Writer's Block and Big dreams

It's 3:45 AM and here I am writing a blog instead of a screenplay.

Some days I find myself writing for hours, page after page flowing effortlessly. Most days, however, it's a battle between me and the page. A battle of story, character, and my mind working hard. Tonight is one of those nights.

I have a couple of screenplays that I just can't seem to finish. I sit down and don't know where I want to go with them. I have outlines and character bios, but for some reason it's hard to start typing. The stories are decent, plot lines set, and the characters are interesting, but I can't get anything down on the page. Is this writer's block? Am I still excited about these stories? Should I put them on the shelf and start anew?

I sit here asking these questions and telling myself that these scripts have to be perfect. Every page, every word, has to be perfection before it comes off of my fingertips onto the page. This is killing me.

The fact is, I just need to write. I need to get something onto the page, even if it's crap. That's what rewriting is for. I need to stop trying to write the greatest screenplay of all time and get back to just writing because I love to.

You see, I feel that this year will be a big year for me as a writer because I have finished a great screenplay that I really love and believe in. I wrote the original draft of that script in about 30 days. I couldn't stop, and the best part is that I did it because I wanted to. Not because I wanted to sell it. Not because I wanted to film it. It was because I liked the story and wanted to tell it. That screenplay is my best to date.

The two that I'm having trouble with right now have great potential and I'm excited for them. The problem is that I want a sale or an agent so bad that it's affecting my creativeness. I'm hell bent on getting this dream of mine going, but I need to chill.

So I'm going to stop worrying, stop pressuring myself, stop looking into the future, and just write. The sooner these screenplays are finished, the sooner I can rewrite them and start on my new project.

Dream big, but don't let those dreams overpower you. You'll get there eventually.