How to get started with screenwriting
And why ideas don't matter
I often get asked by folks who are curious about dabbling in screenwriting how they can get started with the form.
I’m a big proponent of people pursuing creative projects, so today I thought I’d do a mini-guide to getting started in screenwriting. Please note that all my advice has to do with writing feature screenplays, as in movies, and NOT to do with writing for television.
But before we get into that, I want to break down a common question …
Is this a good idea?
One of the questions I get hit with most often is “is this a good idea?” As in, is my idea good enough to turn into a film? Is this idea salable and movie-worthy?
I don’t believe there’s much value to assigning “good” or “bad” to ideas. Because the thing is …
Ideas don’t really matter.
Anyone can have an idea.
Ideas are a dime a dozen.
It’s never about the idea.
It’s about the execution.
Ideas are abundant; execution is scarce.
Some people who follow me on social media know that I’ll sometimes post potential movie ideas. Commenters will frequently ask “aren’t you nervous someone is going to steal your idea?”
Not really.
Knowing how hard it is to actually write a screenplay, I highly doubt that someone is going to take a glance at a social media post and then spend the next year or years churning out a document. And if they do, well then good for them! They executed where I couldn’t, and for that they deserve applause. (But so far, in my ten years of doing this, no one has ever “stolen” an idea … because execution is scarce).
In my last post “Specs are so back,” I noted that one of the highest-selling specs of 2024 was Love of Your Life, by Julia Cox. It was a romantic drama, billed in the vein of an Eat, Pray, Love but sadder.
On the face of it, the idea isn’t mind-blowing — in fact, the general premise is quite simple. Woman falls in love. Woman loses the love of her life. Woman goes on a journey of self-discovery and finds new love.
But the execution of the idea was done exceedingly well, and the script went on to sell for $2 million to Amazon.
So before you dive into screenwriting, I wouldn’t get too hung up on whether or not your idea is “good enough”, nor would I cling preciously to what you may believe is a brilliant concept.
Because at the end of the day, ideas don’t matter. It’s all about the act of doing.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about the doing …
Steps to getting started in screenwriting:
1. Read “Save the Cat”
To this day, there is still no other book that breaks down the three act structure of a feature film more simply than Blake Snyder’s “Save the Cat.”
Unlike novel writing, in which an author can be experimental in form and prose, screenwriting is math. In fact, movies in which there are a lot of complicated structural elements are referred to as “high math.”
There’s a very clear structure to a commercial film, and anyone starting out should learn the basics of the three act structure, laid out in Snyder’s Beat Sheet, before setting off to write a screenplay.
2. Listen to Craig Mazin’s “How to Write a Movie”
Craig Mazin (“The Last of Us”; “Chernobyl”) of Scriptnotes fame has a classic episode on “How to Write a Movie” that is perhaps one of the best primers I’ve encountered. After you’re done reading “Save the Cat,” or perhaps concurrently with “Save the Cat,” I would absolutely recommend listening to his breakdown:
3. Read at least two screenplays
Finally, before you start diving into writing itself, I would recommend reading a couple of scripts so you develop a sense of the screenwriting format and its rhythms. There are plenty of scripts that are available for public consumption.
For most Oscar-nominated films of the last ten years, the “For Your Consideration” versions of scripts were widely circulated through town and are therefore available on the Internet. All you have to do is type in the title of the film and “script pdf” into a search bar and you should be able to find it. For example, “Little Women script pdf” will easily turn up Greta Gerwig’s 2019 screenplay.
For films that are a little older, they may be tougher to locate on the Internet. If you are in Los Angeles, you can head to the Writers Guild of America library, which is FREE and open to the public, and check out scripts in person there.
But so much is available for consumption online, there’s really no excuse not to find SOMETHING to glance at. I would recommend reading two scripts in the genre of film you are interested in writing in.
Okay, so now you’ve equipped yourself with some screenwriting 101. You haven’t been dissuaded! You still want to do this thing!
Here are two more essentials to think about before setting out:
4. Figure out who your protagonist is
I know this sounds basic, but you cannot imagine the number of times where someone has approached me with their idea for a movie and all they have is … a setting.
I was in San Francisco last September when a random guy at a bar told me about his movie idea — oil rigs on the surface of Mars.
I waited for him to continue but he stopped there. I was confused. “What do you think of my idea?” he prodded. “Um …” I responded. “That’s not a movie … that’s a location.”
Another common thing that people will tell me is a situation. You would not believe what happened with my distant relatives! Omg I have a whirlwind dating experience that could be an A24 romance! This really creepy thing happened to my roommate that’s right out of a horror movie!
A situation or a setting is not enough.
Movies are ultimately about characters and their relationships.
If you don’t have a POV, if you don’t have a way in for the audience, you don’t have a story.
Your protagonist is someone who has to learn something about themselves and the world around them. Their worldview is shifted, challenged, or upended by the time the movie is over.
A good way to practice this is to look at stories in the news and think “if this were a movie, who would be the most interesting way in?”
Is Luigi Mangione the best person to tell the Luigi Mangione story? Or would it be better served through the eyes of a prosecutor, a defense attorney, or one of Brian Thompson’s kids? Is Sam Altman the best way in for the events that went down last fall with OpenAI’s board, or would Ilya Sutskever make for a better POV?
Whatever your movie idea is, start first with establishing clearly who your protagonist will be, what the central relationship is, and how your protagonist will change over the course of the film.
5. Identify your moment of emotional catharsis
I believe that all great movies should be building up to a big moment of emotional catharsis in the third act.
This is the moment of release, the gut punch moment, the moment that makes the price of admission worth it.
In Brokeback Mountain, it’s the scene where Heath Ledger is sobbing into a dead Jake Gyllenhaal’s jacket.
In Coco, it’s the scene where Miguel is singing “Recuerdame” to his abuela.
I listed two examples that are tearjerkers, but it doesn’t always have to be dramatic.
In Scream 2, when Sidney Prescott finally confronts the villain, she has the following climactic exchange:
Sidney: “Well, you’re forgetting one thing about Billy Loomis.”
Villain: “What’s that?”
Sidney: “I fucking killed him!”
The moment of emotional catharsis is the moment where we want to snap our fingers, scream in delight, applaud in the theater. It’s the moment that makes us reach for tissues and break down crying.
The entire movie should be building up towards that moment of catharsis.
I find it helpful to identify this moment very early on in the process … too often, screenplays peter out and lose steam by Act 3, and what started strong ends with a whimper as we barrel towards a limp finish.
So figure out your big Act 3 moment and write towards it!
There are a lot more rules and tips I could offer, but I would start with the five I listed above as a basic jumping off point for those curious about screenwriting.
Other Resources
The industry standard for screenwriting software remains Final Draft, but if you don’t feel like spending hundreds of dollars to acquire it, a free software you can use is WriterDuet. Another popular beginner’s software is Celtx, but I find Writer Duet easier to use. In the past, when I’ve taught screenwriting workshops to high school students, I have them start out on Writer Duet.
The Scriptnotes podcast, which I mentioned earlier, is a fantastic bootcamp in all things screenwriting, as well as a great way to stay up to date with the industry. I’m also partial to The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna, which has an active online community and frequently hosts workshops.
It’s been many years since I’ve taken a screenwriting course, but when I was first starting out, I found classes a great way to keep me on track and push me to make a deadline. You can search for classes and workshops online, and many now take place over Zoom, allowing anyone in the world to tune in. Hell, I may even offer one eventually — interest, anyone?
Definitely read the reviews before signing up for a class, because your experience is very dependent on what instructor you get.
And like I mentioned earlier, the WGA Library is free and open to the public. These days you need to make an appointment online before coming in, but if you’re in LA, make use of that resource!
A final note of encouragement
Remember, your first screenplay is likely NOT going to be good.
And you will not finish it as quickly as you think you will.
But that’s okay!
If you were training to run a marathon, you would not expect your first race to be some sort of record-breaking event. It’s only in doing a bunch of reps that you’ll slowly improve, learn the limits of your body, and how to push your capabilities. Your great source of pride is simply in finishing the marathon itself.
The same goes for screenwriting — it’s a marathon of a writing event. I would give yourself at least a year, if not two, to complete your first screenplay from top to bottom. If you finish sooner, good for you! And if it takes longer, that’s alright as well.
The joy should come through the creative process; the pride should come in completing the screenplay.
Daunting as it may seem at first, I do believe everyone has the capacity to write a screenplay (hence the title of this Substack, Yu Oughta Write).
Even if other people in your life may scoff at your ambition or laugh in disbelief, know that in one corner of the Internet, I’m rooting for you!
So get to executing, and happy writing!
If you have comments, compliments, or concerns, email yuoughtaknow@gmail.com.
I still need to get around to visiting the WGA library so thank you for this reminder!