Writing a Screenplay: Where to Begin

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW

Like any artist, it is good to learn the basics while you are exploring your own style. In this first blog of a series of articles, I will be sharing what I have learned in my studies and professional experiences.

What do you start with?

The best advice I received when I first started out was “write what you know”. It could be anything from your life experiences. If you find it difficult to think of an idea, or you think that nothing interesting happens in your life, take the simplest of events and add drama to it. Let the creative juices flow! What many professionals writers do is take that mundane task and ask themselves “what if”. Say I’m at the grocery store, like I am most Sundays, and I pick up an apple from the top of the pile and suddenly the whole stack of apples just started rolling and everyone’s looking and I don’t know if I should continue shopping and act like it wasn’t me, should I leave the store immediately? You have a scene started! If you are ready to think outside the box a bit, try to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Think “I wonder what my neighbors do in their spare time?”. Speculate short scenarios and let your imagination run wild! Literally anything can inspire you to write: a Facebook status, your favorite podcast, a guilty pleasure song, you name it. The world is your muse! 

How do you create Plot?

Plot is everything in storytelling. At its most basic definition, plot is all the events in the story thoughtfully placed into order by the writer. As a screenwriter, there is a bit more to it. When you create plot, you think about what your character wants and needs (yup! these are two separate things). This will help you weave your character through the world you’ve created in a sequence that helps them get what they want or need. It can be easy to overthink when writing out your plot. It doesn’t need to be as adventurous as a Marvel movie. Many of the best movies have a very simple plot that is based on average life problems. 

If you are not sure if your plot is “interesting enough”, a useful question to ask yourself is: “would I spend 90 minutes watching this story?” Scripts go through many drafts, so don’t feel pressured to get it right the first time.

Your Characters

Here are the basic structural elements to help you get started! 

A protagonist is the hero of the story. This is the main character that the audience follows from beginning to end. The protagonist goes on a quest to achieve their goal, and typically transforms through a character arc by the time we reach the end of the script. 

A character arc is when a character starts the story with one personality trait and grows into a different (usually better) person when the story ends. 

An antagonist is a character that is usually labelled as the “bad guy” or “villain”. Their main purpose is to stop the protagonist from reaching their goal. An antagonist can also be multi-dimensional and go through a character arc.

Three Act Structure

Three Act Structure is a tool that separates a story into three parts - act one (beginning), act two (middle), and act three (end). Each act has its own elements to move the story forward. Act one sets up the story: who are the characters, where does the story take place, what is the goal for the protagonist (the hero), etc. Act Two is the “adventure” part of the story or the hero’s journey. This is where the protagonist overcomes obstacles in their path on their way to achieve the goal they set in Act One. Between act two and act three, the hero reaches a low-point, where they hit rock bottom and all hope seems lost. Then the hero is back on their feet, finding an alternative route to reach their goal. In act three, our protagonist achieves what they were after and the story resolves.

Think of it like a ski lift. Our hero’s stakes increase as we progress through the story, taking us higher and higher. The higher the stakes (obstacles or things that the hero will lose) the greater the loss at the low point, and the more satisfying the climax and resolution will be. 

Not every movie you see gets a happy ending, but all scripts have some form of this structure embedded in them. When you’re first starting out as a screenwriter, following a three act structure will help you shape your story to industry standards.

How do I know if my script is good?

Scripts go through many, many drafts. Some writers will say “a script is never finished” even after its filmed and distributed. After completing a first draft, I always like to put it aside. Being intensely involved in a story can be very creatively draining. It’s important to give yourself a break. Take as long as you need: a couple days, a week, or a month and look at your script with fresh eyes.

When you’re ready to review the script, instead of jumping right in to make edits, read through it. Read it twice. Are you able to picture the scenes in your head? How are the transitions from scene to scene? Do each of your character’s have a distinct voice? Are the stakes high enough for your protagonist? These are just some of the questions to ask yourself and objectively analyze your script. 

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