Take a Break

Sometimes the best way to finish a project is to stop.

Anyone who has tried to sit down and write a script, or a book, or anything else for that matter, will know how tempting it is to just go and do something else instead. After all, these things really can't be rushed. As Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy author Douglas Adams famously said, of getting stuff in on time: "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." But also very relevant is another legendary Adams quote: "Don't panic."

Wandering off for a bit is all part of the creative process. Clean the house, or make some tea, or browse the latest free spin deals on Gamblizard then look at their little logo and wonder whether the Gamblizard has a whole backstory, like those enduringly everywhere meerkats. Perhaps it resides in the Nevada desert not far from Vegas and runs a little casino, where gambling snakes look enviously at the one-armed bandits, not having any arms of their own. Anyway, see Gamblizard for more info about actual, proper casinos.

Which again just goes to show that inspiration can strike from anywhere: who knew reading this would take you on a journey to a tiny lizard casino? But you don't suddenly come up with something that random while banging your head against the keyboard, cursing yourself for a lack of inspiration.

In the excellent new Wham! documentary on Netflix, for example, there's a remarkable bit where George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley are watching a football match round one of their parents' houses, when George suddenly gets the big lightbulb moment, runs upstairs, and writes Last Christmas.

Which does make you wonder: what was it about that mid-80s football match made him get the festive inspiration? There were a few players called Noel back then. And football socks are often known as stockings. Or perhaps England were playing Turkey. Either way, something sparked it, and there it was, an absolute classic, from an unlikely starting point. The modern festive phenomenon of Whamageddon might never have happened if George and Andy had been trying to do something more musical that evening.

Just drifting off is also perfectly acceptable. One long-time gagsmith-for-hire summed up the writer's life by explaining that he often has to point out to his nearest and dearest that when they walk into his office and he seems to just be staring out of the window doing nothing, he is actually working. Just because you aren't typing, doesn't mean you aren't creating.

Essentially the comic mind is like a fine cheese; a Dutch gouda maybe. A load of work goes into the early stages, lots of stirring of the creative milk, then it has to sit there for ages fermenting, and eventually the finished product is a big round masterpiece. So if your novel or script has sat in a drawer untouched for a week, month or year, don't worry, it's all part of the maturation process. One day it will emerge triumphant, like a proper stilton, if hopefully a bit less cheesy.