What To Do If Your Screenplay Isn't Working

What To Do If Your Screenplay Isn’t Working

July 1st, 2010 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Screenwriting

I’ve been working on a story surrounding a psychic child for a while now. It’s a family story at it’s core but I also want it to be haunting and suspenseful.

This is easier said than done because I haven’t really found a way to pull off that vision.

Currently, the screenplay lives on my iPhone. I launch my screenplay app once or twice a week to work on the script. So far, I’m really happy with the first two scenes but I’ve struggled to find an interesting way to continue the story.

I sat in front of my computer this morning and wrote an email to myself. In it, I detailed what I wanted the story to be including a rough outline of the plot. It didn’t work for me. The story isn’t original enough and I’m not convinced it’s something people will want to read or watch.

I’m stuck.

This doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing though. It forces me to decide whether or not to push through or go back to square one and rethink my approach.

In this case, option 2 works better for me. If it isn’t working and you have to force things, it probably isn’t going to work. I was left asking myself questions familiar to all writers out there.