, clues, and red herrings. If there has been a murder, there is a specific police procedural timeline that involves processing the crime scene, an autopsy, interviewing witnesses and suspects, forensics reports, possibly an arrest, and other set elements (And every different type of crime investigation has its own specific elements).
But also, you are juggling all these elements to keep the reader guessing and placing their own bets about who the killer or criminal is.
You are playing the game of Whodunit.
That sounds simple enough, but that’s easy to lose sight of, and will most likely need to be adjusted with every draft of your book or script!
So — what game are you playing with your reader?
Check your PREMISE and ACTION LINE
Another really important thing to remember when you’re having trouble in Act II (or anywhere!) is to check your premise and remind yourself of the ACTION LINE of your story.
Rewrite Your Synopsis
And I really encourage you to Rewrite your synopsis regularly because even for plotters, your story will change during the writing process. When you feel yourself floundering, tuning up your synopsis can help refocus you. So will re-carding the section you’re struggling with on Index Cards or Post-its.
Re-card on Index Cards
And keep reminding yourself of the elements of the Act you’re on:
Act II: Part 2 - Team, Training, Tests
More Act II: Part 1 Essential Elements
All content © Alexandra Sokoloff, Screenwriting Tricks for Authors
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Likes, Comments and Shares are really helpful and much appreciated.
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I found that one you did for the new season about getting a draft done by Xmas was a more manageable expectation than doing it in a month - I'm sure the November thing is great for some committed folk but it's just too short for me. So really yes please to more of the same. I do find it useful when you remind us about word count and time taken to write, just to know it is possible. I did like it when we had chats as students too, but appreciate that's hard when we're not so familiar with one another's projects. But yes, even just seeing your name in my inbox is usually a good incentive!
Thanks, I needed to hear that today, even though I've been saying it in various forms myself for a while. My characters just don't want to do the scene, even though they seem to be in agreement about what should happen. I think it's a dangling plot problem, but not one that should get in their way. Sigh.