Ask the Coach: How Do I Keep Writing During Summer? – On Script Mag

Welcome to the latest installment of my “Ask the Coach” column on Script Mag! This month I’m addressing a question about how to keep writing during the summer:

“How do I keep writing even when I’m pulled away by summer? Between vacations, BBQ weather, busy kids, and an urge to get my house organized, I’m having trouble focusing on writing. What do you suggest?”

This is a timely question, with the summer solstice nearly upon us. A common challenge for many writers is being pulled in multiple directions — whether it’s family, a day job, multiple writing projects, self-care, or just wanting time off, while also wanting to keep pushing ahead with our writing goals and visions. And summer can be tricky. As a season, summer evokes a feeling of spaciousness and expansion, creating both the idea we’ll have “tons” of time to write while simultaneously feeling drawn to get out into nature, play, go to the pool, and do other summer-focused activities. And as you mentioned, it can feel like an expansive time to clean and purge your house, too!

Here are seven ideas to help you creatively keep writing and enjoy the summer. Use them with a mix-and-match approach, adopting those that work for you and ignoring the rest. [more…]

 

…don’t fall for the false dichotomy that you can only write OR enjoy the summer. You can do both.
 
 
Read the article on Script Mag: 
Ask the Coach: How Do I Keep Writing During Summer?

 
 
 
If you’ve got writing questions, please send them my way!
I’d love to answer them for you in my column.
 
Photo by Jane Palash on Unsplash 

 

Ask the Coach: What Do I Need for a TV Pitch? – On Script Mag

Welcome to the latest installment of my “Ask the Coach” column on Script Mag! This month, I’m sharing more from my interview with Neil Landau, author of the recently released book, The TV Showrunner’s Roadmap: Creating Great Television in an on Demand World (2nd edition) and the Director of Screenwriting at the University of Georgia, who helped me answer […]

Ask the Coach: How Do I Find a Showrunner? – On Script Mag

Welcome to the latest installment of my “Ask the Coach” column on Script Mag! This month, I’m addressing a question about finding a showrunner: “I have a solid idea for a TV series, but I need help to execute it. Where do I go to ‘meet up’ with a showrunner who’d be open to helping […]

Ask the Coach: Odds & Ends – Finding Your Voice, Getting Unstuck, and Abandoning Scripts for Books – On Script Mag

Welcome to the latest installment of my “Ask the Coach” column on Script Mag! This month, I’m addressing a collection of shorter questions about Finding Your Voice, Getting Unstuck, and Abandoning Scripts for Books.   “I think I need the most help with networking and finding my voice as a writer. What are some ways […]

Ask the Coach: Superstitious About Writing Time? – On Script Mag

Welcome to the latest installment of my “Ask the Coach” column on Script Mag! This month I’m addressing a question about being superstitious about writing: “Do you ever feel superstitious about your writing time? Like you have to write in the same place, at the same time, after eating the same thing, to recapture the […]

Ask the Coach: Odds & Ends – On Script Mag

Welcome to the latest installment of my “Ask the Coach” column on Script Mag! This month I’m addressing a collection of shorter questions that haven’t quite warranted a full article but are useful nonetheless, from screenplay formatting to finding feedback for horror short stories, capitalizing nouns and proper nouns, and more!    It’s easy to […]

Ask the Coach: How Much Should I Plan My Writing Time? – On Script Mag

Welcome to the latest installment of my “Ask the Coach” column on Script Mag! This month I’m addressing a reader’s question about how much (or whether) to plan writing time:   “How much should I be planning my writing time vs. just showing up to write each day?”   Much like the answer to most […]

Ask the Coach: Is an MFA Worth It? – On Script Mag

Welcome to the latest installment of my “Ask the Coach” column on Script Mag! This month I’m addressing a reader’s question about whether or not to pursue an advanced writing degree:    “Is it worth it to pursue an advanced degree or are there now enough classes and tools and webinars and retreats out there […]

Make More Time to Write with the End of Daylight Saving

If you’ve been wanting to establish a morning writing habit, now is the PERFECT time to do so. With the end of Daylight Saving Time, we’ll be getting a natural boost for setting up earlier morning writing time. This time change happens Sunday, November 7 in the U.S. (the time changes on Sunday, October 31 […]

Ask the Coach: How Can I Expand My Script? – On Script Mag

Welcome to the latest installment of my “Ask the Coach” column on Script Mag!   This month’s question is about fleshing out a story: “My problem is, I grew up writing short stories, and now I am trying to write a screenplay. I ‘finished’ my script, and if it is true as they say that one […]