Hey there!  Avid reader and movie watcher here.  I write various things and just recently got interested in trying my hand at screenplays.  I have read a few scripts and read some discussions on this site and I was curious about one thing.  I read that it took someone a weekend to write a script and I was wondering how long on average it took to actually write one.  I realize it all depends on how good you are or how dedicated you are but it sounds difficult to write one in just a weekend.  90 to 120 pages would take me two days of non-stop typing for 8 hours each day even if I was prepared.
Thanks for an info.

The five screenplays I have written have taken shorter and shorter amounts of time each time.  In terms of actual writing (not including revisions and proofreading), my first one took me around 3 months and the last one took around 3 weeks.  But I don't really think it matters how long it takes.  As long as it's cohesive and you are proud of it, that should be good enough.

I wouldn't recommend writing for 8 hours straight though, because that could really limit your ideas and when you come back the next day you are going to have a hell of a lot to think over and you will most likely start changing things because you have a better idea with a fresher mind.  I recommend writing scenes by day, unless you are really on a roll, but a couple scenes a day should be good enough to keep you occupied, but your mind fresh enough for new ideas.  

This question will probably get you a different answer for everyone who responds.  I figure I generally write 6-8 pages an hour, and a script is 90-120 pages, so let's just split it down the middle and go with 7 and 105 for math purposes.

105 pages/7 pages an hour equals 15 hours of writing time.

On average, I generally write for three to four hours a day which means that I can turn a first draft out in just over four days.

This is just a first draft though, and does not include any proofing or revising, which will most certainly be done and will also add to that total.

The fastest screenplay I've written took about a month (including proofreading) My routine usually includes organizing all my notes, which are scattered usually throughout a bunch of pieces of paper, that takes a couple days in itself.

Then I begin building on the scenes and pieces of dialogue from those notes, organizing them into an actual story. That usually takes about two to three weeks, since I usually only write about 1 or 2 hours a day on average, since there are some days that I just need to take a break from  it all, and refocus.

Then when I'm finally satisfied, then I go back and proofread for grammar and mistakes, and put in any straggling ideas that I missed. and that usually takes a couple days. The length of the story, and how many ideas you have also plays a big factor in it. The first screenplay I wrote took like six months.

All in all, it takes about a month to a month and a half to write. I definitely write a lot better and faster than I used to. The longer you do it, the better you get at constucting a story efficiently. And I don't see how a story written in one weekend could be all that good. It also depends on the length of the story and how many ideas you have. The first one I wrote took six months to finish. After that, the time just kept going down.

I generally get an idea, scribble it down.  Take about a week to joggle through things in my head, scribble those down.  When I think I've got enough for a story I start an indepth outline.  Now, this is usually the longest part of my writing process.  This can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a month.  This is due to writer's block, rewriting, rethinking, re-everything you can imagine.

Next comes the actual script.  If I have adequete time to write, then I can usually get this done (rewrites and all) in about 2 weeks.

So in all, for me personally, it takes about 2 months to crank out a script.

It usually takes months for me.

Hey! Another Argentinian in this site?  ;D

For me, it usually takes a week to mess with ideas in my head, and sometimes it takes longer because of writer's block. Then I start writing...

Short-A couple days, not including rewriting, revising, etc.

Feature- Three weeks to Three months.

For my first (and only) feature (and adaptation) it took me around 3 months to complete. I've been working on an original feature for the past year, though, but I'm not in any rush to get it done. I want it to be perfect.

The fact is, once it's on the site, no one cares how long it took you. That's why you can't use "Well, don't be too harsh because it only took me about an hour to write it" as a way to pull in good reviews.

-Chris

Thanks a lot you guys!  I wasn't sure if  I was slow or fast at this.  I have great ideas in my head and on paper and I'm really getting into it.  I seem to be write in line with you guys.  I can write about 5-8 pages in an hour depending on what part I'm working on and how into it I am.
Thanks again for your input

It does really all depend on a lot of different factors like where in the script you are and how into you are. I generally find I write the endings faster because I'm more anxious to get the script finished.

I remember the fastest I ever wrote a script was in two and a half days and that was 91 pages, which was all right. On the other end of the spectrum it took me like two and a half months to write a short that was about 40 pages, so there are varying factors. It also depends on how fast you type (im 91 words a minute, so proud) and on what you write with (things like Word where you have to do your formatting manually will usually slow down the process. I use Celtx, which formats automatically.)

Obviously rewrites/revisions/proofreading will take longer, but overall it's usually between a few weeks and a few months.

Cheers, Chism.

Totally depends, with me.  I've written a complete draft in about ten hours before (seven hours one day with about seventy pages, three hours the next with twenty five pages - won't go into quality  ;D ).  And I have six or seven right now in the "my screenplays" folder on my desktop that I've been taking jabs at for 8 or 9 months, a couple I haven't finished since I started them a year ago, and a couple I finished in the space of one to two weeks.  I'm all over the place, and it totally depends on how much time I have to sit and write during the day in between a fiance, her two kids, my kid, and my ten-hour-a-day job.

I am amazingly slow sometimes, but sometimes I can write for 8 hours a time.
It all depends on circumstances, but I like to take my time with scripts I really care for.

I like to get in a certain mood that will hopefully come across as people read it, so it all depends . Probably up to 5 to 6 months for a really good one, but I have written some that have been completed in weeks. And there is no way I would put them up!

Think I must be one of the slowest writers here, about 6 months and i've wrote around 60 pages.  This does include a bit of research and planning though.  I know where i'm heading but it just takes me time to put it down.  I do struggle time wise though, what with my job and football.

Yeah, my first feature took me from 4-6 months for the first draft (school FT, work FT etc.) but I do agree that I does get easier once you've got the hang of it.  There is enven a book that teaches you to finish in less than a month "How To Writ A Screenplay in 21 Days"

My personal best is 3 days having sketched out th characters ahead of time. My first two were written in a period of two weeks (total, not each) because I kept switching back and forth. But the catch here is that each of these were rewritten multiple times since then since the first draft is only the beginning of the end of writing anything. This means my 3 days still translated to several months of writing and rewriting.

I consider the thought process as part of writing. I figure that I'm writing things in my mind before I hit the notepad, so it should count.

So, with that being said - I can think of something for 2-3 weeks before opening a notepad and turning on my laptop. When it comes to writing the first draft - I think it would take around a month.

So in all, I'd say 1-2 months for the first draft. Then, for re-writes, anywhere from a week to 2 weeks per draft.

:-)