Seems like a lot of you are working on multiple projects,including non-comedy writing.So do any of you have tips to get past that stage when your head's full of half-formed ideas that are getting in the way of each other so that you cant fully concentrate on taking any of them further?
My heads washing comedy and dark drama at the mo and everythings coming out 'pants in wash' grey.Help!
Patience, young Luke.
If the ideas are half-formed then you must wait until they are formed.
Are you employed as a comedy writer? Is it a desperate situation where if you don't start pumping out some fully formed kick-ass stuff then your family and friends will die horrible deaths?
The only thing you need to be clear about is what you want at the moment---the rest will follow.
Could always write down all of the half-formed ideas and then write down every little thing that comes to mind when you think about each half-formed idea. You'll get closer and closer until you are there.
Smoke some f**ken pot, man. Jesus, you people honestly do not know what you are missing. After death you'll be kicking yourselves when you find out that it did NOT kill anyone nor ruin anyone's brain or mind.
I'm the opposite i'd say get organised, make folders for all your half formed ideas and separate them. choose your favourite and work on that.
Just write it down!
This nano thing is helping me to realise the only thing stopping me is lazyness - or my PC crashing.
Maybe you need to pick one of those half formed ideas (maybe it doesn't matter which one..) and try and realise it. Put the rest of the ideas on the back burner and just work on one thing at once.
Beer? Oh, very kind of you! Cheers! 
Quote: Skibbington von Skubber @ November 16, 2007, 11:44 PMIs it a desperate situation where if you don't start pumping out some fully formed kick-ass stuff then your family and friends will die horrible deaths?
My family and friends will (probably) survive,but I may implode.And that could be messy.Dont think getting wasted will help as my attention span is already,umm,what was I saying?
I'll try the folders idea.Any others? I'm not expecting fully formed genius to spew from my head,I'm just a bit stuck with conflicting 'voices' in my head (I'm not insane,I can show you the certificate)and characters that arent sure where they want to go.
Keep writing it all down and your plots, charcters can form better as you go along.
niteowl - those characters you've got that don't know where they want to go, I'd direct 'em to the bathroom (just in case..) 
I remember reading that James Cameron works on several projects at a time. What Cameron does to put himself in the right frame of mind for each project is he listens to the same piece of music when working with that particular project. Then when he goes to work on a different project, he puts on another album that he always listens to when working with that idea. By associating each piece of writing with a different album, it helped him is to clear his mind of the previous project and focus on the next one.
What he was listening to when he wrote Titanic, is anyone's guess.
In too deep?
Quote: Dave M @ November 17, 2007, 5:51 PMWhat he was listening to when he wrote Titanic, is anyone's guess.
Was it 'Never mind the Bollocks'? If not, it should have been.
That's a great tip, Dave, and oddly what I do for myself too. I tend to work on a lot of different projects (either drafts or edits) and always have certain albums I put on when I want to evoke a mood that I want to incorporate in a scene.
Now I'm worried. Does this mean I too have a 'Titanic' within me, just waiting to vomit itself onto celluloid and irritate the shit out of a discerning public?
Good tip-My son does that when hes revising for exams.I shall give it a go.
Maybe the Titanic guy was forced to listen to that 'our love will go on,and on,and on'-or whatever its called and the movie was his way of sharing his torment with the world.
Quote: SlagA @ November 17, 2007, 9:32 PMWas it 'Never mind the Bollocks'? If not, it should have been.
That's a great tip, Dave, and oddly what I do for myself too. I tend to work on a lot of different projects (either drafts or edits) and always have certain albums I put on when I want to evoke a mood that I want to incorporate in a scene.
Now I'm worried. Does this mean I too have a 'Titanic' within me, just waiting to vomit itself onto celluloid and irritate the shit out of a discerning public?
Oh, come on, that bit with Kate Winslet's tits was quite good.
Quote: Seefacts @ November 18, 2007, 1:29 PMOh, come on, that bit with Kate Winslet's tits was quite good.
I thought she only had one tit in that - Di Caprio
Quote: SlagA @ November 18, 2007, 10:21 PMI thought she only had one tit in that - Di Caprio
I was trying to think of how to word that joke, but couldn't. But you've done it a beauty.