Writing a Screenplay

Anyone with a good idea and a spark of talent can engage in writing a screenplay and achieve success. All you have to do is follow the basic steps listed below.

Get Educated

If you want to become successful at writing a screenplay, there's no substitute for learning the basics of storytelling and how these principles apply to writing successful screenplays. You can learn these principles from books or by taking a screenwriting class at your local college or Screenwriting Courses at WritingClasses.com.

Once you've learned these screenwriting principles, it's time to put them into practice by writing a number of screenplays. It's hard work, but it's the only way to internalize what you've learned. You might find it helpful to purchase Final Draft, a word processing tool with professional script formatting built in. It is used by Academy®, Emmy® and BAFTA® award-winning writers like Oliver Stone and Tom Hanks.

Get Some Feedback

Once you feel like you've reached a point where your screenwriting abilities are beginning to gel, it's time to start sharing your work with others. Before you rush out and paper Hollywood with your screenplay, share it with a few friends or fellow writers first. Get some feedback on your screenplay. What's working? What do you need to fix? You may also want to get some professional feedback from a script editor. Successful screenwriters know that good writing is all about re-writing.

Get Connected

When you think you're finally ready to test the waters with your screenplay, a good place to start is a screenplay contest. You might want to take How To Sell Your Screenplay Courses at WritingClasses.com or attend a screenplay conference, where you get a chance to pitch your screenplay to agents and producers. You can even try submitting your screenplay to an agency or production company that is currently looking for screenplays. Their feedback will help you assess your progress.

Take your time, learn the craft and be wise about how and where you submit your screenplay. If you're persistent, it's only a matter of time before you become successful at screenwriting.