I write screenplays professionally and teach others to do the same. Follow me for 2x daily posts on all things screenwriting.
After screenwriting professionally for 27 years, I have settled on a process that gives me the quickest route to a polished draft. Here are the five primary steps. ๐ ๐ญ. ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ-๐ข๐๐๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ This is when I determine the story, dramatic question, and general concept that I will exploit in the drama. I use these to generate as many great scenes and emotional moments as I can. ๐ฎ. ๐ข๐๐๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐. I take the scenes I generated in the pre-outline phase and patch them into a narrative using the decisions about the story and the dramatic question. I still use the corkboard and index cards for this. I like to see it visually on the wall. ๐ฏ. ๐ช๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ I used to hate this phase, but now I love it. This is when my writing starts. Writing out one paragraph per scene forces me to be decisive about those scenes as well as exploit and explore things that may surprise me. ๐ฐ. ๐ช๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ This is now comparatively a breeze. I start each day knowing what I want to do, and I mostly have fun doing it. There is also plenty of room left for surprises, but because I have done the work, I know which surprises help me and which ones do not. ๐ฑ. ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ This is an obvious phase, but because of what I have done in the previous steps I don't spend as much time here as I used to. This is because I am not searching. I have made decisions so it's always about how to best execute those decisions. -- Of course, everyone is different, but this process and value system contribute to a consistency in my work that I did not possess in my early years. I spend less floundering and rarely pursue fatally flawed projects. It has made the whole thing more fun. ๐ง๐๐๐ง'๐ฆ ๐ ๐ช๐ฅ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐ง! If you enjoyed this post and are interested in #screenwriting: 1. Follow me for more of these. 2. And share it if you think others will find it helpful! Join 5k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email. It's the best 5-minute investment you will make in your screenwriting all week. https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc
Bob Johnson
2mo
When writing your treatment, is it one paragraph per scene, or per sequence of scenes? I find that I'll have 20 or 30 sequences but will end up with 100 or more scene headings.
Austin Oguri
2mo
Excellent process! I do things similarly myself when I write. Always love to see professionals sharing how they do things!
Kimberly Kiser
2mo
Thank you. I find this very helpful
Jesse Koepke
2mo
Love the process! Can You zoom in on revisions? I tend to get stuck there, feeling a little intimidated by climbing the mountain again.
Bound
2mo
Seems to be a great process!
Adam Green
2mo
At what point in your workflow do you work on character? And when your characters start to come together, do you find that they begin to influence the shape of your story based on what they would do in a given situation? Or do you tend to mould them to fit your story needs?
Allen Johnson
2mo
Sounds much like how I approach things. I typically add a pre- #1 step where I'll chat with the Producers / Department heads about budgets, what assets they want built into the story, and if anyone has basically been cast already and I should be writing the part for them (or writing it to lure them).
Dodie Jacobi
2mo
Love seeing these processes even though I donโt aspire to screenwrite, the early phases you describe help me shape developing properties. And all is very similar to my writing processes for marketing and education.
I write screenplays professionally and teach others to do the same. Follow me for 2x daily posts on all things screenwriting.
2moInterested in screenwriting?ย I share everything I learned over 27 years as a professional screenwriter in my Story and Plot Weekly Email. It's a free screenwriting lesson every Tuesday morning.ย Subscribe here: https://storyandplot.link/linkedin