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I have written out two full manuscripts for this story. They are completed. Then I met the actress that the lead character was inspired by. She likes the character she mentions to me if I write it as a screenplay she'll show it to her manager. Try to get it pushed through and see if they can actually make the movie. I'm like "Yeah no problem the manuscripts are written how hard can it be to write it as a movie?"

Apparently so hard that I just don't write it. At all. Which is killing me. In fact, since January when she said this to me I've written basically nothing. The worst part is it's all in my head. I've been working on this one concept and this one story for 5 years. I know it like the back of my hand. If you had me sit down and tell it to you I could tell you the entire thing. Beginning, middle, end. Yet for some reason I cannot write it. Why?

I'm a person who used to write tons of stuff. Tons of original stories. Tons of fan fiction. Had a huge following for it as well. Now everything is just frozen. It's not that I don't have ideas, I do, all the time. Then they just...go away. I can write at most 3 pages of a new idea and then nothing else. I constantly think of story ideas, constantly develop them in my head. Nothing is coming out and I can't figure out why. I thought "Okay I just won't work on the screenplay for a bit, maybe that will help." But I can't work on anything else either. I need to write this screenplay this is a window of time here. This is my chance and I can't write it, which is stupid because it's all basically written it just needs to be in a new format. What is wrong with me and how do I fix it?

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  • Hi, welcome to Writers SE. Before asking a question, please make sure it's not a duplicate. How is your question different from these ones ? (Read the answers they got, some of them may help you) Jul 20, 2016 at 8:03
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    Off the top of my head, you're terrified of screwing up. Can you find a writing partner with less stake in the end result who can "transcribe" your novel into screenplay format so that you can just edit the end result? Jul 20, 2016 at 9:44
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    This isn't the same as writer's block thanks for your unhelpful flagging dick bags I see this community won't at all be helpful for more than pretentious morons who think they are writers but really only write about writing without actually writing. Peace out. Aug 20, 2016 at 10:38
  • In all seriousness: Start failing already! Pick a scene in the middle and write it. Pick another scene and write that. Even a quarter of a scene; write your favorite conversation or interaction. This works for me, because as I write my internal critic kicks in and starts making demands (too long! Get to the point! Wandering! Too easy!) and this eventually leads to rewrites; earlier scenes, etc. don't try to pick an opening; start in media res and build back to it. If I start writing utter crap unworthy of my great story idea, I can't help but fix it. Start failing! Make something to fix.
    – Amadeus
    Aug 14, 2017 at 11:29
  • You may be suffering from reduction anxiety: You've spent 5 yrs on a story, now it must all fit in 110 page script: How do you pack 5 yrs of char development into 20 pages of Act I? How much is left out? Finishing a 5 yr project, bringing it to a conclusion and a final "This is five years of my life" script, may feel like it warrants more of a wake than a birthday party. But it should be a birthday party, no script means no life, your story will be stillborn. You owe it to your earlier self to follow through and make the tough decisions on what gets into the script.
    – Amadeus
    Aug 14, 2017 at 16:36

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