OK. How do you write a screenplay? Here's ten headlines. Ten rules of thumb. Ten stepping stones I follow religiously. Follow them conscientiously in order and you WILL see results. I promise.
1. You need one person at the heart of what you are writing who is very much loved by at least one or two people in the world of your story. They should really love this person in fact, because you're going to really hurt this person, hurt them badly, and the reactions of the other characters are what will power the story.
2. Be sensible about genres. Don't go writing cowboy rap movies with horror elements, a bit of slapstick and a great political thriller narrative. No-one's going to like that. Ram one or two genres together, and stick to them.
3. Happy endings stink, right? Wrong. They're harder to write well than the average load of gloom dished out by the average amateur writer, they tend to deliver better word of mouth, and they tend to make people happy. I strongly suggest you plan for a happy ending.
4. Write a hero that you love, and then torture them. Get them torn into by two equally powerful - and fully earned - desires at the end of the story. Resolving that dilemma is an important part of your story climax.
5. Design your villain so they can attack your hero in the most personal, damaging, agonising way. Love your villain as much as your hero.
6. Get your story right before you write a word of dialogue. Write a prose treatment of this story, describing what happens to your beloved lead character.
7, Give this prose treatment out to a bunch of your friends. Make them read it. And then listen to what they say. Don't defend yourself, just listen. When three or more of them identify the same problem, well, you probably do have that problem.
8. Pick the first paragraph in your treatment. Think about it over and over again, visualise it in the bath, when you wake up, when you are walking along the street. Visualise what happens until you can run it through like a little movie in your mind, seeing what happens, almost hearing the dialogue. This will be your first sequence.
9. Get that mini-movie down on paper, as fast as you like. Don't worry too much about layout right now, that can come later. But just write those scenes so they're vivid, and real and make you feel something when you read them back.
10. Do 8 and 9 over and over, paragraph to mind mini-movie to sequence on the page, until you reach the last page of the treatment.
There you have it. You've got to page 100. That's your first draft, sitting there, beaming at you.
Format it. Print it. Weigh it in your hand. Admire it. You should be proud. Few people get this far. And if you followed these steps, it's going to be far more readable than anything else you have written.
1. You need one person at the heart of what you are writing who is very much loved by at least one or two people in the world of your story. They should really love this person in fact, because you're going to really hurt this person, hurt them badly, and the reactions of the other characters are what will power the story.
2. Be sensible about genres. Don't go writing cowboy rap movies with horror elements, a bit of slapstick and a great political thriller narrative. No-one's going to like that. Ram one or two genres together, and stick to them.
3. Happy endings stink, right? Wrong. They're harder to write well than the average load of gloom dished out by the average amateur writer, they tend to deliver better word of mouth, and they tend to make people happy. I strongly suggest you plan for a happy ending.
4. Write a hero that you love, and then torture them. Get them torn into by two equally powerful - and fully earned - desires at the end of the story. Resolving that dilemma is an important part of your story climax.
5. Design your villain so they can attack your hero in the most personal, damaging, agonising way. Love your villain as much as your hero.
6. Get your story right before you write a word of dialogue. Write a prose treatment of this story, describing what happens to your beloved lead character.
7, Give this prose treatment out to a bunch of your friends. Make them read it. And then listen to what they say. Don't defend yourself, just listen. When three or more of them identify the same problem, well, you probably do have that problem.
8. Pick the first paragraph in your treatment. Think about it over and over again, visualise it in the bath, when you wake up, when you are walking along the street. Visualise what happens until you can run it through like a little movie in your mind, seeing what happens, almost hearing the dialogue. This will be your first sequence.
9. Get that mini-movie down on paper, as fast as you like. Don't worry too much about layout right now, that can come later. But just write those scenes so they're vivid, and real and make you feel something when you read them back.
10. Do 8 and 9 over and over, paragraph to mind mini-movie to sequence on the page, until you reach the last page of the treatment.
There you have it. You've got to page 100. That's your first draft, sitting there, beaming at you.
Format it. Print it. Weigh it in your hand. Admire it. You should be proud. Few people get this far. And if you followed these steps, it's going to be far more readable than anything else you have written.
About the Author:
Phil Gladwin has done battle with evil TV execs on a daily basis since 1995. He's a screenwriter and editor, and has created a useful screenwriting website that is packed full of essential information for the ambitious screenwriter. He's also designed a great piece of screenwriting software that helps you build your narrative along fully professional lines.
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