Author: Peggy Bechko

Peggy Bechko on the Writer’s Curse: Overthinking

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by Peggy Bechko

Yeah, it’s a curse. And, it’s much worse for some people than others. Overthinking pretty much everything and that includes writing. Or maybe it’s especially writing, I don’t know. But a while back a novel writing friend of mine asked me if I had trouble with over thinking. So I thought about it and probably overthought about it. And that’s where we all get stuck.

We’re all guilty of it at times. I mean hasn’t there been a time when perhaps you were waiting for someone to arrive at a party you were giving, someone very special to you and he/she didn’t show up? So you immediately start thinking. Did this person just say they’d come? Was that person blowing me off? Did I do something to offend? And the brain goes on and on. But you can put a stop to that in life and in writing. Look of the person didn’t show up and didn’t have the decency to call (this IS the cell phone age) then return to the other guests and forget it. Move on. Refocus.

Now, how does that apply to screenwriters, novel writers and the like? Well, the trick here is to stop the overthinking and letting your brain wander in fruitless circles. Don’t think about it too much, just do something. Act with confidence and your writing will blossom. If you find yourself overthinking, focusing on some bit of minutia and going in circles maybe you just need to turn your back on it for a while. Take a walk, go get a cup of tea. Get the blood flowing or find a way to relax. You can’t force creativity but you can let it relax. read article

Peggy Bechko’s Big 5 Writing Distractions

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by Peggy Bechko

Distractions. We writers all have them, right?

Well, of course other people have them as well, but we’re on TVWriter™ after all so we’re going to stick with writers. read article

Peggy Bechko Recommends….

by Peggy Bechko

bbc-co-uk-scienceI don’t recommend too many websites in my column here on TVWriter™ (although I’ve been known to post Writers Websites Wednesday on my own blog) but this time around here I’m offering up one that really rocks: The BBC Science web page.

BBC’s Science page is a great resource for idle perusing and even more so for anyone looking for an interesting idea to develop for a script or trying to further research an idea that’s already occurred.

Why do I like the site so much? Well, it’s clear, concise, and offers even more links to more sites. Right now, BBC Science is offering such topics as “Are Beards Good For Your Health?” And “Nine Science Ideas to Make You Look Smart,” “How Do You Pee in Space?” And a whole bunch of other topics including a fascinating “iWonder” section. read article

Peggy Bechko on Writing “Experts”

by Peggy Bechko

Writing, screenwriting, copywriting – just plain writing….

There are experts everywhere. There are articles coming out of our ears. There’s so damn much! And I’m writing one right now – see the little letters skipping across the page?

So, who do we, as writer, listen to? Well me, of course. Seriously, listen to everyone and no one. That’s helpful right? read article

Peggy Bechko on Overthinking – the Writer’s Plague

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by Peggy Bechko

Actually overthinking probably is pretty much everyone’s plague – but I’m talking about writers here so that’s where I’ll take this article.

Do you over think, over edit, over tweak everything you write? Yeah, it’s tough, I know. Insecurity, worry, apprehension, am-I-doing-it-right-itis.

We all do it sometime. Writers do it more often. Worry a plot, a scene, a paragraph to death. read article