How to Write a Screenplay

CONCLUSION

Writers who obsess over writing well-structured screenplays end up with a stiff and by-the-numbers story.  They are afraid to veer too far from the outline or beat sheet.  Although screenplays don’t do well with tangents, the writing process does.  If you do not “run with” an idea to explore it, you may miss out on the chance to find something better than what is in the script now. 

A writer who writes without structure will stumble upon many good ideas during the process of writing.  However, a bunch of creative ideas and moments don’t just magically string together to create a good screenplay.  Writers who write this way must be willing and excited about throwing away 60 pages in a heartbeat.  It’s not that those 60 pages were wasted.  They lead to the insight that allows a writer to continue with a sense of structure and a clearly-defined endpoint.

Writing a screenplay is a tug and war between order and chaos. 

During your first draft, it’s okay to err on the side of chaos.   Allow yourself the freedom “to vomit” stuff on the page in any way it wants to come out.  And then later, like a documentary filmmaker looks through hours and hours of footage, you will sift through the pages and pages of material and only use what you need to tell the story.

It’s also okay to write a polished Phantom Treatment and let it guide you through several big sections of your script.  But don’t be afraid to veer from your structure once in while.  Like in a fairy tale, getting lost in the woods is scary but often leads to exciting new adventures.

When you are ready to market your script, check out Heather Hale and Michael Lent’s websites on CS Web.  And if you feel like you need some more help with your script, think about joining a writer’s group, coming out to the Screenwriting Expo (Oct. or Nov. every year in Los Angeles) or getting help from someone like me.

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