My Neighbor Totoro（となりのトトロ）

Hey Jules, recently my schooling situation has changed and I can no longer attend school (I’m last year of high school) and I’ve just got so much time that I don’t know what to do with. I know I need to use it to write films and film them, build a portfolio etc, but I can’t seem to think of any original ideas at all and I don’t want to copy anything. Have you got any advice on coming up with original ideas and then motivating yourself to write/film/edit them without school deadlines??

Hey Anon,

I’m sorry to hear about your school situation, but it’s awesome you are continuing to create and learn on your own!

It’s great you are conscious about not copying other people’s ideas, but I also don’t want you to think your ideas can’t be similar to other works. There is a difference between copying and inspiration. Don’t think you can’t write something because the concept has been done before. Everything has been done before. As long as you make it your own, there is nothing wrong with being similar to other works  For instance, I am writing what I refer to as a modern-day Breakfast Club. I refer to it as such because it’s a bunch of high school students stuck in one location and has a similar comedic tone. But instead of exploring high school cliches, it explores family dynamics and suburban life. Similar, but different.

I’ve made some pretty extensive brainstorming posts that I think will help you come up with some ideas:

Brainstorming techniques

Finding inspiration

Character brainstorming

As for deadlines, I recommend setting a schedule for yourself. Every week, complete a certain amount of pages, create a character biography, create a scene-by-scene, or whatever works for you. Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) uses a 6-month template to write features:

Month 1: Prep

Months 2-5: Write a page a day (120 pgs)

Month 6: Rewrite

You can also apply to writing competitions that will give you a real deadline to work against. This blog also has an annual screenwriting challenge for short films. I leave the posts up even when the challenge is closed so people can use them as a template for their own self-imposed deadlines.

However, if there’s no one to answer to, it can be hard to follow through with self-imposed deadlines. I recommend grabbing a friend and asking them to hold you accountable. Once a week (or whatever timeline works best for you) have your friend check up on you and see if you have made your goal. Physically turn something in to them if that helps. They don’t have to read it or anything, but having another person who knows (and cares) about your deadline will make it easier to meet it. (I am also willing to be that person who checks up on you/holds you accountable. Just message me!)

I hope these help!

Keep writing,

Jules

The fall of the DSLR

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https://petapixel.com/2018/03/14/death-dslrs-near/

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