When beginning a new project, sometimes the most difficult thing to do is to find what you want to focus on. Sometimes you know you want to write, but you can't think of a single word to type on the page. Other times, you have so many ideas and projects lined up in your cranium that you don't know where to begin or what to begin with. Do I outline the next screenplay? Do I write a poem? Do I work on my novel? Do I begin a short story? Too many ideas. . .head hurts. . . It's quite common with us creative types.
Yesterday, I had that focus block. After I blogged, I looked through my work and tried to figure out which project I wanted to focus on now. I have to say it drove me a little nuts. As I wrote yesterday, I have a lot of stuff crammed into that filing cabinet! (And I didn't even discuss what's saved to the harddrive and flashdrives of my IMac yet!) Oy.
So, I did what I normally do when I get a focus block; I looked for inspiration. The first thing I did was pop open a report entitled, "The Death of the Screenwriter" from Marvin V. Alcuna and The Business of Show Institute (thebusinessofshowinstitute.com) and started to read. I actually had gotten the idea to blog from this very report. Mr. Alcuna does a lot of free tips on the internet that are very useful and inspiring, so I decided to check out the report a little more. As I read, I realized that with the economy now adversely affecting the film industry, I really need to focus on my pitches for now. Once that's settled, I can focus on starting new things.
Afterwards, I read. "Readers are leaders," is what Kevin Trudeau says (love him or hate him, he's right!) And, as the commercial says, "The more you read, the more you learn." I try to read something every day. The more you read, the better a writer you'll become. You'll not only pick up better grammar, but you'll learn how to be a better storyteller as well.
I am usually reading a few books at once; everything from the classics to self-improvement. Currently I'm reading Candide by Voltaire. I actually got out of teaching it twice because I couldn't get through it. Now I'm forcing myself to read it to figure out why its a work of literary art. For ongoing reading I keep Shakespeare's collective works and the Bible at my side. It's the best writing around.
