• Pre-write

Pre-writing right can often save you time down the road as it leaves less gap in between writing your actual script. Plus, having the idea still fresh in your mind is usually the best time to paint the picture of your project. 

Identity and model your main character. Paint the picture of the main conflict. Structure your main story in points. 

• World building

World-building is especially important for fantasy stories such as Game of Thrones, Narnia, or Harry Potter. Despite that, realistic stories also have a world that needs to be built. Building your world is often the most fun section throughout this process. Let your creativity run wild. Allow yourself to venture into something that has never been done before. 

World-building is where you set the background to your story. Sketch it as vividly and with as detailed as possible. For example, the year, technology, nature, climate, politics, economics, and architecture. As many things as you can possibly think of. 

• Supporting characters, relationships, drama

You got your main character and your world. And now, you need supporting characters. But this, of course, depends on the type of story you are going for. In addition, you also need to ask what does the main character want and what is preventing them from getting it. 

The answers to these questions will form a compass for the storyline as it guides the plot and the obstacles that are in your character’s way. Furthermore, these answers also help you make choices and decisions when the main character faces a dilemma. 

• Write

Write! Fill in the blanks! 

• Synopsis

Drafting a synopsis may not directly impact your story but it will help make your work as a scriptwriter easier. It ensures that you have fulfilled the beginning, incident inciting, first turning point, call to action, point of no return, all is lost, second turning point, climax, and the ending. 

On the contrary, a “treatment’ is used to narrow down the focus of each “episode” and everything that will happen in it. Using a “treatment” will save you time while writing the depth of each episode and expose the failures of the plot. 

• Dialogue 

“A good dialogue is one that sounds authentic for the world and the character.” – Ryan Tadjou, CEO of Annaba Resources. 

Writing dialogues can be especially hard because of the fact that each and every character needs a unique taste to them. Be subtle, but be detailed. Also, it is important to never let the character say the subtext (the true meaning of what we say). That’s because, in real life, people usually do not say what they want to say directly. 

• Rewrite

Whether you like it or loathe it, rewriting your script is absolutely crucial! Get notes from the right people. From the people only wants the best for you and your script. It also takes immense skill to appropriately balance their opinions and the objective of your story. You don’t have to accept all the feedback but just try to understand what’s behind them. 

“Many great movies feature characters struggling against their demons or attempting to find themselves. But it’s invariably played as subtext against a more external conflict – the one that actually drives the plot. You need to be able to point the camera at something.” – John August