My most useful skill is simply putting my butt in the chair to write....

One of the most useful tools in my arsenal of devices for getting my butt in the chair and keeping it there. Set a date for the final draft and then break it down by increments. Maybe you’ve given yourself six months to write a First Draft screenplay of 120 pages – that seems reasonable to me.

Now do the math: how many pages a day or a week to meet your goal? Circle a date on the calendar for when you will have a completed FIRST draft and pin a note on your computer. I go one step further and actually tell someone what I’m doing and what date I’ve set. This keeps me honest. I’ll have to report back to someone IF I fail. Do anything you can do to pressure yourself into staying the course. 

Maybe you can hook up with another novice writer and give each other due dates for material that you can share with each other. The buddy system can be a really effective way to put pressure on yourself to produce. Entering contests is another way to exert external pressure to finish a project. Take a minute right now – and make up the DATE by which you are going to have completed your first act, second act and final draft of your project. Go ahead, do it.

UDEMY LINK

https://www.udemy.com/course/screenwritingessentials/?referralCode=585A754446F0C5BE18CD

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