I’m not a successful screenwriter; nor for that matter am I an unsuccessful screenwriter. I am, however, a member of the Writers Guild of Canada, and that means I have a subscription to Canadian Screenwriter. Like the best trade journals, Canadian Screenwriter offers insight into a small and fascinating world; it also offers plenty of solid advice about how to succeed at a craft.
The spring edition’s “Ten Habits of Successful Screenwriters” seemed worth passing along. Here, edited and interlaced with my own thoughts are the top ten:
1. Coffee, Toast and Writing. Writer Karen Walton says “If I don’t start in the morning –first thing, first cup o’ joe—I’m doomed to squander the day.”
Me too. I usually wake up around 4:00 – do an hour’s yoga, have breakfast and watch a political show called “Morning Joe” on MSNBC”; shower and hit my desk. I write till 10:30 – walk the dogs with my husband, and work till lunch.
Like Ross Dunn, who is also quoted in the article, I figure two quiet hours at 5 am “equal 4 hours of regular work time.”
2. Use the Snooze. Laurie Finstad Knizknik writes in the morning and says, “after lunch, I’m dull and sleepy. Naps are good. If you’re facing a problem you can’t solve, frame it for yourself then take a nap. Often enough when you wake up, you’ve solved it.”
This advice is solid gold. I started napping when I was pregnant with my first child. She is now 37, and I’ve never missed a nap. During my 30+ years teaching university, I ate lunch at my desk, locked my office door, turned out the lights and took a 20-minute nap on my yoga mat. It’s amazing what those 20 minutes can do, and Laurie FK is right about framing a problem before your hits the pillow and waking up to discover the problem is solved. I don’t know why it works, but it does.
3. No interruptions Please. If you have a day job, this one is tough to manage, but when I was department head I scheduled meetings in late afternoon when I wasn’t particularly productive as a writer, but I could handle the day-to-day business of an English department. Now that I’m retired, I make certain all my appointments and meetings take place over lunch or in late afternoon.
4. Get Your Ass Out of the Chair. My three best times for ideas are: * between 4:00 and 5:00 when I’m doing yoga – I know I’m not supposed to be thinking when I’m doing yoga, but even when I focus on my 3rd eye, ideas arise unbidden.
• After I’ve walked the dogs for an hour around the creek;
• After I’ve done my ½ hour on the treadmill.
5. Keep Your Ass in the Chair. The article advices 25-minute sprints of work with a five minute break between. Apparently, this is something called The Pomodoro Technique and if you’re interested you can find out more at pomodorotechnique.com.
I’ve been doing this for years, although I didn’t know the technique had a name. I reward myself with tea; a quick nail polish job; a play with the dogs or a phone call to a friend.
Next 5 tips tomorrow.