Last week I read the book One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer and quite enjoyed the wisdom that it had to offer.The basic premise of the book revolves around the fact that we can achieve any goal or change any challenging and difficult thing in our lives through simple, small baby steps forward.

  As I poured through the book it got me thinking about how some filmmakers (especially screenwriters) could benefit from this type of mindset. I know from my experiences that sitting down to write a feature length screenplay can sometimes become a painful test of will power and self discipline.  

So if you’re a writer, instead of sitting down and promising to write 5 pages before you get up…start by just writing for 5 minutes a day.

That’s it.

Once you have built up the habit of writing for 5 minutes…then stretch it to just 10 minutes working on your story everyday. Feel no pressure to increase your writing sessions.

Just work at your own pace. But I’m sure that as you continue to faithfully work on your story in 5,10 and 15 minute sessions you’ll easily build up your writing stamina to 30 minutes to one hour per day. Next time when the thought of writing your screenplay comes to mind and that small voice tells you that you’re too tired or too busy or not feeling inspired. Just walk right over to your computer, turn it on and invest just 5 minutes towards your future film.

Ian Agard is an independent writer/director/film producer commited to helping emerging filmmakers advance and achieve their dreams. You can learn more about him as well as his book “Stop Waiting and Make Your Movie” by visiting http://www.ianagard.com/how-to-finance-your-movie/.

In order to properly write a screenplay which can be read without the distraction of jumping all over the place, you must start with an outline. There are script writing software programs available to help you get started. However the basics you need to know right now start with the organization of your outline. It should include the following elements: the Outline of the Story, Development of the Characters, Organization of the Scenes, and the Structure of the Acts.

When you progress to the final step of actually writing the script, keep these keys elements in mind.

1. Scene Headings: Each time you have a character or characters move to a new setting you must use a new Screen Heading. All words should be in CAPITAL LETTERS using abbreviations when possible to keep the heading shortened. For example:

EXT. DAY – EARLY MORNING – ON BRIDGE OUTSIDE OF TOWN

This would be used to describe these four elements of the scene heading.

A) Exterior shot (as opposed to interior),

B) During the day (as opposed to night),

C) In the early morning (the specifics of the light conditions)

D) On bridge outside of town (the setting).

2. Scene Descriptions: Follow the scene heading making certain to use ALL CAPS when introducing a character for the first time. For example: “JENNIFER drove up to the bridge slowly her neck craning to see out the windshield.”

3. Sounds: As part of the scene description, you should also capitalize sounds which will be heard by the audience. For example: “SCREECHING OF BRAKES when Jennifer slid into the guard rail.”

4. Character/Dialogue: Dialogue is written centered underneath the character name. It should always be centered in the page with the character’s name who is speaking in CAPITAL LETTERS above the dialogue. For example:

JENNIFER
Why did my car have to break down on this old bridge?

These basic steps will help you to write clearly defined scenes. This is the foundation on which you will want to work your way through your entire script when learning how to write a screenplay. Additionally you will clearly mark each Scene with a Scene Heading, and break down the different Acts within the larger frame of the script by labeling them as well.

If you follow the steps of Outlining the Story, Developing your Characters, Organizing the Scenes, and Structuring the Scenes before you begin to actually write the screens with the above format, you will produce a script which can be read and understood without distraction.

Enjoy YOUR journey in creating Hollywood’s next great movie. And remember, it all starts with these basic elements and your willingness to learn the proper way of how to write a screenplay.

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There are thousands of companies and blogs that NEED content desperately. The more content they have on their web sites, the more traffic they will receive from Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Search.

For example, a blog or company might want an article with tips on how to stop smoking so that they can start receiving free traffic from search engines from people searching for tips on how to stop smoking. The more traffic these companies receive, the more money they can make so you can be sure there will be thousands of writing jobs available for a long time as more companies and blogs need content. If you are serious and have the time to write at least 2 articles every week. Our space is very limited and we are only looking for people who can dedicate at least a few hours every week to writing.

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Get Paid To Write Articles & Stories Thousands of topics to write about! Up to $50/article & $250/story. Help Improve Books & Movie Scripts
Give your suggestions and get paid! Up to $25 – $45/hour. Get Cash For Writing Blog Posts Create content for thousands of blogs! Up to $10-30 per blog post. Turn Your Spare Time Into Cash Freelance writers enjoy a life of freedom, creativity and plenty of money! Whether you’re looking for a part-time job, or a full-time career, this is where it begins. With over 1000 writing jobs available and more being added daily, this is the biggest resource online for finding high paying writing jobs.

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For example, a blog or company might want an article with tips on how to stop smoking so that they can start receiving free traffic from search engines from people searching for tips on how to stop smoking. The more traffic these companies receive, the more money they can make so you can be sure there will be thousands of writing jobs available for a long time as more companies and blogs need content. If you are serious and have the time to write at least 2 articles every week. Our space is very limited and we are only looking for people who can dedicate at least a few hours every week to writing.

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