How I managed to overcome overwhelm: The joy of lists
Things to do? Books to write, movies to watch, people to see, bills to pay, meetings to arrange, trains to catch, deadlines to meet… argh! One of the most challenging tasks in today’s world is…
Computer says procrastinate
I went into my study this morning, bouncing, full of ideas for a new short story and turned on my computer. It had a message for me. COMPUTER: I NEED TO SCAN FOR TROJANS (OR…
How to get stuff done this autumn
Holidays are over and the photos are almost all that remain (aside from maybe some extra weight around the middle). The days are drawing in, at least in the northern hemisphere, and people are getting…
6 (easy) ways to overcome procrastination
Do you want to overcome procrastination? We’re all good at putting things off. Of course, if we were that good at procrastination, you’d think we’d simply put off doing it. But somehow it doesn’t seem…
What was I when the cat needed letting in?
Before the cat needed letting in the front door, I was about to write about the fun of visiting good bookshops and literary festivals. Especially as my local bookshop – West End Lane Books –…
Small things can be important too
Small things can be important too. Sometimes, I sweat for an hour over a paragraph, a line of dialogue, a single word. I’ve known comedy writers argue for ages over whether the number 35 is…
Fighting yourself? Here’s a way to stop.
Fighting yourself? Have you ever started a project and found that for some reason you’re not moving ahead? Maybe you’re trying to write a book and not getting round to it. Making sales speeches that…
Woody Allen on showing up
This is a great extract from a Woody Allen interview and it sums up for me the importance of what I call the Mental Game. That talent or – despite the X Factor – wanting to be successful…
6+1 ways to stop research becoming procrastination
Last week a writer asked for advice on how long you should do research and how do you know when it’s time to stop and start writing your screenplay or novel. How do you stop research becoming…
Two quick tips for getting back to writing
Holidays are a memory, warm sunshine too, time for getting back to writing. But I know only too well how easy it is for that motivation to slip away. I came back from my own…
Fire Up Your Writing Career
Here’s a psychological tool to help with focusing your writer’s mind – dealing with issues such as procrastination and self-sabotage, and staying creative.
Post-Christmas Tip: Everything counts
Aiming to get a little writing done now that the holidays are over – or even a lot of writing – here’s a tip that will immediately improve your productivity: Count what you do. It’s…
Four steps to starting a compelling script
People often ask how to get ideas. Of course ideas are all around. What they mean is where do you find ideas you know will work. Ideas that will stay alive and grow. Nothing is certain, but I’ve found these four steps will ignite my blue touch-paper.
What do you do next? Procrastinate?
Last Monday I talked about finishing. So after you’ve finished – what do you do next? Do you push on straight to your next project, or what? I once invited psychologist Andrea Perry to come…
Are we there yet?
There must be something in the air: I’m in the mood for finishing things. I just finished writing a novel after a mammoth three years – and just finished the latest Euroscript Screen-PLAY Summer School…
Stuck? A simple way to get your work moving.
Here’s a deceptively simple method for literally getting your work to move forwards – but don’t be fooled. Like many simple ideas it can be profoundly useful. It works for all kinds of screenwriting, and other creative work, and also for problems in directing and producing.
Find Time for Your Real Writing
My son Oliver, whose first novel The Hollow Man came out this year (it’s great and I’m not biased) has a good insight into how writers find time for writing – both in how we…
How to get writing by getting nasty
What links Tom Waits, suicide and the Klu Klux Klan? They’ve all come up in a recent podcast I was listening to about creativity, writing and the mental games we play. The more I write,…