I find that sometimes when starting a new story, it’s easy to get carried away with inspiration and excitement during the first few days of writing … only to find yourself losing interest in the story soon thereafter.

With this in mind, I wanted to explore a few ways screenwriters could avoid losing interest in their story.

1. The Pool of Conflict – Jump In!

One way to keep your story interesting is to introduce the conflict as early as possible. One of the best examples of jumping into the conflict early can be experienced with the book, Secret Window, Secret Garden, or it’s adaptation to film, Secret Window. Check out the beginning of the film below to see just how fast the story jumps into conflict.

2. Corner Your Character

Keep your story interesting by antagonizing your character. I find it pretty difficult to do, but it’s part of the reason why we’re writing. Corner your characters and push them to take action – only then will their true character shine.

3. Throw Your Story a Curveball

While it’s important to have an idea of where you’re heading while writing, it’s also important to keep yourself open to new, unplanned ideas. Throwing yourself a curveball might include encountering an unexpected character, experiencing an unexpected turn, or exploring otherwise unexpected elements within the story – this is where a lot of the fun of writing is, so enjoy it as much as possible.

4. Remember What Inspired You

It’s all to easy to forget what attracted you to the story in the first place, yet this is what should be kept in mind throughout the writing of the story. Consider writing this down some place where you can see it at all times – with so many ideas, characters, lines, and themes swirling about the imagination, it’s easy to forget.

5. Do Something You’ve Never Done Before

This particular idea is something I’m fond of as a writer because it’s focused on experimentation and growing as a writer. Trying something new with your writing is crucial to your development as a writer. Try opening a scene in a new, exciting way, explore an unusual side of your protagonist, or pull a Hitchcock and kill your protagonist at the first act break.

If you find yourself losing interest with the story you’re currently writing, consider trying out one of these methods – you never know what will work until you’ve tried it.

Further recommended reading: EXPLORE: The Three-Act Theme

Do you have any tricks of your own that help you maintain interest in your story?