One thing I’ve mentioned on my Twitter account is literally the single biggest change in my writing in the last year.
I’ve come to understand story sparks. now, other people invented the story spark, but really, they’re talking about plot points.
When I think of plot points, I tend to get a little nervous. I think if I write a plot point, I’ve limited myself. I’m afraid to put down something, for fear it’s the wrong thing.
By thinking of it as a story spark, something that sparks my interest, something I can’t wait to write – I’m free. I can write 60 plot points relatively quickly.
So quickly that recently I did 8 of them for novel and screenplay projects – in a total of 3 days.
That’s almost a full year’s worth of writing, plotted out in half a week.
When you go to a film studio or a publisher and you’ve got 8-10 completed books or screenplays, it tells them 1). you can produce a high level of output 2). you can meet deadlines and 3). you’re for real – in this for the long haul.
Showing up for a meeting with 10 completed,full length scripts is akin to saying, “just go ahead and hire me.”
Showing up with 10 full length novels is enough to make an agent or publisher think, “okay, I’m going to work with them – they’re professional.”
Do this – try my system of writing out a 15 plot point sheet. Then expand it to 21. Then to 60.
You’ll find out once you hit the 60 point sheet you know exactly where your novel or screenplay is going. And you’ll find that the speed you write it at will astound you. 3-4,000 word day will not be unusual at all.
Essentially, writer’s block merely means that you can’t see your scene, or where it fits together with the rest of your book.
