Writing Archives - Page 19 of 50 - Addicted to Writing

5 Tips on How To Watch Movies According To Your Writing Needs

Posted on August 5, 2017 Written by Pinar Tarhan

A writer has to read a lot. For fun, inspiration, motivation, and to get better at their craft. It also helps with market research.

And a screenwriter doesn’t just have to read a lot; they have to watch a lot too.

But with only 24 hours a day, so many other tasks, possibly a day job and of course your writing, you can’t watch everything.

So how do you choose?

Easy. You prioritize.

What prompted this post was that I’ve over 500 movies on my watchlist on IMDB. If you eliminate the guilty pleasures, there are still over 400 movies to analyze.

And I’m someone who has watched a lot of movies. I’m still so behind, it is crazy.

So let me help you choose what to watch (again).

Genre. I try to watch in similar genres to what I’m writing. It helps to see what was made and how it was made. But it also helps flex your creative muscles when you watch stuff outside of your comfort and taste zone. So mix it up whenever you can.

Box office and budget. Box office result matters, as well as how much the movie cost. Which budget range gets more movies? Low, medium or high? Which budget range tends to make the best profits?

Commercial success is a huge plus. After all, rarely anyone writes hoping not to be watched by a lot of people. But the budget is very important when you are deciding based on box office. I give priority to a 50mil dollar movie that made over 200, rather than a 200-million that made a billion.

Because:

A) I don’t write movies that will cost that much to make. You could put Tom Cruise in it (I know, I wish), and it still wouldn’t cost that much to make. Well, apart from what you’d have to pay him. 🙂

B) Quality movies that were shot with relatively small budgets give me hope, and it teaches me a lot.

You can use boxofficemojo.com to check budget and box office information.

Cast. There are a lot of actors whose works I enjoy, and all of these actors are people I’d love to work with. So I want to know what kind of scripts they are attracted to.

Try IMDB for the cast info.

Critical acclaim and/or audience reactions. Some movies become cult hits years after they are released. Festival wins/awards and other critical acclaim intrigue me. Why did this one particular movie become so popular, successful, and/or loved?

I wasn’t going to watch Dunkirk since it is not a genre I’m particularly interested in. But the audience reactions are so mixed, now I’m tempted. And one can always learn from director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Interstellar, Memento), so there’s that.

Relaxation and entertainment. And many of our best work comes when we are not stressed out. So forget everything above, and choose according to whatever you feel like. You can always change the disc or walk out of the movie theatre if you are unhappy. And even that shows on what/how not to write.

If you need suggestions, feel free to comment with what you are looking for, and I’ll get you started in the right direction.

Obviously, not all movies will have all of the qualities you’re looking for. But your time is limited, so you should try to kill as many birds as possible with one stone.

Now, this reminds me…what should I watch tonight? (Comment your suggestions please!)

16 Non-Writing Tasks to Do When You Have Writer’s Block (or Don’t Feel Like Writing)

Posted on July 28, 2017 Written by Pinar Tarhan

I love the idea that we – writers – are sitting on a porch somewhere with a lovely view, a delicious coffee-based beverage nearby and typing away to our heart’s desire.

Now, we can often be found typing away with a coffee in hand, but we are not always writing a story or an article. (And the view doesn’t always rock, but that’s beside the point.)

Pinar Tarhan, writer — For instance, this is me posing for a picture because we need that too. 🙂

And while we love writing, sometimes we are stuck. Sometimes we’d do anything but, no matter how much we love writing.

But just because you can’t write doesn’t mean your whole work has to go to hell:

16 Non-Writing Tasks to Do When You Have Writer’s Block (or Don’t Feel Like Writing

Pitch. Unfortunately, editors and clients don’t always come to you with assignments and story ideas. You have to create your jobs. So you pitch. You usually have a pitch template than can be tweaked, so this is more editing than actual writing.
Follow-up on previous pitches. You have pitched stories a while back, but you haven’t heard back. So you customize that follow-up template if you need to, and fire away.
Keep track. You make notes on where you pitched and what you followed up. You don’t want to send the same idea to an editor that already turned it down.
Clean your inbox and answer important emails. It’s not advised to check your email every 2 minutes, but you should probably check it at least twice every day – especially if you are expecting responses and you have clients from different time zones. You don’t want to miss an assignment because the message got buried among 100 unimportant other messages.
Read the articles in the publications you are pitching– aka also known as market research.
Read unrelated stuff for fun and inspiration.
Deal with blog administration. There is always a plugin to update, a post to edit.
Apply to jobs and/or pitch to clients.
Post on social media. You have a presence; you need to maintain it.
Talk to other writers. It’s one of my favorite methods for staying sane.
Update social media profiles. Maybe you did something interesting or acquired an impressive byline.
Update your website copy. You might want to review your services and how you present them.
Update your portfolio. Those new bylines won’t add themselves.
Hang around aimlessly – online and offline- looking for inspiration and story ideas. Some of the most obvious ideas arrive when you feel like giving up. And ideas can come from anywhere, including from your favorite comedians.
Clean. I don’t mean spring cleaning, but just a general, mindless tidying up that won’t take too much time. Also, how clean is your computer screen? I swear mine is playing in the dirt when I’m not looking.
Organize. Organize files, on the computer and in your office. Do you need all the paper? Did you notice a publication you loved but forgot about? Saw a book you need to refresh up on? Leave the cleaning and organization to the end, though. You don’t want to use them as procrastination tactics.

What do you work on when you are stuck? Please let me know in the comments.

How to Get Back to Work After Vacation (Even If You Are Exhausted)

Posted on July 19, 2017 Written by Pinar Tarhan

Hi, everyone! I’m back from a week of beach vacation at an all-inclusive resort in Kemer, Antalya, and I’m positively exhausted. Knackered. Shattered. And the rest of the thesaurus.

Unfortunately, I’m one of those people who needs another vacation to offset the effects of the previous vacation. I had a lot of fun being very active, and now my body is paying the price. So this second “vacation” is basically sleeping off the effects of the first one.

But being a freelance writer means when I don’t work, I don’t make any money, so I have to get back to work ASAP. And it was even more so this time because I had a deadline for the second day of my return.

I’m also planning mini getaways before the summer ends, as well as a couple of days abroad. And fingers crossed, a second beach vacation because I need all the Vitamin D and happiness I can get as someone with a weak immune system, and as a writer who sometimes gets so lost in her stories that she forgets things like the outside world, healthy-eating, and exercise.

But this post is coming to you right after I’ve submitted my piece a day before the deadline and feeling slightly better. So I wanted to share my tips with fellow freelancers who freak about their vacations because of the mountain of work that awaits them afterward.

11 Tips for How to Get Back to Work After Vacation (Even If You are Exhausted):

1) Sleep well and long.

Here’s the thing. I’m not rich. I can afford vacations at five-star resorts through a carefully calculated budget, and watching out for discounts.

So when something you love – aka beach holidays- happens once or twice a year, you make the most of it. This usually comes in the form of overdoing things like swimming, dancing, eating, drinking; and underdoing things like sleeping.

After a week of fun and an exhausting return trip, you need your sleep. So do it. Even if it means it is 5 pm by the time you properly wake up. Your body and mind will thank you for it.

2) Eat healthily, even if you have to commit a few “sins” until you get the energy to concoct something nutritious.

In my case, I ate chocolate before I could move my butt to heat and eat vegetables.

3) Have a nice and long shower, or bath.

You’ll feel refreshed and energized.

4) Take a painkiller with minimal side effects if you are in physical pain.

If everything hurts badly and it hasn’t waned a bit even after the sleep, bath and meal, you might need a painkiller. Of course, this is between you, your common sense and doctor. But if you pushed your body like you never do in a year, taking something might be in order. (But please don’t do anything your doctor doesn’t approve of. I’m not a doctor.)

5) Drink coffee! (Or tea, if that’s your thing.)

After I do all four, I still need my good friend and preferred medicine, coffee. (This time I also watched the two Jim Jefferies Show episodes I missed for relaxation and laughs before getting to work.)

The following tips require you do them before your trip so that the five tips above will be more effective.

6) Stock your fridge (and freezer) with food and beverages that won’t go bad.

So that you won’t have to run to the shops when you’d rather not leave your house. Or your bed.

7) Try not to get a deadline for the first couple of days you are back.

Sometimes it is inevitable, but it is wise to give yourself a breather. In my case, I had already written and edited the essay that was due. I re-read it for flow, overlooked language mistakes, and connectivity. It wasn’t that much work as I had done the heavy lifting earlier.

8) To continue from tip 7, if you must have a deadline soon after your return, do the work before you leave.

So that when you come back, you just have to do minor edits and hit send.

9) Don’t leave your house a mess.

I find it impossible to not to leave the house at least a bit messy while packing. But this time, I managed to leave a relatively tidy place behind, as well as a desk ready to be worked at. I am now more relaxed and motivated to get to work.

10) And try to pick projects that not only pay well, but you care about and enjoy.

Whether it is your internal harsh critic or the editor you are working with, (and it is generally both), a piece can often take longer than you thought it

would. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if you resent yourself, the piece or the topic. So pick something you are passionate about whenever you can.

Writing the essay was scary and emotional, but ultimately, I love the subject. People need to read it, and I want it to be its best version.

It’s hard producing your best work if you are cursing the moment you decided to take on this work.

11) Enjoy the hell out of your vacation!

A great vacation makes you ecstatic and fills your head with awesome story ideas. So arrange for your work to be done before your vacation starts. Have a solid plan on what you will do afterward, but don’t worry about it as you relax with your favorite cocktail.

Do you have any other suggestions on how to get back to work after an exhausting vacation? Please share in the comments.

My Productivity E-Book is Ready, Why I Like Kevin Can Wait, and Other News from The Writing Trenches

Posted on May 30, 2017 Written by Pinar Tarhan

I’m back! OK, technically I wasn’t gone. I was just waiting for my WOW! Article to go live, so that I could post a review on successful freelance writer Suchi Rudra’s e-book review as my next post.

But my article hasn’t gone live yet, and it has been too long without a post. So here it is.

– My Productivity E-book Is Finally Ready!

I’ve collected some of my favorite posts on productivity from this blog. I edited, updated, and added to them according to need, and put together a decent resource on how to become more productive. The price, should you choose to “buy” it from my blog, is your e-mail address. If you are already a subscriber, just let me know if you want the book, and I’ll email to you.

It features chapters on writing during times of mediocre health, how to make procrastination work for you, favorite books and blogs on productivity, managing your emails and more.

I’m figuring out my way through my newsletter service, and once it is ready, my book will be on the way. I’m so excited because it is my first.

Hope you enjoy it.

– I Hurt My Back: Lesson Learned About Being too Sedentary

Sunday was off to a good start. I had plenty of sleep, did a lot of formatting, did market research, evaluated my options for my novel, hung out at a favorite coffee shop, took a short walk, patted cute kittens, and overall, had a pretty good day.

I was planning for another good day with even more nature, work, and exercise. I started to pack my bag – that was the kind of good writer soldier I was being, and then, bam! I managed to strain my back without doing anything extreme. I was reaching for something from my desk and felt something weird in my lower back.

I’m guessing it is not serious because it doesn’t hurt when I sit or lie down, but it feels pretty horrible when I try to stand or walk.

Luckily, I have the right meds, I’m not alone at home, and among a knowledgeable mom, friends, and YouTube strain-relieving exercise videos, I should be fine. (That said, I’m no baby when it comes to going to the doctor. If it doesn’t go away soon, I’ll make an appointment.)

And this brings us to the sitcom starring Kevin James:

Kevin Can Wait

It’s been a while since my favorite, laugh-out-loud, hilarious sitcoms ended.

In case you are wondering, they are:

– Friends

– Coupling (UK, first three seasons),

– Spin City (first four seasons – until Michael J. Fox’s departure),

– 3rd Rock from the Sun (first season)

I really like Mom, and it makes me laugh a lot, but it is also a tragic show in many ways and it doesn’t make me shake with laughter like the ones above did.

Apart from Mom, I’ve seen some entertaining episodes from shows that made me smile, chuckle, or occasionally laugh hard. But none had the memorable characters, funny and original one-liners, awesome physical comedy and great storylines my favorites did.

To be honest, the first seasons of Supernatural, almost all of Damon Salvatore’s lines from The Vampire Diaries and the first seasons of Teen Wolf provide funnier and lovelier stuff than most of the sitcoms.

But sometimes, all you need is a good time, and characters that you can more or less relate to. And even though they are your severely exaggerated traits, you can’t help but enjoy yourself. I could never get into King of Queens much, but I quite like Kevin Can Wait.

It’s about an out-of-shape retired cop forced to endure his ridiculous British future son-in-law and the rest of his family’s shenanigans. Of course he and his other retired cop buddies provide more shenanigans than his entire family combined.

Not all episodes are equally funny, but the good ones are solid entertainment.

And it might be strange to relate to a married middle-aged dude with a large family, but he is clumsy, blunt, addicted to unhealthy food and an overall nice guy with no particular talents… Yep, I got my answer there. 😀

So I might as well keep a smile on myself while I wait for my back to get better.

What have you been up to?