How To Draft A Script

Writing is a skill that many people have trouble developing because they think it’s something only writers can do, or at least people who write for a living. But writing is a tool we use in our daily lives to communicate and express ourselves!

Writing is an instrument that helps you articulate your thoughts and feelings. You may not be writing professionally, but anyone can do it. In this article I will teach you how to draft a script, or create a narrative story with dialogue.

A screenplay is just like any other piece of written material; you have a head and a tail. The head includes things such as paragraphs and bullets, while the tail contains scenes and settings. It is similar to drafting an essay, except instead of using topic and conclusion, you use sequence and transition (like putting A before B).

This article will focus more on the structure of the script than content, which are both very important parts of writing. Structure comes first by setting up the framework, then filling it in with content.

Structure is key when writing anything beyond a short sentence or two. This applies to screenplays too! When someone asks you what you wrote today, tell them about the chapter, the scene, the bullet point, and the paragraph.

By understanding this basic concept, you are already ahead of most people! If you take time now to learn the art of scripting, you will see great results.

Make an outline for the script

Now, make an outline of the script! This will help you organize your writing process and keep yourself organized as well. Start at the beginning of the story and work your way through it like you would any other piece of writing.

As you write, add bullets that correspond with what you have written so far. As you review your draft, you can go back and combine ideas into one longer passage or create new paragraphs and scenes using the existing material as inspiration.

Write down your thoughts as you read

Writing a script is different than writing an article or a poem, where you can write short phrases or cliches that are mixed in with real content. With a screenplay, everything must be full sentences with developing storylines and characters.

In fact, I’d say it’s more like writing a book, because just like a good book, your movie will tell a story!

With this technique, you don’t have to worry about the length of what you put aside for later. You can easily go back and add more material later since it all fits together well.

Your main goal when writing a screenplay is telling a strong, engaging story, so once that’s done, the rest takes care of itself.

Come up with different story lines

A script is just like any other piece of writing, except it’s limited to one main character (you).

You can use real people or fictional characters as your main character, but for the sake of this lesson, we will use Elsa from Frozen as our personification of the screenplay.

Now that you have your protagonist, you need to come up with several potential storyline paths or scenes. These are called “story lines.” The stories should relate to each other and form a narrative arc, but they can be separate events that occur within the movie.

For example, in the movie Jurassic Park, Dr. Ian Malcolm is talking about how dinosaurs evolved over time and how humans will not survive a dinosaur attack. This conversation happens in two separate episodes, so it is its own story line.

In the first episode, he talks about how dinosaurs died out because they were hunted by early mammals, which forced them to evolve faster. In the second episode, he discusses why humans will not survive a dino-attack.

These two conversations are two separate storylines that happen within the same movie.

Organize your outline

Now that you have an idea of what kind of script you want to write, it’s time to organize your outline. First, decide how many main points you will have in your screenplay.

The number of main points should be dependent on the length of your movie. A two-hour film usually has around five major points, while a one-and-a-half hour movie can have up to seven.

Once you have determined the amount of main points in your movie, start organizing your ideas by creating different headers or subheadings. These can be done in any order you like, but try to follow this structure:

Main topic -> Subtopic -> Main topic -> Conclusion

This organization method helps you create a flow for your writing which makes it more efficient. Try out this process with our example!

Subtopic: Katarina Elizarov

Heading: Who is she?

Subtopic: An apartment building in Moscow

Conclusion: She lives in an apartment building in Moscow

Now that these two topics are written, it's time to begin drafting. Start from the first topic and work your way down, developing each body paragraph as well as incorporating both the initial bullet point and the conclusion into your story.

Your narrative may also include additional details about the setting, characters, and events.

Start to write the script

Starting at step one, which is usually establishing a story premise or asking a question, is creating an initial sentence or two of the script. Once you have that, you can start writing your main script!

Intermediate writers may feel nervous about this stage because they are not sure what will come next. That’s totally normal! But don’t worry; it takes lots of drafts for good scripts to shine.

With that said, here are some tips to help you begin writing your script.

Topic and bullet point

Start by deciding on a topic and then picking out the important points you want to include in your script. This way, you’ll be more likely to create a flowy narrative instead of just listing things randomly.

Edit your script

After you have written your screenplay, it is time to edit! While some may claim that editing is not important, I disagree. Editing is an integral part of writing a great story.

Your movie does not get finished until you correct at least the first draft. You must take your time to fix mistakes, add necessary ingredients, and rephrase what you wrote. This process will help bring out the best in your script’s narrative and characters.

Editing also helps clean up the language and remove clichéd phrases and expressions. If there are too many numbers or “and so forth” in a sentence, try to eliminate one of them.

This article will talk about some easy ways to start editing your script.

Publish the script

After you have written your screenplay, it is time to publish it! Once you have finished writing, the next step is to spread the word about your work. There are many ways to do this, but most start with creating a free online screenwriting service or platform.

Most of these sites offer both free and premium accounts, so even if you don’t have much money to invest in marketing, there is always something available to you. Premium services usually allow you more features and higher levels of engagement which can be helpful when promoting your film.

Some sites will also connect you with other writers or potential producers, giving you new opportunities to share your work with others. This not only helps get exposure for yourself, but it creates collaborations as well!

There are several options out there, so what one works best for you depends on your goals and budget.

Market your script

After you have written your screenplay, it is time to market it! While some may consider this step boring or even pointless, it is very important.

Your screenplay will probably remain unfinished if you don’t actively work to get people to watch it. You can do this through various online mediums such as social media, blogs, etc.

There are many ways to gain exposure for your writing, but one of the most efficient is to begin writing short stories or chapters of your movie.

Once you have completed these, put them all together into one longer story that flows naturally. This way, your readers won’t be distracted by any sort of clutter.