When most people want to write a screenplay, the first thing they do is rush out and buy a screenwriting word processor. The expectation is that the screenwriting word processor will help them write a screenplay.
Wrong.
A screenwriting word processor will help you format a screenplay. Expecting a screenwriting word processor to turn you into a screenwriter is like buying Microsoft Word and expecting it to turn you into a novelist.
A word processor is a tool but if you don’t know how to use that tool, nothing else matters.
You can write a screenplay with paper and pencil. In fact, an experienced screenwriter will write a far better script using paper and pencil than a novice can ever do using the latest version of Final Draft.
So the best way to use a screenwriting word processor is to use it only at the very end after you’ve already defined your story. If you try to format your story as a screenplay at the same time you’re trying to make up your story, you’ll overwhelm yourself with too many tasks and wind up doing all of them poorly.
Instead of worrying about formatting your story and making up your story at the same time, just focus on making up your story. Use an ordinary word processor, paper and pencil, or index cards. The goal is to create a compelling story and worry about the formatting of that story later.
Defining your story as text is called a treatment where you describe your story from start to finish without specific details. By writing a comprehensive summary of your story, it’s easy to see what’s working and it’s also easy for others to read your treatment and see if your story appeals to them or not.
(The last thing anybody wants to do is read a screenplay until they’re absolutely certain that the story is solid and worth telling in the first place.)
So focus on telling a great story first. Only when you have a great story should you even consider writing it in screenplay format.
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