How To Write A Screenplay

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What Is A Screenplay?

• A Beginners Guide To Screenplay Writing

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So, You Think You Can Do Better?

• How many times have you
• watched a boring movie
• and felt that even though
• you haven't actually
• written a screenplay, you
• can still tell a story
• better than that
• Hollywood script writer?

3
What Are You Waiting For?

• Maybe it's time for you
• to stop being a
• "wishful player" and
• produce that story that's
• been swirling around in
• that creative brain of
• yours all these years.

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How do I put my story into a screenplay format?

• What is a screenplay exactly?
• How is it structured?
• How does one describe characters, scenes,
  environments, etc.?
• How do I write a screenplay that will sell?

5
Where Can I Find Help?

• There always seems to be such a lack
• of appropriate guidance and tips on
• how to start such a challenge.

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So What Do I Do?

• Sure, you can find suggestions online, you may
• even come across some valuable instruction, but
  it
• always seems to fall just short of what you truly
  
• need in order to bring your story to life.
• Likewise, when you ask someone of authority how
  to write
• a screenplay, chances are high that they will not
  provide
• you with the true guidance in which to see your
  vision come
• to life.

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Learning The Ropes

• Nonetheless, there are some tricks and tips
• you should know before you hit that
• keyboard. . .

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Trick 1 To Dream In A Professional Manner

• So here you are, you've got your story in
• your mind (where it has been locked away
• for some time more than likely) and your
• convinced it will be highly engaging to an
• audience.

9
You Know Your Story. . .

• You believe in your characters, the plot, the
• sub-plot, the location, all of it...but every
• time you sit behind the keyboard, your
• mind draws a blank and your vision
• quickly recedes back into dreamland

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Dream While You Write!

• Don't misunderstand me, you must dream
• your tale before it becomes a reality, the trick
  is to
• dream professionally...meaning you must dream
• your script as you pound the keys on your
• keyboard. Imagination only takes you so far until
  
• work must take over. . .

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Writers Block

• Don't worry about writer's block. Every writer
• experiences days in which nothing will come
• forth. Every script has had moments when
• "writer's block" freezes the artist's mind to
• the point where it's difficult to even type the
• word, "Hello".

12
Fight The Mind-Freeze

• The key to you creating the next Hollywood
• script is to fight that mind-freeze and push
• through the fog, even when you have
• convinced yourself you'd be better off
• watching a movie then writing one. . .

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Trick 2 Believable Characters

• This is very important! You've got to get the
• audience caring about them in one way or
• the other, so when something happens to
• the individual characters, the one reading
• the script is moved, either to joy or sadness,
• pain or comfort, etc.

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Making Them Real

• One very good piece of advice is to write
• what you already know. In other words, pick
• someone you have known -or do know- and
• describe that person's quirks, likes, dislikes,
• habits, mannerism, sense of humor, and all
• the little things that make them real.

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Bringing Them To Life

• Building off this knowledgeable foundation will
• produce highly believable and interesting
• characters (granted that the person you are
  basing
• them on is not mind-numbingly dull). A
  fascinating
• this that may happen is sometimes your characters
  
• will surprise you as he/she evolves . . .

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Taking On A Life Of Their Own

• Sometimes your characters they may even spook
• you a bit. That is often a natural progress as
  they
• are coming to literary life. You should not fear
• this, on the contrary, roll with it and see where
  it
• takes you (as long as you keep your screenplay on
  
• track, otherwise it can be construed as lack of
• focus).

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Describing Your Characters

• Another critical realm is describing those
• traits I mentioned in your characters in order
• to bring them to life. Remember, the first rule
• of writing is . . .

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Dont Bore The Reader

• You don't want to write (tell) the reader that
• one of your characters is tall by simply
• saying Bob is very tall."
• That is lacking in imagination and it loses
• the interest of the reader quickly. By
• the time you get to killing them off, the
• reader will be glad theyre dead!

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Showing vs. Telling

• You would want to describe (show) Bob's
  heightmaybe this way
• "Bob ducked his head slightly as he walked
• through the doorway."
• To describe (show) someone who is large one might
  say
• "Mark was stuffed in the chair in front of his
  boss desk."

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Making The Reader See

• That tells the reader either Mark is a big-boy,
  or
• the chair is too small for him. Of course which
  ever
• point you want to get across will be up to you.
• Defining the difference between the two could be
• as easy as saying
• "Mark was stuffed into the small seat in
• front of his bossdesk."

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Action Always Speaks Louder Than Words

• Another example would be if Steve can't pay
• his bills and doesnt care, you may describe
• it this way
• "Steve sifted through his overdue
• bills tossing them one by one into
• the trash can."

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The Difference Between A Novel And A Screenplay

• There is a vast difference between book writing,
• and scriptwriting. In a novel you would go into
• detail about whether or not the character is
  inside
• or outside, and what the environment entails . .
  .

24
Write Dont Direct!

• A screenplay -is more often then not- far
• more simplified then a novel in this manner,
• for it is a visual produced by the director
• instead of a vision created by the readers
• imagination.

25
Remember You Are The Writer

• One thing you want to be careful of, is directing
  the
• characters too much. In other words, don't
  dictate
• every little facial expression or movement in a
• characters scene. That is the directors job, not
  
• yours.

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Examples Of Directing In Writing

• Steve Robbins picked up the news
• paper and scowled as he read the
• front page. He then locked eyes
• with his partner, Charlie McGee."It was you,"
  Steve growled. you did this?

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Examples Continued

• What? Charlie asked, stuffing
• his face with a doughnut and
• washing it down with lukewarm
• coffee. He had it comin.
• You stupid bastard. Steve walks away, shaking
  his head.

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To Much For A Screenplay

• That example was way to much info for a screen
  play. A
• screenplay describing this would be something
  like
• EXT. NEW YORK CITY NEWSSTAND - DAY
• STEVE ROBBINS flips the magazine attendant a
  nickel
• and picks up the morning paper staring at it.
  CHARLIE
• MCGEE is standing next to him, eating a doughnut
  and
• drinking his lukewarm coffee. Steve jabs his
  index finger
• into the front page and locks eyes with Charlie.
  . .

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Screenplay Layout

• STEVE ROBBINS It was you.. you did this?
• CHARLIE MCGEE He had it comin'. STEVE
  ROBBINS He was barely twenty! He was just a
  kid! CHARLIE MCGEE Yeah well, he should
  have kept his mouth shut!

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Fight The Temptation To Direct

• It is very tempting to end this
• scene with something like
• Steve Robbins throws the newspaper
• in Charlies face and storms away.
• In a screenplay, that would be
• directing.

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Action And Dialogue

• This scene tells you quite a bit without a lot of
  
• description. It tells you they are in New York.
  It
• also tells you it's probably late morning because
  
• Charlie is drinking lukewarm coffee and having a
• doughnut.
• The scene is a time period piece because
• Steve Robbins only paid a nickel for the
• paper.

32
The Mystery

• The scene also tells you there was likely a
• serious crime committed for it was in the
• news, and something clued Steve into the
• fact that it was Charlie who committed it.

33
Keep The Reader Guessing

• It tells you they are partners, but what it
• doesnt tell you isare they mobsters or
• are they crooked cops?

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Dont Give Away Too Much Until Its Time

• In a novel I would probably end the scene leaving
  the
• reader still wondering their identity this way
• Steve Robbins stormed back up to Charlie, their
  faces
• inches from one another's.
• You have any idea how much focus you put on our
• operation by this, do ya? Robbins growling
  through
• clinched teeth.
• Relax Charlie assured him. I took care of it
  its
• gonna be fine, I promise.

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SoWhat Is A Screen Play?

• In short, a screenplay is a structured
• collection of scenes with mostly dialogue
• and action to carry it through.

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Much More Ahead!

• There are many more aspects to writing a
• screenplay that will sell of course. These
  examples
• are but a few. If you have found these
  suggestions
• helpful, and would like more information on how
  to
• make your screenplay the best it can be, you are
• welcome to a free report from an actual Hollywood
  
• Script Writer . . .

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Now, GET WRITING!

• The very best of luck to you and the amazing
  story
• you keep locked away in your mind its time to
• share it with the world
• I look forward to seeing your work up on the big
• screen!
• Here's to you becoming the next Hollywood script
• writer!

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What Now?

• Download Your FREE Report Here
• http//www.howtowriteascreenplaythatsells.com