#29scenes Day 1

Hello February and hello screenwriters! How are your new year's resolutions going? If you're wavering, struggling to motivate yourself, or feeling overwhelmed trying to write a big script, I have a challenge for you.

I'm calling it #29scenes (Twitter hash).

The idea is simple: every day over the next 29 days of February, you write a scene. "That's not hard!" you proclaim. Then why haven't you been doing it?

It helps to have others in the same boat as you. I keep being intimidated by all the screenwriting learning I do (3actssubtextconflictbrevityincitingincidentpg15everywordmovesplotorrevealscharacterkillmekillme), so what I need is to just work on my scene-writing to get comfortable with it. You only really learn when you do, and there's far less pressure with a two-page scene than a 119 page feature that's meant to compete with every brilliant script ever written.

You don't have to write a scene for a project you're working on. This is like exercises in screenwriting class. And just like a screenwriting teacher, I'm going to suggest some scene ideas for you, based off a central conflict. One every day. 

DAY 1: *Character A tries to tactfully dump Character B, who is preparing to propose*

It can be any genre or style. My only suggestion to try writing outside your comfort zone, or flip a cliché on its head. Subvert the paradigm, man. Yeah, right on.

If you miss a day here or there, don't stress out or give up. You're doing this for you, 'cos you want to be a professional and proud writer. Baby steps, once scene at a time...

See you tomorrow with a new scene idea!