Writing the Classic Movie (How trying to finish a Screenplay)
I’ve only finished so many Screenwriting in my life. Writing a script all the way to the very last page is always an extremely significant, personal achievement for me. A large part of its significance is the reality that I actually wrote an ending, or, at the very least, typed “THE END.” Trying to finish a screenplay and effectively pay something off—–this is arguably the hardest part of great screenwriting and often a major breaker of screenplays.I’ve only finished so many screenplays in my life. Writing a script all the way to the very last page is always an extremely significant, personal achievement for me. A large part of its significance is the reality that I actually wrote an ending, or, at the very least, typed “THE END.” Trying to finish a screenplay and effectively pay something off—–this is arguably the hardest part of great screenwriting Writingand often a major breaker of screenplays. Devising a true, organic climax is so daunting and dangerous to screenwriters that they often convince themselves they have come up with a worthy ending merely to pry themselves from the vise of their own standards. They delude themselves into believing that what they have created is good and stands shoulder to shoulder with the rest of their screenplay. Faced with the challenge of a superior ending can be horrifying, and it is very tempting to jump suddenly into a slipshod ending simply to get out and say I’m done. I’m finished.
But you’re not finished, are you? Inside you know its garbage. If what you have written prior to arriving at the end of your screenplay is special, then you know, if you quiet yourself down, whether your ending is not enough.
How does a screenwriter deal with this? How can I use the difficulty of coming up with a classic ending, a true, triumphant climax, help me write my screenplay? If I accept that I am at the mercy of my standards to have something transcendent at my movie’s conclusion, and if I can surrender to the fact that there is no way I will see the true ending to my movie in the first draft of my screenplay, I can let go of the pressure and write without expectation. For me, sometimes its nearly impossible for me to feel comfortable starting without knowing how it will end. And this anxiety over how it will end will hurt your entire story.
But your screenplay is a living thing, and that living thing is going to grow, and your ending will change well beyond your first draft. This knowledge can give you great freedom, freedom to be more creative and let the pulse of what makes you an imaginative spirit be heard in your writing.
One reason I have had problems finishing scripts in the past is I don’t want to be responsible for the work once it’s done. If I finish a screenplay, someone is eventually going to read it, and that person will undoubtedly have something to say, and it might be painful. Is this why I won’t finish? Is this why I can’t come up with ending, because I may open myself to criticism? Answer these questions for yourself, reminding yourself it’s natural for people to hate your work. Our world would be very different from what we know if everyone loved your screenplay. I received over a hundred reviews on a movie I wrote. Some called it a masterpiece Publishing. Some said it was worthless. Who’s right? Nobody. It’s art. There’s no right. So if this fear is keeping you from finishing, you’re not alone.