Most beginning writers think they already know how to write a story. How To Write A Screenplay Step 2: Emphasize STORY Development Once you’ve sold a few things, then you can branch out. The genre most of these projects are in – that’s probably your genre.
When a decision-maker considers purchasing a script, that’s a big decision. This isn’t just true for you – it’s true for decision-makers as well. To Succeed In Hollywood You Have To Focus You focus your energy and attention to developing projects in THE SAME GENRE because you realize that there’s a much better chance you’ll get paid.This work is how most screenwriters support themselves. The agent gets you meetings for assignments for projects in THE SAME GENRE.The agent sells one of your other projects in THE SAME GENRE and typically for more money than the first sale.Then, one day, when they’ve finally written their tenth project in one genre, they get an agent and finally sell their first screenplay! At that point, three things will often happen quickly: Most beginning screenwriters create projects in lots of different genres and fail to sell them, over and over again. You’ve got ideas for so many things – and you may have some viable ideas in different genres. You want to preserve your creative freedom. Most aspiring writers do not want to hear this. How To Write A Screenplay Step 1: Focus On ONE GENRE Better yet, his fundamentals are so good that he’s a better fighter than the bullies who just learn to kick and punch. It’s “paint the house side-to-side,” “sand the floor,” “paint the fence,” and “wax-on, wax-off.”ĭaniel hates it because it feels like busywork – until he realizes that he’s been learning karate the whole time. Remember when Miyagi starts teaching Daniel karate? He doesn’t start with punches and kicks. So let me get all Miyagi on you for a minute. Some beginning screenwriters think it’s because they lack connections, and that may be true. It’s nearly impossible to get a meeting with someone who can actually do something. Instead of getting physically beat up, beginning screenwriters get told “No” over and again. This is what it feels like to be new to the screenwriting game. In the beginning of the movie, Daniel is getting beat up a lot by the bigger kids at his new high school. Most screenwriters who have not sold a script yet are like Ralph Macchio’s character Daniel in the original The Karate Kid.įor those of you who don’t know, this is a story about a boy from the wrong side of the tracks who learns karate and becomes an honorable man like his teacher. How To Write A Screenplay Like The Karate Kid That said, it can be done – and it’s a lot better than getting beaten up by Hollywood over a period of years. My approach requires overcoming fear, making tough choices, and working hard.
WARNING: If you think writing a screenplay will be easy and that you’re going to cash your script in like a lottery ticket, you’re in the wrong place. This is where most screenwriters are: at the beginning of a “hard knocks” education.īut can you learn how to write a screenplay without several years of wrong turns, hard knocks, and wasted time? In a word, yes. Prior to making the first sale, a screenwriter will often: It’s A Hard Knock Life (But It Doesn’t Have To Be) Today I’m going to explain the four steps and give you specific things you can do to learn how to write a screenplay you can sell. In my experience, screenwriters need to take four important steps before they can sell a screenplay for the first time. I’m not talking about selling the first thing you write – I’m talking about writing the first thing that you actually sell. I’ve worked with many screenwriters to help them make their first sale. Have you been struggling to write a screenplay or sell a screenplay you’ve written? This post is for you. My goal isn’t for you to simply write a screenplay – it’s to write a script you can sell. Here’s a different approach to how to write a screenplay.