How to write a screenplay:

1. Come up with a great idea! It must be about a protagonist who embarks on the quest. That could be a guy (protagonist) who saves the planet earth from an incoming asteroid (quest). It can be with regards to a woman who has to re-enter the work-force once you have divorced. It may be with regards to a group of mountain-climbers who climb Mount Everest.
2. Find screenwriting software that you like. There are top-notch screen-writing programs available at almost any price-point. If you can’t spare the money, there are also excellent free possibilities.
3. Make your protagonist or main-character. The person the movie’s likely to be about. Give him reveal backstory.
4. Give your protagonist a character-flaw or internal-conflict. Maybe he’s a drunk. Maybe he’s a racist. Maybe he treats his children poorly. It could be anything. Simply so long as this character-flaw is preventing your protagonist from achieving their goal.
5. Create fully fleshed-out supporting-characters. Some may be attempting to strengthen your protagonist, some could be working against him. Let them have backstories and names.

6. Convert your idea onto a 3 act strucutre. Your protagonist should choose to set about their quest at the end of the very first act (the 1st turning-point). There must be a false-victory or defeat at around the mid-point. The stakes should rise dramatically at the end of the 2nd act (2nd turning point), and also the quest should be decided on the climax.
7. While using story-structure you just created, create all of your scenes. Don’t get worried about writing the scenes themselves, such as the action or dialogue, just write down a quick sentence or two over a cue card by what needs to happen in that scene.
8. You ought to have a pile of cue cards, listing your entire scenes – along with what you must do in every one. Now is the time for some minor re-organizing, if you want. Just re-arrange the cue cards!
9. After you have your storyline, you’re ready to start writing your screenplay! Take the first cue card off of the pile and jot it down! You will need to flesh it, needless to say. You will have to add dialogue and action.
10. Congratulations, you’re now a screenwriter! You just wrote your first Hollywood-style screenplay! Now you must to transmit it out to film-producers and movie studios!

For much more detailed instructions about how to write a film script, please check out our free online screenwriting course at SCREENPLAY.today!

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