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How to Write a Screenplay in 10 Steps
How to write a screenplay often elicits equal parts excitement and apprehension.
You have a great idea you want to share with the world, but… You also don’t know how to translate that idea into a 100-page script.
Even screenwriting greats like Aaron Sorkin or Nora Ephron were once novices, so there’s no shame in just starting out. Unlike Sorkin or Ephron, though, you have in front of you our comprehensive breakdown of exactly how to write a screenplay.
Plus, we spoke with Screenwriter Richard Wenk (The Magnificent Seven, The Equalizer, 16 Blocks) who provided comprehensive real-world insights and advice for those looking to break into the entertainment business.
All too frequently people think you only need inspiration to write a great script. The truth? There’s very much a process involved with how to write a screenplay.
Let’s dive in and explore that process!
Here are 10 steps you can use for how to write a screenplay:
- Learn what makes a great movie
- Choose your screenwriting software
- Create your logline and outline
- Flesh out your characters
- Build your story structure
- Write a first draft
- Put your script away
- Go into the editing phase
- Get feedback
- Rewrite some more
1. Learn What Makes a Great Movie
Read well-written scripts
As they say, “It all starts on the page.” Which is why you should study as many scripts as you can prior to starting on your own screenplay. But the truth is that reading and studying scripts should be a career-long pursuit regardless of how long you’ve been writing your own.
Great scripts will not only inspire you to write one of your own. They can also help you understand the more technical elements like dialogue and action lines that made these scripts gripping well before they were made into films.
Watch compelling films
A lot of emphasis is put on the need for scripts to be great before production begins. Makes sense. But a script–even a fantastic one!–is only a precursor to what it’s ultimately supposed to be: a movie.
It’s just as important for emerging Screenwriters to watch compelling movies to better understand how a written story can make for a visually enthralling experience. When possible, Writers should read the script and watch the film version of a story to see how it translates from screenplay to screen.
2. Choose Your Screenwriting Software
Once you’re ready to tackle your own script, it’s time to move on to the next step of how to write a screenplay–choosing your screenwriting software.
From reading other scripts, you likely have already figured out that screenplays come with a format all their own. They’re not poems. They’re not prose. They’re not newspaper articles or novels.
Check out this video for a deep dive into some of your screenwriting software options.
All to say that you need a screenwriting software program to help you properly format your script. Keep in mind a few essential elements when researching scripting software:
Try out different options
While there is a formatting standard in screenwriting, each software program you come across likely has its own way of helping you write one. You may like the functionality of one or the intuitiveness of another. All to say, test out a few options before committing to one.
Why? Because the program that’s easiest for you to navigate will likely make it easier for you to sit down in front of that computer screen and commit to writing on a regular basis. Some of the more popular screenwriting programs include:
- Arc Studio
- Celtx
- Fade In
- Final Draft
- Storyist
- Movie Magic Screenwriter
- Page 2 Stage
- Slugline
- Trelby
- WriterDuet
Many software programs offer some kind of free trial period, so you don’t have to break the bank while deciding which one will best help you learn how to write a screenplay.
Master your formatting elements
Just 40 years ago, there was no such thing as software programs of any kind. That meant screenwriters were forced to punch out their scripts via typewriter and be vigilant about making sure they were formatting them correctly.
Between your screenwriting software and other learning resources, there’s no excuse for poor screenplay formatting. This video breaks down the most common formatting elements.
Nowadays, screenwriting software does most of the work for us. That’s great, but it’s important to understand the function of each screenwriting element so that you are making purposeful decisions with each scene heading, action line, and parenthetical used in your screenplays.
Some of the most common screenplay elements are:
- Scene headings: Also referred to as slug lines. They typically include where the scene takes place (interior or exterior space), the specific location, and the time of day.
- Character names: The character name or ID will always sit above the dialogue of that character. To make it easy on your reader, give your characters distinct names. For example, don’t have your main protagonists be named Donnie and Dannie or Jane and Joan.
- Action lines: Keep action lines concise and relevant to what can be described visually.
- Dialogue: Dialogue should be dynamic and specific to the character saying it. A good rule of thumb is would you know who’s saying a particular line of dialogue if you didn’t have the character name?
- Parentheticals: Used to provide more context to how a line of dialogue is intended to be spoken. Use sparingly.
- Extensions: Extensions are used to provide context to dialogue as well. Specifically, to denote if dialogue is being spoken off screen or as voiceover.
- Subheaders: Subheaders can be useful to denote more specific locations within a scene. For instance, you might open on a house but use subheaders to indicate different rooms in it.
- More/Cont’d: Often the inclusion of “More” or “Cont’d” is done automatically by your screenwriting software. They denote a character who continues their dialogue after a page break or break for other reasons (like an action line).
- Fade In/Fade Out: Often the first and last words of a screenplay.
- Montage: The inclusion of the term “Montage” or “Montage Begins” or a variant of that phrasing might be used to show a rapid series of scenes within a script.
Most formatting elements you will use in every single screenplay you write, so it’s important to fully understand the purpose of each and how they work together to tell a story.
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3. Create Your Logline and Outline
Don’t make screenwriting any harder than it needs to be… Before you to write “FADE IN,” make sure you’ve done the preliminary work. Whatever you intend to write, whatever story you want to tell, be as prepared as possible to write the story you’re visualizing in your head.
First, let’s talk about loglines. A logline is a single sentence that provides a concise, clear, and compelling account of your script’s story. Sounds like an impossible task, doesn’t it?
But it can be done. More importantly, it must be done. Many Producers, Studio Executives, and others who may be interested in your screenplay will first want to hear your logline before committing to reading a 100-page script.
It’s a little sentence that must convey a lot. This video breaks down how to write an effective logline.
However, the logline is equally important for making sure you stay true to the story you intend to tell. Of course, you can change the logline should you decide that your story should change. But in many cases, it serves as a valuable touchstone as you write your script to ensure that you’re not veering away from the foundation of your story.
Now on to the outline.
Every Screenwriter will have their own preferred method when it comes to using an outline or treatment or beat sheet in preparation for writing their screenplay. But the point that needs to be made here is to have something.
An outline functions very much as a road map that you can follow as you write your script. So can a film treatment or beat sheet, but in most cases, the outline is a more detailed blueprint that offers more precise coordinates for where you want to go.
A few tips as you write your outline:
Make each scene count
Every scene in a screenplay should either inform the characters or progress the plot. Ideally, it should do both.
Keep the audience on their toes
A scene where two characters are just enjoying a nice cup of coffee together is… well… boring. Stories and screenplays are about conflict, which is why every scene should have some element of tension.
4. Flesh Out Your Characters
Traveling through time. Overcoming an alien attack. Surviving a volcanic eruption. They’re all intriguing concepts, but without equally intriguing characters that experience those circumstances, your screenplay will fall flat.
Your preliminary outline should help in giving you a head-start in creating dynamic, compelling characters, but your work is hardly done yet. It’s vital to the success of your story that you have characters that future audiences love, hate, identify with, or wish to be like.
Protagonist
Whose journey will an audience be following? This is your protagonist, but don’t let the title fool you. “Pro” does not mean perfect. In fact, that would make for a very boring central character. Instead, explore their flaws–especially if those flaws obstruct their goal or want–which is a key element of a compelling protagonist.
Antagonist
Who is getting in the way of the protagonist’s goal? This is your antagonist, but don’t limit yourself strictly to human characters. Yes, an antagonist can be a person like Biff from Back to the Future, Hans Gruber from Die Hard, or Margaret White from Carrie, but it doesn’t have to be.
It can be another species like an alien or giant shark. It can be a force of nature like a volcano or hurricane. But whatever it is, make sure they have their own reasons for existing beyond just making things harder for the protagonist. A great villain is a person or thing that doesn’t think they’re bad at all.
Supporting characters
Some stories are so streamlined that you really do have just the protagonist and antagonist. But in most cases, you’re going to have a cast beyond these two characters. If so, make them just as dimensional and necessary to the story as those other key figures. While, yes, supporting characters are there to support the central storyline, they should also have lives, wants, and flaws of their own.
No matter if we’re talking about the protagonist, antagonist, or supporting characters, it’s imperative that every single person in your script have a distinct voice. Just like the people in your own life have individual personalities and ways of moving through the world, so too should the characters you’re creating for your script.
5. Build Your Story Structure
Story structure and the elements commonly associated with it – inciting incident, plot progression, conflict, final climax, and resolution – will by necessity be part of your outline.
This is another reason why outlining your script can be a such an important part of how to write a screenplay: It can help you identify the weaker points of your story.
Before starting a screenplay, it’s important to have on hand the documents that can make that process easier. This video discusses how to create a script outline.
In many cases, there’s actually too little conflict! It makes sense. Screenwriters often fall in love with their characters and don’t want them to suffer. But remember, there is no story if there are no obstacles or stakes on the line.
All to say, be hard on your characters and hard on your story structure. Make sure it organically builds to your final climax. Make sure each plot point makes sense in the world of your story.
For instance, would Luke be as motivated to take on Darth Vader if he didn’t think his family had been murdered by him? That plot point – and conflict arising from it – are necessary for Luke’s decision to become a Jedi and take on the Empire.
Identifying your story structure will also help you figure out which elements are extraneous to it. A tight 90-page script is much better than a bloated 120-page one.
6. Write a First Draft
All right, you did your research. You mapped out the trajectory of your story. You developed nuanced and detailed characters. Now it’s time to get down to the business of actually writing your script.
Starting the writing process can truly be the hardest part of creating a screenplay. This video offers some advice on how to get over that creative hump.
Here’s the thing… It will probably be bad. Maybe mediocre. But certainly not great. And that’s okay! It’s just a first draft.
Ease up on having overly high expectations of yourself or your script. Just write. Write through your doubts. Write through your second guesses. Just get it on the page. You can shape it into a masterpiece later.
7. Put Your Script Away
And we do mean put it away. Or rather don’t open that computer file.
Once you finish the first draft, stop working on your script. Not forever because it certainly will need more work, but at the very least, take off a few days, weeks, or even months. Breathe. Watch more movies and read more screenplays. Maybe brainstorm your next idea. Then come back to your script with fresh eyes.
8. Go into the Editing Phase
It’s such an overused phrase, but it’s still entirely true: “Writing is rewriting.” We’re going to take that clump of clay that is called a first draft and make it into a beautiful work of art. But it will take time and lots of edits.
The good news is that if you’ve taken a sufficient beak from that first draft, you’ll see many of the flaws that need to be addressed and can knock them out accordingly.
Editing a script is often easier than initially writing it, but this video offers some additional tips to simplify and smooth out the process. TLDR: Cut whenever possible!
How you go about making edits is largely up to you.
Some Screenwriters focus on a single element at a time. For instance, they’ll do a character pass where they focus only on fixing what’s not working about their protagonist, antagonist, or supporting characters. Similarly, some Writers concentrate only on editing their dialogue or action lines during a pass.
Other Writer just go page by page to strengthen, tweak, or delete whatever’s not working on it. It’s up to you just as long as you do it.
9. Get Feedback
Once you feel like you’ve put in the work and have crafted a strong script, it’s time to see if others feel the same way. Yes, handing off your script to someone else for feedback is a very scary proposition, but it’s also a very necessary part of how to write a screenplay.
You don’t have to share your work with everyone. In fact, we’d recommend against it.
How can you best incorporate the notes you get while staying true to your storytelling vision? This video explains.
Instead, choose just a few people who meet the following criteria:
- They understand the specific nuances of how to write a screenplay. In other words, not your mom (probably).
- They’ll give you honest feedback. While it would feel really nice to have someone tell you that your script is perfect in every way and ready to be made into a movie, that’s probably not the case. So find someone who will tell you the truth about what needs additional work.
If you have specific questions that you’d like your reader to pay particular attention to, let them know. That being said, if you trust their opinion, it’s likely that they’ll bring to your attention weak elements that you didn’t even notice. And that’s exactly why we ask for feedback on our scripts!
10. Rewrite Some More
After you’ve put so much work into your script, the idea of making yet more edits might sound a wee bit demoralizing. But especially when you have others telling you that certain elements aren’t working for them, you owe it to them, yourself, and your story to address those issues.
That doesn’t mean you have to take every single note you get. But if you have two or more people flagging the same problem, take it seriously and try to understand why it’s standing out in your script.
What are some guidelines to keep in mind as you’re writing a screenplay? This video breaks down these important unwritten rules.
Think about it this way… You’re likely going to have only one chance to make an impression on that Manager, Agent, or Producer who has expressed an interest in your script. So it has to be as perfect as possible.
In addition to addressing notes you’re given, look at your script with your own critical eye. Are there scenes, characters, or lines of dialogue that you don’t need? Cut them!
Another common saying in screenwriting is “sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” It can be a heartbreaking experience, but ultimately it’s for the greater good of the story.
In Closing
Learning how to write a screenplay is an involved undertaking, but one that can help you realize your creative vision. And with practice, you’ll find a series of steps that work for you.
While not an easy task, by fully investing in the process of writing a screenplay, you’ll come out on the other side with a wholly unique work that hopefully will be shared, appreciated, and enjoyed one day by others as a film or TV show.
FAQ
How do you start writing a screenplay?
I like to read a bunch of screenplays and watch a bunch of those movies. I think the way I learned to write screenplays was by reading many of them. You can find them online. They’re all different in terms of writing styles and in terms of craft. But all successful screenplays have the same sort of benchmarks, which are good structure, compelling characters, and many twists, turns, and surprises to keep the reader turning the page.
Because screenplays are documents that are sort of blueprints for a movie, they can sometimes be hard to read. They aren’t like novels, plays, or things that flow. They’re broken up by sluglines, pieces of dialog, and descriptions of things that you have to imagine in your head. So when I found ones that were easier to read, I sort of adapted that style of writing. Writing visceral descriptions that are short and make people understand things quickly and vividly is something you learn over time–by doing it a lot and by reading a lot.
Can you write a screenplay with no experience?
Everyone has to start somewhere, so yes, you can write a screenplay with no experience. However, it’s important to educate yourself as much as possible on the craft of screenwriting to better understand how create a script that gets (good!) attention. Some aspects of screenwriting with which to familiarize yourself are structure, characterization, and screenplay formatting.
What are the five elements of a screenplay format?
Screenplays include specific elements that set them apart from other written forms of storytelling. The five most utilized elements are scene headings, action lines, character names, dialogue, and parentheticals.
How long is a script for a two-hour movie?
The general adage regarding screenplay length is that one page equal one minute of screentime. Though that common knowledge can vary depending on what is written on that page – for instance, action versus dialogue – it roughly translates into 120 pages for a two-hour movie.
What kind of education is needed to become a Screenwriter?
I read a lot. When I was younger, I read novels. Charles Dickens, the Russian novels, I read Elmore Leonard novels. I read a lot, and that helps you understand storytelling.
One of the things that’s often lacking, even in good screenplays, is the ability to tell a story. People can write scenes, they can have ideas, they can have a character they like, but trying to tell that in a story that lasts 100 pages is not easy. The more stories you know, the more stories you like, the more things that you’ve already read and seen–that will make you write something newer and fresher. So that’s number one. Just read a lot.
Two: Watch a lot of movies. Movies you like. Movies that work for you. Movies that surprise you, make you emotional. Watch movies that don’t work and identify why that is. That’s very important because they all started with a screenplay. Somebody wrote them.
So, find what movies you like and see why they work. You don’t need to go to school for it. You have all the tools online, on YouTube, in the movie theaters, and on streaming services to watch and read. It’s all about just learning how to tell a story.
How do you know if a screenplay is good?
What I do now (and I don’t think it’s possible for younger Screenwriters) is I have certain people I trust that have read other screenplays and made other movies. I send [my screenplay] to three or four people that I trust and they read it. If I get two or three of the same comments about it, I know that they’re probably on to something and I need to address that.
I think you just have to start to slowly–and this is very important: slowly–show it to people that have some connection to the business, even if it’s just a parent or a friend of a friend, who can give you honest feedback. “I read it. I liked it. I was confused. It felt long. I didn’t understand,” or, “I was so excited when that happened.” All those things are very important.
The other way to do it is to just compare it to a movie, a story, or a screen story that you have seen before in the same genre, whether it’s a caper movie, a thriller, or a horror movie, and just look at why that’s successful, or why that worked for you, and ask yourself does yours have those elements in it, too?
Ultimately, you know a screenplay is good if, as you’re reading it, you want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. If it keeps you engaged, if the characters act in real, truthful ways, and the story keeps you guessing, wanting to know what’s going to happen next, it’s more than likely a good screenplay.
How can Writers get their screenplays noticed by decision-makers?
This is a tough one. Not many people like to read unsolicited screenplays. That’s always been the thing you have to overcome. But my Manager does read them sometimes, based on the note and letter that is attached to it. So, if you can, write a rooted, smart, very short note explaining what it is and why you think it’s valuable and something they should read.
This is one other piece of advice I would give: write something commercial. By that, I mean something someone would write a check for, buy a ticket for, or spend money on. That gets read faster than your story about growing up in South Carolina or your summer there, right? It may be beautiful and great, but it will be harder to find its way to people. But if you wrote a movie that says–I’ll give you one of mine–“this guy has to go sixteen blocks in ninety minutes,” people understand that it’s a thriller. That’s the poster. People react to things that sound like they could be good and sellable.
I remember reading Thelma & Louise by Callie Khouri. That was her first screenplay, and it was hardly in screenplay format. It was obviously someone who hadn’t written a screenplay before, but it was very compelling and it found its way to Ridley Scott. I was working with him, and I read it, and I was compelled by it. So, movies or screenplays that are smaller can still be successful.
The first screenplay that I wrote was based on a poster that a famous Producer showed me and said, “I need a movie to go with this poster.” That was Roger Corman, and he’s famous for one-liner kinds of things that can sell. This was called Vamp, and he just said, “If you could write a movie with strippers, college kids, and vampires in it, you can direct it.”
And that was it: that was the conceit of the movie. It was a horror movie. I decided to make it take place in less than twenty-four hours, so it was all compressed. I came up with a couple of things and then I wrote it. But it was a very commercial sort of approach. It had humor in it, it had scares in it, and it had a title that they could market. So I was actually given that.
If I was just starting out, I would look around at the landscape. I would look at movies that are getting made and that are being received, and I’d start to think about what my story is that could fall into that. It’s a much faster way to get a movie to someone like my Agent who will read something and go, “You know what? I’m gonna give it to my Assistant to read.” Usually, they send them back, but when they see something that has potential: “Wow. That’s really smart. That could be really good. That shows talent and ability. Why don’t you read that and let me know how that is?”
And then what happens is they read it and go, “It’s really good. Maybe we should call that person. We should have a conversation.” It goes from there. It’s a networking business. Somebody knows somebody who knows somebody, and if your screenplay is good, it will eventually get to the right person.
Anything else you think aspiring Screenwriters need to know about?
There are two scripts: the one that you write and the one that they make. And make no mistake, they’re different. And I don’t mean different so much in content but in style.
You start with “INT. HOUSE – DAY.” I don’t use those anymore because that’s hard to read. People read them all the time, and they see the same house in their heads all the time. I would suggest that you find a way to tell your story where people are imagining it in their heads. For example, I just finished a movie, and the first line was, “We’re not in Kansas anymore. We are in a….” and all of a sudden, you’re reading it and it all flows together. There are many screenplays around that do it, and they do it well.
William Goldman’s book Adventures in the Screen Trade is like a bible for Screenwriters. It still holds up. His screenplay style is very famous and very readable. So I would start with that book because it gives you a pretty good sense of the business. His famous quote is, “Nobody knows anything,” which is true. If they knew how to make a hit movie, they would be making it. And he wrote Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride, Marathon Man, and All the President’s Men, so he’s a very successful Screenwriter. And he’s also written some not-so-great things, right? It’s a book that tells you how to navigate and how to think as a Writer of movies, and that’s an important thing.
People always think their story is compelling, and when you compare it to say, I don’t know, Slumdog Millionaire or something, someone else’s story, it’s not. So I think that you really have to be realistic. It’s a business. It’s called show business. I learned early on that I have to write something that someone is willing to spend money on. And people forget that.
Somebody’s gonna write a check to buy it. Someone’s gonna write a check to cast it, make it. There are gonna be millions of dollars spent on your script. So you need to think, “Why would they?” People forget that. And then you can go write your personal screenplay; you can write a smaller movie when you become successful and you’ve got a movie made already, you know?
People want to know what your next movie is. You’ll find a Director who wants to work with you. It’s a very interesting push-pull and give and take. But if you’re starting out and you want to get your foot in the door, people are looking for things to make, not to develop.
Sources
Richard Wenk
Richard Wenk is an American Screenwriter and Producer best known for THE EQUALIZER franchise.
Born in Metuchen, New Jersey, Wenk developed an interest in film while in high school after being introduced to the vibrant revival house scene in New York City. He went on to pursue a degree in film studies at New York University, and began landing production jobs shortly after graduation.
He wrote and directed his first film, the horror classic VAMP, starring Grace Jones. Next Wenk wrote, directed, and produced the romantic comedy JUST THE TICKET starring Andy Garcia and Andie MacDowell. Richard Donner made Wenk’s thriller 16 BLOCKS with star Bruce Willis. The success of that film was followed by a string of big-budget films, such as the Jason Statham-led remake of THE MECHANIC. The following year, Wenk was tapped to pen THE EXPENDABLES 2, the successful follow-up to Sylvester Stallone actioner. Wenk wrote and produced THE EQUALIZER and EQUALIZER 2 starring Denzel Washington and has finished the screenplay for THE EQUALIZER 3 slated to shoot next spring in Italy. Additional Writer and Producer credits include JACK REACHER 2 starring Tom Cruise and MAGNIFICENT SEVEN starring Denzel Washington. Wenk has also penned the upcoming Marvel movie KRAVEN THE HUNTER for Sony Pictures and the thriller FAST CHARLIE starring Pierce Brosnan and Morgan Freeman directed by Phillip Noyce.
Wenk has also created the upcoming TV series VANISHING ACT for Amazon.