I'm so screwed

[zz]

I'm stuck. Working on a page-1 rewrite of the 4th draft of my first script. An action thriller set in Yosemite Park. I have the basic premise, but throughout the drafts, I have been unable to get the protagonist the way I'd like him.

I have another idea, a comedy idea, which I feel has a great concept, and I think I can complete quickly -- I know that shouldn't be a consideration, but it is, sorry.

I don't want to get caught up, trying to perfect something that just isn't there, but don't want to quit on myself either. I have given this numerous drafts, and just don't know if it works. I have quit on projects before even getting one draft deep, before, and I hate not finishing, but if I'm not feeling inspired...what's the point.

What should I do? Stick with it? Or Move on?

[mscherer]

ZZ,

Relax. Take a deep breath. Don't forget to exhale. Repeat. Better? Good.

You're not screwed. Put the thriller aside for a bit. Work on the comedy. You're not quiting on yourself. You're not giving up on the script. You are simply working on something else. A change of pace. A change of scenery. Let your subconscious solve the problem of the thriller's protagonist while you write that comedy. Then go back a finish the thrilller.

Trust me. Been there, done that, yadda, yadda, yadda. The most important thing is that you,

Keep Writing!

[zz]

Thanks for the reply. I was talking to a friend of mine who told me the same thing: "as long as you continue writing, then no matter what, it shouldn't matter." This friend also brought up something which never really occurred to me: "what would I enjoy writing more?" It's a question that I have never really pondered before, because I have always thought of writing as an arduous and painstaking process that the doer is not supposed to enjoy, so much as survive. "A happy writer is a crappy writer," is an axiom that I have always found to be true, BUT, I think that speaks to two different issues, because the process is a pain, not the subject matter. -- Something to think about for all of us out there...

[lazzard]

Have you bounced the premis off anyone recently?
If it still excites other people, then you know that the Protag's in there somwehere - you just might need a break.
But if the premis meets with a so-so reaction, you might have to consider that there's something deeper that's wrong- is that what needs fixing?

[mscherer]

Larry makes a great point.

Have you submitted the logline for your thriller to the LOGLINE section of GITS? If you haven't, maybe you should. Get some feedback. Some grist for the mill.

Keep Writing!

[Deleted]

Something like this may help you with your Protagonist -

I would copy and paste all these questions into a word document. Pour yourself a stiff drink, sit back and relax and just answer all the questions. Dig into that character and find out what makes him/her tick. When you do the rewrite, it may help as you will have a better understanding of who your character is.

www.thescriptlab.com/the-formula/character/creating-characters/23-character-questionnaire

[napolyphonic]

zz,

My first screenplay is almost a joke to me now. A conglomeration of ideas and metaphors that's almost unrecognizable as a cohesive story. I don't plan on rewriting it, or even rereading it anytime soon. It sucked.

So I moved on and wrote my next screenplay, finished it, like it. I started another project, got 40 pages in and quit because it wasn't working. I'll go back to it at some point, but it wasn't speaking to me. So I moved on and finished another screenplay, like it, am rewriting it. In between that last screenplay and the rewrite, I developed a television series. I haven't finished the pilot yet and another screenplay idea already popped into my head in a genre I've never considered before, so I'll probably drop the TV idea for now and work on that.

The point is, do what speaks to you at that moment. If the other ideas are any good, they will have their time. But it's important to enjoy the project you're spending time on. With other projects, sometimes you just have to get them out on the page as much as possible so you can move on. For me, it's obsession. I get obsessed with a story and write it out as much as possible, until I realize it won't work for now. I move on and shove the old into the back of my brain until it fires again. As long as you are completing SOMETHING, that's all that's important.

-G

[zz]

Thanks all for the responses. Truly some sage advice from all of you. I wrote this initial post on Sunday night before going to a "bring your own cheese," party because my friend had received a case of wine. So, I got sloshed and pondered what to do. I work for a big agency in LA, and have connections to a lot of great people here. The same friend of mine who threw the BYOC event works for a producer, really the only lead I have on trying to get this project to be just another nameless script lost in the pile with the others. He told me to continue on with what I am currently working on, because he believes in the project. My mother also told me to continue on with this project, because I have put in too much time on it already.

So I reworked the start of my 4th draft, and it's getting better. I am still trying to outline and do character work for the other piece, and in between moments when I am supposed to be working, I have a google-doc "beat sheet," for another idea that I can pickup at any time later.

And Lazzard, thank you for your reply. The premise is: A Navy SEAL guilty of heinous crimes against fellow military personnel, kidnaps two Eagle Scouts in the woods of Yosemite Park and the father of one of the boys must come to the rescue, fighting against bureaucratic opposition and the elements.

[lazzard]

Oct 21, 2010 16:38:09 GMT -5 zz said:

The premise is: A Navy SEAL guilty of heinous crimes against fellow military personnel, kidnaps two Eagle Scouts in the woods of Yosemite Park and the father of one of the boys must come to the rescue, fighting against bureaucratic opposition and the elements.

You should put this in the logline forum - you'll get ton of great input.

My two-bob's worth - looks like the Protag might be the father - in which case you should lead with him rather than the SEAL.
The story happens to him - write log from his point-of-view.