Dealing With Writer’s Isolation « American Screenwriters Association

Dealing With Writer’s Isolation

How to Prevent Writer Isolation and Boredom
by Steven Kirwan

Screenwriters are a unique breed, because we tend to see the world in scenes. The more prolific the writing, the less contiguous everyday life can seem. Spending hours, days, or even weeks cloistered in our writing caves can isolate us from friends, family, and reality, and over time, it can silence that inner voice driving us to perfection.

We need to be aware of our own internal temperature. The drive and desire to succeed can supplant normalcy, making us work harder and longer. Failure to maintain a proper work-life balance can result in potentially detrimental outcomes stemming from feelings of isolation and separation, and many writers have succumbed to these feelings. To fill the resulting void, many seek an antidote in drugs, alcohol, overeating, and other detriments. Experience proves that these always make life worse.

So how can we overcome our writing intensities? Included below are some simple activities you can easily undertake to defeat isolation and boredom. They're not in any particular order, so you can pick any or all to help keep you grounded. Just remember that true success is in the doing, so you need to be proactive. Pick an activity and execute, and keep this in mind: these activities intended to be independent of your writing. If you try to multitask, both activities will suffer.

Sanity-Maintenance Activities:

Take a walk
Call friends/family
Exercise
Watch TV/Movie
Listen to music
Go out for a meal
(beware of food as a release- trust me)
Play a musical instrument
Paint
Take pictures
Clean/Organize

As you can see, the activities vary but the principles are similar. Choose the ones that most motivate to you to get out of your chair and to leave your writing space. Mix it up. Don't let the writing consume you as it will not take long to become an obsession, or worse, tedious. If writing your screenplay becomes a chore and loses its joy, it'll ensure failure. Writing is a gift, both to you as an artist and from you as something the world will appreciate. Don't let isolation and tedium silence your inner muse!