5 Basic Steps to Writing a Screenplay

You're someone who loves movies and has aspirations of writing your own screenplay. However, you realize that a lot of work goes into screenwriting, and you're not exactly sure where to begin. Think about all the elements of a good screenplay: character development, three-act structure, dialogue, conflict, and a lot more. The unfortunate truth is that Hollywood rejects a lot of original screenplays, but you shouldn't allow this to deter you from writing the best damn movie that ever existed.

To get started, you'll likely need to rethink your entire process and incorporate a few changes that'll help you grow and improve as a writer. We understand that you may want to do things on your terms. However, there's always a better way to write a screenplay, especially when you follow these five basic steps:

Step #1 – Writing a Treatment

What's a treatment? It's essentially a short story that summarizes the movie narrative while previewing the concepts and themes that are central to your screenplay. It resembles normal literary prose and explains how the story unfolds (while also describing your characters). Treatments are typically 5-10 pages long, and with them, you should also include your logline, which is a two-sentence synopsis for your screenplay. Also, keep in mind that treatments are typically written in the present tense.

Step #2 – Character Bios

Not very many writers who're beginners know that character bios are a crucial element of storytelling. Think about it – How well do you know your characters? What are their quirks? What kind of personalities do they have? These questions often go unanswered for writers who're embarking on their first screenplay.

When writing your character bios, make sure that you're meticulously crafting their backgrounds and social environments. Any trivial detail makes a huge difference in the psychological complexion of a character. Once you have a good idea about how your characters will behave and react in certain situations, the writing process will become a lot easier.

Step #3 – Writing Your Subplots and Outlining Your Screenplay

Now that you have a general idea of what your story entails, now it's time to divide everything into separate components. To prevent any inconsistencies, your screenplay should mostly adhere to a three- or four-act structure. This way, you can easily resolve all of your loose ends while avoiding any aimless plot lines.

Once you create separate sections for your screenplay, you should begin outlining the events that will unfold. Keep in mind that what happens in act Act One should logically precipitate the actions which occur in Act Two and so forth. As the plot is moving along, remember to continue building tension, which ultimately helps piece together all the elements of your screenplay.

Step #4 – Write Your Screenplay

Now that all of your pre-writing efforts are complete, you can begin the actual writing process. Remember, the screenwriting format is much different from that of a novel, essay, poem, and other forms of creative writing. The format is very strict, and it includes your dialogue, slug lines, transitions, descriptions, and more.

The good news is that you can access plenty of websites and online resources for screenwriting. A few of them include:

• Final Draft
• Movie Magic Screenwriter
• Studiobinder

Step #5 – Revise, Revise, Revise

Most major Hollywood studios will ask you to submit multiple drafts of your screenplay before they ultimately approve it. Why? They want you to condense your writing so that the final version is seamless, easy to read, and free of any errors. Think about it, who wants to watch a movie riddled with long monologues and diatribes? You're trimming the fat from your screenplay because you want your writing to appear clean, crisp, dynamic, and not too wordy.

The Art of Writing a Screenplay

Screenplays are akin to a mathematic equation: you have different variables and expressions that you need to arrange to discover the correct answer. You're undergoing a difficult task – screenwriting requires a lot of patience, discipline, commitment, and a willingness to improve and critique yourself. However, if you apply the principles discussed in this article to your writing approach, your screenplay will turn out amazingly good!

To learn more about the fundamentals of fiction writing, feel free to visit my blog – Nicholas Pappas at vocal.media. Also, I encourage you to check my most recent short story, entitled "O'Sullivan's Law" – it depicts an alternative political reality in the United States that can have potentially dangerous repercussions for everyone.