I'm relatively new here and it's hard to know where I fit in. I'm not sure this was the right place to post this but it seemed close enough.

I never gave screenwriting a thought for a career...ever. My career path was not exactly related to this at all.

In a moment of boredom while traveling for work, I had an idea for TV show. The idea turned into images and scenes. I could see and hear everything that was happening in this story in my head. Then I started to type it out and as I did, I tried to learn about how to format the script.

In the meantime, a story for a feature film came into my mind and I'm in the process of writing that now. I have no expectations, really. I'm just writing this and then see what happens. At the very least, I'll be entertaining some friends once I've made the best I can make of the scripts.

What I'm wondering, though, if I'm making a mistake by not outlining, planning and plotting out the storyline in detail before I actually write the script itself. Right now, I'm just writing what I see and hear. In the case of the only work I've completed so far, I've written it, then revised, condensed and edited it to make it better. While some things changed, it was still the same story.

Having never taken a class or read a book on this process, I'm wondering - am I making a huge mistake by going full speed ahead and writing the visions I'm seeing? What am I risking by writing this way?

For the record, I just picked up The Screenwriter's Bible and I'm going through it. I know there are other good sources and work through those in the future.

Most likely, pretty much everyone will say you have to outline.
But honestly, to each his/her own.

I do recommend outlining. The farther you come along as a writer, the more you will realize the importance of it. There are tons of things you don't know about.
There are so many hidden things that go into making a screenplay great.

You will probably think you are doing good writing-wise, but your screenplay probably sucks.
THAT'S ALL RIGHT! Everyone sucks when they start. That's just the way it is.

I would say, go ahead, go full-speed. Write as much and often as you can, have fun with it. The farther you come, the more you will have "AH-HA!" moments. You will go back and know exactly where and what you lacked when you started.

If you can outline, do so. But if the muse is striking you, just go with it.


One of the most valuable pieces of advice I was ever given was this: Don't get it right. Get it written, then get it right.
An old English teach told me that.
Pretty much, when you are writing fast and furious, don't stop to think. Write for as long as you can and then when you've lost that spark, go back and edit.


Hope this helps you some.
And welcome to SS!

First, welcome to the wonderful community that is Simply Scripts. We're a nice (enough) talented (enough) group of people from all over the world. I've been a member for longer than I remember but it's the most unique and smartest group on any message board that I've ever joined.

My advise is to start reading scripts. Read the scripts to your favorite movies to see how things read vs how they look.

I also agree with Steex. A finished 200 page script is better than any idea in your head. Only after it's written will you be able to fix mistakes.

I will add that I outline, and then write, and when I get stuck, I outline again. But I've never been able to finish a feature length script so I'm not the best one to give advice.

What these guys said. Planning and outlining are imperative to screenwriting. But seeing as this would be your first feature and you've already began writing it, I would just finish it. I think the absolute first thing to learn about screenwriting is seeing something through to the end. Once you know it's in your capacity to actually complete something, that's when you start worrying about how to go about getting it done.

Another thing about outlining.

If you don't know screenplay structure in and out, outlining, won't do you that much good.

But when you get more advanced and are trying to juggle a main storyline, subplots, character flaws, goals, relationships, secrets, pacing, tension, etc, outlining is an extremely important and in the end, time saving tool.

First of all, I've already learned that is a great community filled with some fun and talented people. I haven't scratched the surface of it yet in terms of being involved in it.

But I have read a lot on these boards and listened to several BabzBuzz podcats so I've been learning from many of you.

There are so many discussions on formating issues and other technical details, I was surprised to see so little on the creative writing process itself. I realize everyone is unique in how they compose their work, but I had some fear that by not doing something the way it is normally put together I would lead myself into some fundalmental errors.

AB- reading some scripts was exactly how I started. They were not even scripts of shows or movies I even liked or was familiar with...just ones that I thought would be shot in a similar way to what I had in my head.  

The line from Steex's English teacher makes sense to me and seems to be a process that will work best for me.

I figure I can always outline it afterward, but is there a danger in going through the process backwards?

My main fear is not losing the images and dialouge that are so vivid to me right now.

The problem you are likely to run into if you dive in head-first with out outlining is, you will write scenes and dialogue you love. You will be tricked by these scenes, believing they are good and/or necessary to your screenplay. But in actuality, they will kill it.
They will most likely work against you. They might be good snippets, but they will not contribute to the big picture.

Because you wrote them before you realized what your main storyline was, a lot of them will not fit together correctly. That's why you get the famous screenwriting motto, "kill your darlings". It's an extremely hard to thing to do-- deleting your favorite scenes.

My advice, don't delete them. Just remove them from your script and store them somewhere safe. Use them in the future when you can plug them into a scene/screenplay where they will work.

Again, this probably won't hit home with you until you've finished your screenplay and received feedback. You will want to believe they work. You will think that other people are going to love these scenes. But, if they don't progress the story, they are just wasting space.

Don't let this deter you. The HARDEST and most commendable thing about screenwriting is just finishing a damn script. So many people have great ideas. Great set-ups. Amazing endings. Mind-blowing twists. Interesting characters. They work hard on their scripts, days, months, even years. But so few of us actually finish a feature-length screenplay. Don't know why, that's just how it is.

So whatever you can do to get yourself to finish, stick with that and who cares what anyone else thinks. There's always room for improvement.  I say don't overthink until you've finished your first draft.

I'm super long-winded tonight. Sorry.

Hey, whatever works for you.

The first short I wrote was done off a strong idea in my head, and besides the formatting issues (lol lol and more lol) it turned out ok enough.

But the next few got way more difficult to keep... tight... they meandered about and didn't satisfy me.

As I learned more about how-2-screenplay, mostly from simplyscript members and resources, the more important the planning and treatments became.

And now it's at the point I enjoy the planning, the plot wrangling, the treatment star-spangling (poor rhyme but couldn't resist).

So like the first line - whatever works for you. But if you get a bit stuck, or need a new line of story, try it - see if it helps. It might just make the crucial difference between a fun project, and a produced film.

But good luck.

(...and simplyscripts is a great place to share and learn...)

Quoted from Steex Don't let this deter you. The HARDEST and most commendable thing about screenwriting is just finishing a damn script. So many people have great ideas. Great set-ups. Amazing endings. Mind-blowing twists. Interesting characters. They work hard on their scripts, days, months, even years. But so few of us actually finish a feature-length screenplay. Don't know why, that's just how it is....

lol - and this. So much this. Cheers Steex. So true.

Firstly, welcome to SimplyScripts. My advice to you is do whatever you feel comfortable with. If you're just in the stage where you're getting used to writing a script, becoming familiar with formatting et cetera, then just write, write and write. When you feel confident with how your scripts are turning out, start writing scripts that actually do have some sort of an outline to them. Doesn't have to be 100% detailed, but just so you have an idea of what you're actually writing.

It's a very old cliche but 'Preparation IS everything' and I class outlining as preparation.  Outlining undeniably helps you keep organized as well.  Note books or just scraps of paper ready at hand are unbeatable for ideas too.

I don't know where I fit in in LIFE never mind this great forum

Welcome to S.S

As was previously stated it's whatever you're comfortable with... But most importantly write down, whatever is your head!
I personally have a folder of napkins and small notes!!! If something comes to me, I write it down and if I can use it, all the better, if not maybe in a different script.

I also started with the screenwriter's bible and Trottier stated himself to "just write", because no matter what you write, you're always gonna rewrite... Nobody writes a perfect 1st draft.

Also as far as books go, Blake Snyder`s "Save the Cat" is highly recommended on this site.

Mark

I think a good place to start is your log...write your log, run it by ten ...twenty people and see if they say "OMG that sounds exciting" or if they say "Oh cool."

Then do what you want to but some sort of structure outline helps me. I use STC (I know cliche) to get started. But everyone is different and there is no 'right' or 'wrong' way in writing IMO.

Oh ...and welcome to the boards. Look foward to reading your work.

Welcome to the board! Not sure what I can add to the good advice already given...  Which doesn't mean I won't still chime in with my own three cents...  

Myself, I ALWAYS outline first.  It helps me get all the plotlines and beats straight in my head.  Depending on the story, I sometimes even turn to excel and create character graphs.  IE: what do characters X and Y think of each other, and vica versa?

...that said, I know other writers (good ones) that translate directly from thought to page.  Which doesn't mean they don't think it out first.  But they don't plot things out in a meticulous way.

Either way- as already mentioned - you're going to find rewrites (and constructive criticism) essential.  First drafts look perfect when you type FINAL FADE OUT...  and there are few greater feelings in the world.  But then, everything cools off, and you see where things can be improved.  And deleted, and changed, and yada yada yada.

So - in a nutshell - do what feels best for you.  And then be receptive to change things up when you're done!!  )))

Cheers,

--J (Wonka)

Wow. It's been great getting this many responses this quickly. I have read a ton on these boards but hadn't really seen much on the actual writing process when it came to transferring idea to paper.

Some of what I'm hearing is a relief and some of it sounds like I need to pay attention problems and think things through before creating scenes.

Looking back at some of my notes and research before I started, I guess I did outline and plot out a little bit direction more than I thought. But it felt like I was flying along writing it but had this nagging feeling reminding me that this process, and fiction in general, is new to me.

It's just that I see the whole story in my head...beginning, middle and end. How do I know I should trust what's there?

Welcome to the boards. The best way to learn the craft is posting your work here and getting feedback-- just be sure to review some other scripts if you want reads in return.

As for outlining, it just depends on the writer. For me, I do best with very loose outlines (except when I don't), but a writer friend of mine can't use an outline to save her life. So, it just depends on what works for you...there's no "right" way to do it. If it works, do it that way.

I wouldn't worry too much about reading screenwriting books. Same for screenwriting classes. I'm not saying you shouldn't, but you can read about formatting online and the feedback around here is better than any book I've read.

Quoted Text It's just that I see the whole story in my head...beginning, middle and end. How do I know I should trust what's there?

Basically, go with your gut. But be honest. If you like the story, chances are it's a good story. There's no real way of knowing how good it is as a whole until it's on paper. Go for it.

Looking forward to reading some of your work.

Will

Quoted from CrusaderVoice It's just that I see the whole story in my head...beginning, middle and end. How do I know I should trust what's there?

Use the force Luke

Mark

Glad to see another member on the SS crew.

If inspiration hits you, just dive in and forget the outline for a moment, you can always come back to it.

I would suggest reading some screenplays from people on the board and provide some feedback.  Then write a few shorts of your own and post them.  Get down in the trenches and get some experience in screen writing.

Also, keeping a small notepad and pencil handy whenever your about is also a good trick.  You never know when inspiration will hit and it's also good to write down some actual dialogue.

Best of luck.

Quoted from CrusaderVoice It's just that I see the whole story in my head...beginning, middle and end. How do I know I should trust what's there?

Trust it, and go with the flow.  Then - when you're done - evaluate it honestly and make changes where warranted.    

There's a hackneyed phrase among writers: "Writing is rewriting."  The more you write, the more you learn it's true.  But if you don't go with your gut in the passionate phase...why bother to put the story down at all?  Writing without "heart" isn't worth the effort.

Cheers!

If it works, trust it, but you'll only know it works when you finish it.

Some things to remember:
Conflict is number one. Two characters getting along gets you nowhere. This could be as simple as a character not being able to find his keys because the dog thought it was a toy. Or another character not being able to open his office door because its locked from the inside.

Subtext is your best friend. Two characters can get along on the surface, but only if they're scheming underneath. Subtext leads to a greater understanding of both characters. Best when used in dialogue.

Enter your scenes late and leave early. There's no point in having characters getting somewhere, unless it develops character or conflict. Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada I'd introduced from her feet up and its brilliant. The scene will usually work better if you start after the general pleasantries, especially if the audience is caught up.

Never tell the audience something twice. They will be bored. The audience should always be learning information.

Always have the audience asking questions. Use the answers to get then asking more questions.

If you get stuck, as "What if" questions. The more extreme, the better. Even the crazy ones might get one or two good ones to pop up.

Art the end though, if you're not having fun, chances are the reader won't either.