Screenwriting : Screenwriting habits? by Tom Lapke

I prefer writing early in the morning and during the afternoon, Tom Lapke. Maybe because I have more energy then. I try to avoid writing at night unless I'm on a deadline or I really need to get some writing done.

I outline my scripts, so I just have to look at an outline when I'm about to write and the creative juices flow. If the creative juices don't flow, I'll work on another project, write random scenes, try again later, or make myself write.

I like to seal myself in my place like Gollum in his cave... As soon as FD launches and the script pops up it's like, "The PRECIOUSSSSSSS!"

I just got this new L-sectional couch this year and I like to plop myself down on the L part and write all day and night! I can be a bit of a night owl, so I write primarily at night when the world goes quiet and I can hear myself think a bit more

It's very much become a job for me, so there's little in the way of ritual. If I have to write on the place in economy class, so be it. It I have to write on my hotel room table, so be it. I did once have the pleasure of having to write on the top of a hillside on Catalina Island though - nice.

I guess the closest thing I have to a habit is my process, which is all about building the beats first and fleshing those out into scenes. That keeps me very efficient.

I like to walk and process

Booze. I didnt start drinking until film school. All my classmates & mentors were drunks.

I can't explain why, I just can't - but every day around 3:45 to 5:00 pm is my personal magic hour for writing. I do write at other times of day, morning and night, but late afternoons are best for me. I get into a groove at that time where it all just flows. Other times of day do not have the same feel. Maybe it is a circadian rhythm kind of thing.

Recently, I changed my means of writing, which often got me caught up in the little things, never moving forward, and second-guessing all of it.

Now, I find it best to write as freely and intuitively as possible, but only when in a creative flow. The second I think too hard about something, that's when I stop. Allow yourself to stop and get back in five minutes later once the urge comes back on (you all know the urge).

I feel, as writers, we want everything to be perfect right off the bat, but we forget that first drafts are from perfection, so why not write everything that comes to your mind right away instead of second-guessing the idea? You can ALWAYS go back and revise what doesn't work, but you also don't miss out on an opportunity to create something completely original. Embrace the strangeness. Embrace your intuition. I came up with my most original and creative work when allowing, let's call it the child part of your brain, to move freely. The raw, uninhibited, creative part of your brain.

I just sit and think, if it’s a subject with research, I talk with my co-screenwriter and we find solutions.

Always in a quiet place for to be able to focus on the story. I dont want to be stressed for finish a script so I take my time and everytime, the script is done before the deadline I fixed.

I have a lot of projects in mind but what is difficult is that producers didn’t even take a look at it even if I call them, submit my scripts etc. So, because of that, this is difficult to write again and again even if I love that.

Hi Tom, for some reason, I like to write first thing in the morning, usually around 7:30 until about 10 or 11. Then I do my workout. If I go out for the day, I drive this long stretch of freeway until I get to the next town so I do a lot of my writing in my head at that time, record dialogue and listen to music for inspiration. Then when I get home, I add the notes into my script. Then I take most of the Summer off (use this time to write some ideas for new scripts) and get back at it late September. What's your process?

Tom, I write at night...and I do my writing in my bedroom (home of my Power Mac G5 that's got a copy of Final Draft 6).

I'm mainly a night writer. Those magic hours when everyone is asleep. But I also write for a couple of hours with my Writers Group. Good for working on revisions.

I like to write at night with soft lighting and a candle lit, while listening to music. I tend to make specific music playlists for projects to listen to while I write.

I prefer to write at night, when there is little or no noise. And what many screenwriters have said happens to them, happens to me, the characters really speak in my ears.And when creativity seems to want to go away, I listen to music, sometimes think nonsense, watch cartoons, read light news, anything that can nourish me.

When I lived in Sweden, I liked to write when traveling by train. A three-hour journey was a perfect interval. When I'm in a creative flow, I forget time and place. Reaching my final destination forced me to get back to reality. At the same time, being on the train among other passengers, their presence disciplined me to keep writing even when inspiration was lacking. Where I live now in Brazil, there are unfortunately no trains. I thus spend too many hours in my hammock with the computer heating my stomach while losing time playing sudoku when inspiration is missing.

Nothing special. I just like to be alone when writing...

So many great answers here. It is fascinating how different and also how alike a lot of these comments are.

For me, it is at my desk, with the headphones in. My music tastes are all over the place, so I tend to choose music that (in my mind at least) goes with what I am typing. Writing something dramatic or melancholy, I might fire up The Civil Wars or maybe some early Tori Amos. Something more high energy might be EDM. Need a little rage inspiration, some Linkin Park or RAtM. Music is a big part of it for me.

Tom Lapke RATM...YESSSSSSS

My music tastes are VERY eclectic also, Tom Lapke! Thats why I like to make my own playlists while writing so that it can vary widely and I don't get caught up in an algorithm that spits out the same artists or genres too much.