MovieChat Forums > Screenwriters > Ever get stuck in the middle

Ever get stuck in the middle

posted 16 years ago by zorn456
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That seems to be my problem I come up with a great idea, then devlop some indepth characters, then I have a fantastic stryoline, then i write a short of short story how i see it play at. But now it's time to pound out a script. The neginning is always what I imagine in my head then less then half way through I get stuck then I go back and I pound out the end which is exactly what I wanted and then there it is I have about twenty pages of the begining about fifteen pages of the end but never can come up with the middle, leaving me about fourty pages short depending on how long I am considering the movie to be.

Right now I am working on I guess you can call it two horror films one more of a thriller and I have a begining and an end but no middle.

anyone else have the same problem if so how doyou handle it.

[–] JimVines 16 years ago

This is a common problem for many a screenwriter, especially the novice variety. The second act is the longest part of your script...and its the most difficult to fill. It's important to know where it's all going (and if it even has the potential of going anywhere) prior to the script phase. If you've read my website you'll know I'm a big proponent of outlining.

My advice: Get the script outlined before you sit down to write the screenplay. It's the outline where you determine if you've got a story that'll fill 100-pages.

Again, more about all this on my website (link below). Check it out.

Site: TheWorkingScreenwriter.com
Blog: theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/