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Hi-Way Haven is A Place for Writers! Created in Encinitas, California in 2004 by the author, screenwriter, and writing coach, Vera Caccioppoli, Hi-Way Haven offers writers of all skills and ages private coaching, screenplay analysis, novel evaluations, screenwriting workshops, writing seminars, readings, networking, and special events with visiting authors.

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Hi-Way Haven, A Place for Writers
February 2007

There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth—not starting,
and not going all the way.
— Buddha
Be sure to send me your favorite writing quotes—even if they're your own! Vera@Hi-Way-Haven.com

vera caccioppoli, mfa
Vera Caccioppoli, MFA

Greetings, my writer friends!

There is a lot of exciting writing news to share this month, so be sure to read to the end so that you don’t miss-out on important writing and screenwriting events!

But first, so many of my clients come to me wanting to talk about this thing called Writer’s Block that I’ve decided to share some of my thoughts on the subject.

Got Writer's Block?

I don’t believe in Writer’s Block.

Think about it—what is a block? It’s a physical barrier.

Writer’s Block is not a physical reality. It’s not even an injury, like having a broken hand that keeps you from typing. Writer’s Block is a term we use to describe something that forms in our mind, in our thoughts, and usually forms rapidly, as many obsessive thoughts do.  One minute we’re fine—the next minute—we’re “blocked." Yikes!

So is there someone attempting to “block” us, to prevent us from making our journey, from reaching the end of the story we are telling? Well, as a matter of fact, there is someone doing just that. Want to meet them? Go look in a mirror. Only we have the power to turn a bump in our writing journey into a road block.

Writer’s Block is a lie of the mind. Writers feel “blocked” when they suddenly believe they lack enough creativity to write their way out of a wet paper bag, let alone write a complex story development. When a writer is blocked, her imagination is functioning just as powerfully and beautifully as before she was blocked. Trouble is, her imagination is now telling her that the whole first half of the novel or screenplay she has written is awful, trash, infantile—and that the only choice she has to save her own soul and Western Civilization is to douse the pages with gasoline, set them on fire, scatter the ashes in a tornado—and start over.

Or give up.

While as a writer and writing coach I do not believe in the reality of Writer’s Block, I do believe in the reality of the devastation it can cause. Writer's Block may not be something you can see or hold, but when it has a hold of you, the suffering it causes is all too real. Once we are no longer writing, we may accept that as a state of being. And we may perpetuate it, either by resistance (recall Jung’s wisdom: What we resist, persists.) or by abandoning our journey, usually by turning on the television, picking up the phone, or pouring a stiff drink.

I’ve seen too many writers abuse themselves and abandon their dreams. One of my most important jobs is to help my clients and colleagues who feel blocked to free themselves. I've given a lot of thought and creative energy to developing solutions to the problem. While there is no substitute for the insight and intuition a writing coach who knows you and knows your work can provide, there are many things you can do to go around, through, or over a block before it has the power to stop you.

Coach Vera’s Short Cuts for Driving Around the Block

What follows are a few techniques that you can apply not only to get around Writer's Block, but to jump start your daily writing trip.       

  • Write more, not less.

  • Write anything. Trust me. Your creative brain will very soon get thoroughly sick of writing nonsense. It will rally, revolt, seize control, and demand that it be allowed to return to writing the real story!

  • Schedule a time to write. If you don’t have a writing schedule now, make one. Your schedule should include at least four or five days a week of writing, whether it’s for an hour or six hours. The key is: make it real for you. Neither too easy, nor too difficult to meet, and happily exceed, if you feel like it, the scheduled time you've set. Do not seek perfection, for perfection has built in failure. Rather, seek to stay as close as you can to your schedule. Make honest, considered adjustments, if necessary to keep you writing. And be aware that the same powerful imagination that allows you to create believable characters in a fully realized fictional world, can also imagine ways to wiggle out of a writing schedule! Be kind, and be firm.

  • Take a wrong turn! When you’re driving a car and come across a road block, do you just stop and sit there forever? NO! You turn down a side street! You work around the obstacle, find new roads, and continue toward your destination. So if you’re stuck in the middle of Act II, but have some ideas about scenes in Act III, then drive on over to Act III and continue writing there.

  • Give yourself 10 good reasons to quit. Go ahead. I dare you. I double dare you. Write down 10 good reasons why you are so “blocked” that you should stop writing, stop working on your project, stop living your dream. (In my 20 years of coaching writers and screenwriters I’ve rarely seen anyone able to list 10 good reasons to give up.;-) More often than not, most of the items on your list will have nothing to do with writing. Most will be about your personal life. But once you have your list you can begin to address each issue on it, whether it's de-cluttering your garage or getting rid of a cheating spouse. And while you do, keep writing! You’ll find that as you address your real world problems, the imagined world you are creating in your writing will advance and thrive.

  • Seek friendly support. If you’re feeling blocked, it is not the time to submit a chapter to your rigorously challenging writers group.  Large group critiques are fine, but they've probably created far more Writer's Block than they've relieved. Instead, seek feedback and counsel from one or two trusted fellow writers.

    Most of us will at one time or another in our careers, feel "blocked." And yes, if you have the opportunity to work with a writing coach, take it. Find a coach who will come to know you and know your story, believe in both, and have the ability to mirror back to you the vision with which you started your journey—even when your own eyes have gone bleary. I know many methods to help dissolve or destroy Writer's Block and get you back on your journey of writing the stories that only you can write. If you need help, call or email me.
    More News for Writers and Screenwriters! 

    • Grat Crabtree, screenwriter and directorQuiet on the Set! Grat Crabtree of The Haven's Drop in Screenwriters Workshop, wrote and submitted for critique a short film called, Running. Grat then went into production, filming right here, at our Hi-Way Haven! One of the stars was Amy Albani, a former opera singer, published writer, and workshop member. Grat has entered Running in FOX's new reality competition series On The Lot.

    Michael Steven Gregory, director, screenwriter

    We, The Screenwriter! News from my friend, San Diego writer/director Michael Steven Gregory: His long-anticipated doculogue “We, The Screenwriter” has been included in the popular Cinequest Online Film Festival’s Viewers’ Voice Competition. MSG’s fascinating film features sixteen movie and TV writers, presenting a fast-paced portrait of the person, the process and the profession of being a writer in today’s Hollywood.

    You can download and view We, The Screenwriter for free! And I recommend that you do exactly that.

    Now through February 20th, go to: http://www.cinequestonline.org/

    Once there, you can download and watch the 97-minute We, The Screenwriter film in its entirety— for free! You can also vote for your favorite of 17 feature films. The winner will receive the final screening spot at Cinequest 17, which MSG says is, “Pretty much the coolest Indie film fest there is. Even cooler than Sundance. Though it’s not colder!”

    Click the link below to visit MSG’s production company, RandomCove.com for more details and step-by-step instructions for how to download and vote on the movie:
    http://www.RandomCove.com/production/wts/viewersvoice.html.

    No one leaves this conference uninspired! Founded and run by professional authors devoted to addressing the needs of writers of every level, the annual Southern California Writers'  Conference southern california writer's conferencehas facilitated over $3 million worth of first-time book and screen sales over the past 21 years.  Known for its unique mix of read-and-critique and troubleshooting workshops, evening speakers, and informal networking, the SCWC continues to have on staff publishing professionals whose commitment to shepherding participants' work to publication extends far beyond a mere weekend gathering. This is a unique writers conference. What I like best is the relaxed and friendly vibe you'll find here. All the lecturing authors, agents, and publishers are easy to approach and pay serious attention to all writers they meet.

    I'll see you there!

    The SCWC takes place in San Diego, Feb. 16-18, 2007. For complete information visit www.WritersConference.com or call (619) 303-8185.

    Get Thee to the Short List! The Short List Jack Oldfield's pioneering series presenting great short films from around the world is produced right here in San Diego, airs on Cox Channel 4 in San Diego and PBS stations, and reaches 5 - 7 million viewers. Did you know that Jack Oldfield's gift to us has received four consecutive Emmy Awards; 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001? Go ahead and treat yourself! Click this link to view videos from the series!

    Rex Pickett and Paul Giamatti

    Absolutely! My interview, Up, Down, and Sideways, of novelist and screenwriter Rex Pickett (Sideways) will be featured in the February 14th edition of AbsoluteWrite.com. If you haven't visited this excellent writer's resource yet, go there. You've got a treat in store.

    Happy Trailers!
    Vera Caccioppoli