Write Screenplay

Write a Screenplay

Estimated time: 4-16 weeks (depending on screenplay length, revision depth, and whether the concept is fully developed before starting)

This workflow orchestrates 6 writing skills into a complete screenplay creation pipeline. Screenwriting is a unique form of writing where everything on the page must translate to something visible or audible on screen -- there is no room for internal monologue, abstract description, or expository prose. Each step in this workflow produces a specific structural artifact that builds toward the completed screenplay, from the high-level plot architecture through scene-level execution to the pitch-ready final draft. The workflow handles the three primary screenplay formats: feature film (90-120 pages), short film (5-30 pages), and TV pilot (30-60 pages).

When to Use

• User wants to write a complete screenplay for a feature film, short film, or TV pilot
• User has a story idea and wants a structured process to develop it into screenplay format
• User has started a screenplay but stalled and needs to restart with a structured approach
• User wants to develop their screenwriting skills through a complete project with proper format and pitching
• Do NOT use when: user wants to write prose fiction (novels, short stories -- use creative writing skills), user wants to write a stage play (different format conventions and structure), user wants to produce or direct a film (this workflow covers writing only), user wants to write a single scene without the full screenplay context (use screenplay-scene skill directly)

Prerequisites

Before starting this workflow, ensure:

1. Story concept exists: The user has at least a premise or logline -- a one-sentence description of the story they want to tell. The concept does not need to be fully developed; Step 1 handles development. But something must exist as a starting point.
2. Format decision made (or willing to decide): The user knows whether they are writing a feature film, short film, or TV pilot. If undecided, Step 1 helps make this decision based on the story's scope.
3. Screenplay format awareness: The user understands (or is willing to learn) that screenplays follow strict formatting conventions: scene headings (INT. or EXT.), action lines, character names centered above dialogue, parentheticals for direction. The workflow teaches format through practice, but the user should know this is not prose writing.
4. Time commitment: Features take 8-16 weeks, shorts take 4-6 weeks, and TV pilots take 6-10 weeks for a first draft through revision. The user must be able to write consistently during this period.

Steps

Step 1: Develop the Plot Structure (uses: plot-outline)

Build the story's architectural framework: premise, three-act structure (or episodic structure for TV), major plot points, and the emotional arc. This is the blueprint that prevents the screenplay from losing direction during the scene-writing phase.

• Input: Story premise or logline, genre, target format (feature, short, TV pilot), any existing story elements the user has developed (characters, settings, key scenes), and the theme or central question the story explores
• Output: Complete plot outline with: logline (25 words or fewer), three-act structure with major turning points (inciting incident, midpoint, climax, resolution), subplot threads, and a scene-by-scene beat sheet listing every major story beat in sequence
• Key focus: The plot outline must pass the "so what?" test at every beat. If a story beat does not either advance the plot, reveal character, or create conflict, it does not belong in the outline. For feature films, the beat sheet typically has 40-60 beats. For shorts, 10-20 beats. For TV pilots, the beat sheet includes both the pilot's complete story and hints at the series-level story engine. Every act break must present a question or tension that compels the audience forward.

Step 2: Build the Characters (uses: character-development)

Develop the screenplay's characters with enough depth that their behavior in every scene feels inevitable, not arbitrary. Characters drive screenplay stories -- plot is what happens when characters with conflicting wants collide.

• Input: Plot outline from Step 1 (characters implied by the story structure), genre conventions for character types, and any existing character ideas the user has
• Output: Character profiles for all major characters (protagonist, antagonist, 2-4 supporting characters) with: backstory (what happened before page one), want (what they pursue throughout the story), need (what they actually need to grow, which they may not know), flaw (the internal obstacle to getting what they need), voice (how they speak -- vocabulary, rhythm, verbal tics), and arc (how they change from beginning to end)
• Key focus: Every character must want something in every scene. If a character walks into a scene with no objective, the scene will be flat. The protagonist's want and need must be in tension -- they pursue what they want, and the story forces them to confront what they need. The antagonist must be a person with their own valid perspective, not a cartoon villain (unless the genre calls for it). Supporting characters should each serve a clear dramatic function: mentor, ally, mirror, catalyst, or obstacle.

Step 3: Write the Scenes (uses: scene-writing)

Write the first draft of every scene in the screenplay, executing the beat sheet from Step 1 with the characters from Step 2. This is the longest step and produces the complete rough draft.

• Input: Plot outline and beat sheet from Step 1, character profiles from Step 2, any reference screenplays in the same genre (for tone and pacing calibration)
• Output: Complete first draft of all scenes in screenplay format, with scene headings, action lines, and dialogue. Raw page count within 10% of target (90-120 pages for features, 5-30 for shorts, 30-60 for TV pilots).
• Key focus: Write forward, not backward. Do not endlessly revise early scenes before finishing the draft. The goal of the first draft is to get the complete story on paper; quality refinement happens in Steps 4-5. Each scene must accomplish at least one of three things: advance the plot, reveal character, or heighten conflict. Scenes that do none of these should be cut regardless of how well they are written. Keep action lines to 3-4 lines maximum -- screenplays are visual blueprints, not novels.

Step 4: Format and Polish Scenes (uses: screenplay-scene)

Rewrite and polish every scene using proper screenplay formatting conventions. This step transforms the rough draft into a professionally formatted screenplay that reads like a produced film.

• Input: Complete first draft from Step 3, screenplay formatting standards (scene headings, action lines, dialogue blocks, transitions, parentheticals)
• Output: Professionally formatted screenplay with: correct scene headings (INT./EXT. LOCATION - TIME), tight action lines (present tense, visual language only), properly formatted dialogue blocks, and consistent formatting throughout
• Key focus: Screenplay formatting is not cosmetic -- it signals professionalism. A screenplay with incorrect formatting is rejected before the reader finishes page one. Key formatting rules: scene headings follow INT./EXT. convention with location and time of day, action lines are present tense and describe only what the camera can see or the microphone can hear (no internal thoughts, no "she remembers"), dialogue is centered with the character name capitalized above, and parentheticals are used sparingly (only when the line's intent is genuinely ambiguous without direction). One page of properly formatted screenplay equals approximately one minute of screen time.

Step 5: Perform Structural Editing (uses: structural-editing)

Edit the complete screenplay at the structural level: pacing, story logic, character consistency, and overall dramatic impact. This is not line editing -- it is architecture-level revision.

• Input: Formatted screenplay from Step 4, plot outline from Step 1 (to check alignment), feedback from any early readers (if available)
• Output: Revised screenplay with: pacing adjustments (scenes reordered, shortened, or cut), plot holes filled, character arc consistency verified, dialogue sharpened, and a revision log documenting all structural changes and their rationale
• Key focus: Structural editing addresses four areas: (1) pacing -- do the act breaks land at the right page counts? Is the second act sagging? Are there consecutive scenes with the same energy level? (2) logic -- does every event have a cause? Are there coincidences that strain belief? Do characters behave consistently? (3) character -- does the protagonist's arc track clearly from flaw through crisis to resolution? Does every character sound distinct? (4) impact -- does the climax deliver on the premise's promise? Does the ending feel both surprising and inevitable? Cut any scene that does not earn its pages.

Step 6: Prepare the Pitch (uses: story-pitch)

Write pitch materials that sell the screenplay to producers, agents, festival programmers, or competition judges. The pitch must communicate the story's essence, market viability, and unique value in concise, compelling language.

• Input: Completed and revised screenplay from Step 5, comparable films or shows (for positioning), user's background and connection to the story, and target recipients (studios, production companies, agents, festivals, competitions)
• Output: Pitch package including: polished logline (one sentence), short synopsis (1 page), long synopsis (3-5 pages), query letter template (personalized pitch email), and a verbal pitch script (2-minute and 5-minute versions for meetings and festivals)
• Key focus: The pitch must answer three questions immediately: (1) What is this about? (the premise, not the plot), (2) Why should I care? (the emotional hook), and (3) Why should I care now? (cultural relevance, marketability, unique angle). The logline is the most important sentence in the entire pitch package -- it determines whether the reader requests the script or moves on. Structure: [CHARACTER] must [GOAL] before [STAKES], but [OBSTACLE]. Example: "A retired astronaut must convince NASA to rescue her former crew from a failing Mars habitat before life support runs out, but the only viable rescue plan requires her to reveal a cover-up that ended her career."

Decision Points

• At Step 1: If the user is writing a feature film (90-120 pages), use three-act structure with the standard beat sheet. If writing a short film (5-30 pages), compress to a single dramatic question resolved in 2-3 major beats -- shorts do not have room for subplots. If writing a TV pilot (30-60 pages), the pilot must tell a complete story AND establish the series engine (the repeatable dramatic question that generates future episodes). The pilot's story resolves; the series question does not.

• At Step 1: If the screenplay is an adaptation (from a book, article, true story, or other source), Step 1 must address adaptation-specific challenges: what to include, what to cut (a 300-page novel cannot become a 120-page screenplay without significant compression), what to change for the visual medium, and how to handle source material fans' expectations. Original screenplays skip these considerations.

• After Step 3: If the first draft is significantly over target page count (more than 15% over), the problem is usually in Step 1 -- the beat sheet has too many beats. Return to Step 1 and cut subplot threads or merge redundant story beats before attempting to trim at the scene level. Cutting scenes from an over-plotted screenplay produces a choppy result; cutting story threads produces a cleaner result.

• At Step 5: If structural editing reveals fundamental story problems (the premise does not sustain a full screenplay, the protagonist's goal is not compelling enough, the ending does not satisfy), the user must decide: (a) perform a major revision that may require rewriting 50%+ of the screenplay (return to Step 1 with the new understanding), or (b) accept the structural limitation and polish the execution to the highest possible level. Option (a) produces a better screenplay; option (b) produces a finished screenplay faster.

• At Step 6: If the user is targeting festival submission, the pitch package emphasizes artistic merit, thematic depth, and the filmmaker's vision. If targeting production companies or agents, the pitch emphasizes commercial viability, comparable titles ("in the vein of [hit film] meets [hit film]"), and market positioning. If targeting competitions, the pitch follows the specific competition's submission requirements exactly.

Failure Handling

• Step 1 fails (structural problems discovered during scene writing): If the beat sheet produces scenes that feel forced or logically inconsistent, the plot structure has problems. Return to Step 1 and rebuild the beat sheet. Common structural problems: the inciting incident happens too late (audience loses patience), the midpoint does not escalate stakes (second act sags), or the climax does not follow logically from the preceding events (ending feels arbitrary). Fix the architecture before fixing the rooms.

• Step 2 fails (characters feel flat or generic): If characters all sound the same in dialogue or their actions feel unmotivated, return to Step 2 and deepen their internal conflicts. Give each character a specific contradiction (a brave person who is terrified of vulnerability, a generous person who hoards information). Dialogue fixes follow character fixes -- when a character is well-defined, their dialogue becomes distinctive naturally.

• Step 5 reveals major character arc problems: If the protagonist's arc does not track (their transformation feels unearned or their flaw is not sufficiently challenged), the revision must address this at the scene level throughout the screenplay -- not just in the climax. Map each scene to the character's arc position: where are they in their transformation, and what in this scene moves them forward or backward? Remove scenes that do not contribute to the arc.

• Pitch rejection pattern: If 10+ pitch queries receive no requests for the script, audit: (a) the logline (is it compelling and clear?), (b) the query letter (is it professional and personalized?), (c) targeting (are the recipients appropriate for this genre and budget level?). Consider entering the screenplay in competitions to get external validation (or identify improvement areas) before continuing to pitch.

• User wants to change direction mid-workflow: If during Steps 3-4 the user realizes they are writing the wrong version of the story (wrong genre, wrong tone, wrong protagonist), this is a discovery, not a failure. The scenes written so far have revealed what the story actually wants to be. Return to Step 1 with this new understanding. Many professional screenwriters rewrite from page one multiple times -- the first version's job is to teach you what the story is really about.

Output Format

## Screenplay Development: [Title]

### Project Details
- Format: [feature film / short film / TV pilot]
- Genre: [genre]
- Target length: [pages]
- Source: [original / adaptation from what]

### Step 1: Plot Structure
- Logline: [25 words or fewer]
- Act structure: [3-act / other]
- Total beats: [count]
- Major turning points: [inciting incident page, midpoint page, climax page]
- Subplots: [count and brief descriptions]

### Step 2: Characters
- Protagonist: [name] - [want] vs. [need]
- Antagonist: [name] - [motivation]
- Supporting: [count] characters developed
- Character voice sheets: [complete / in progress]

### Step 3: First Draft
- Pages written: [current] / [target]
- Scenes completed: [count]
- Draft status: [in progress / complete]

### Step 4: Formatting and Polish
- Formatting standard: [industry standard screenplay format]
- Scenes polished: [count] / [total]
- Page count after polish: [pages]

### Step 5: Structural Edit
- Revision round: [number]
- Scenes cut: [count]
- Scenes added: [count]
- Scenes rewritten: [count]
- Final page count: [pages]

### Step 6: Pitch Package
- Logline: [polished, 25 words or fewer]
- Short synopsis: [complete / draft]
- Long synopsis: [complete / draft]
- Query letter: [complete / draft]
- Verbal pitch: [2-min and 5-min versions]

### Writing Status
- Current step: [Step N]
- Weeks elapsed: [N] / [estimated total]
- Target completion: [date]

Edge Cases

• User is writing their very first screenplay: Add a pre-workflow step: read 3-5 professional screenplays in the target genre to internalize formatting conventions and pacing. The user should read screenplays, not watch films -- the page-level craft is only visible in the written document. Many produced screenplays are freely available through studio screenplay libraries and awards consideration sites.

• User is adapting a true story: Legal clearance is outside this workflow's scope but must be addressed before submission. True story screenplays require careful attention to: what is documented fact vs. creative interpretation, which real people are depicted and whether they have consented, and potential liability for defamation. The user should consult a legal professional before pitching a true-story screenplay.

• User wants to write a non-linear or experimental screenplay: The three-act structure in Step 1 is a starting point, not a constraint. Non-linear screenplays (time jumps, multiple timelines, fragmented structure) still need underlying dramatic architecture. Create the chronological version of the story first, then restructure for maximum dramatic impact. The audience must be able to follow the emotional throughline even if the temporal sequence is scrambled.

• User's screenplay requires a large budget (period piece, sci-fi, action): Step 6 pitch must acknowledge budget implications. Large-budget screenplays from unknown writers face steeper odds. Consider: (a) writing a proof-of-concept short film version first, (b) emphasizing the character drama that could be produced at any budget, or (c) targeting production companies known for developing genre material.

• User is writing a TV pilot and wants to develop the full series bible: Step 1 should include the series bible alongside the pilot outline: the ongoing dramatic engine, season-level arc, character evolution across seasons, and episode ideas for the first season. The pilot is the sample; the series bible is the business plan. Step 6 pitch package includes the series bible.

• User receives contradictory feedback from multiple readers: This is normal and expected. Use the structural editing in Step 5 to evaluate feedback against the story's internal logic, not against reader preferences. If multiple readers identify the same problem but suggest different solutions, the problem is real but the user should find their own solution. If readers disagree about whether something is a problem, trust the story's intent.

Example

Input: "I want to write a feature film screenplay about a retired astronaut who discovers NASA has been covering up a failed Mars mission and has to decide whether to expose the truth or protect the crew still stranded on Mars. Genre: sci-fi thriller."

Output:

Step 1 (plot-outline): Logline: "A retired astronaut must expose a NASA cover-up to save a stranded Mars crew, but revealing the truth will destroy the only rescue mission capable of reaching them in time." Three-act structure: Act I (pages 1-25) -- Dr. Elena Vasquez discovers encrypted signals from Mars that NASA claims is a decommissioned rover, realizes it is a distress signal from a crew the world believes died in a launch failure. Act II (pages 25-85) -- Elena investigates the cover-up, discovers NASA concealed the failed mission to protect funding, races to organize an independent rescue while NASA officials try to silence her. Midpoint reversal: the rescue plan requires NASA's cooperation, forcing Elena to negotiate with the people who created the cover-up. Act III (pages 85-110) -- Elena must choose between exposing the truth publicly (destroying NASA's credibility and the rescue mission's political support) or staying silent (allowing the cover-up to stand but keeping the rescue viable). Beat sheet: 48 beats across 3 acts.

Step 2 (character-development): Protagonist: Dr. Elena Vasquez, 58, retired astronaut. Want: to rescue the crew. Need: to forgive herself for retiring and not being on that mission. Flaw: believes she abandoned her colleagues by retiring early. Voice: precise, technical, speaks in mission terminology even in personal conversations. Antagonist: Director James Chen, 62, NASA administrator. Not evil -- genuinely believes the cover-up was necessary to protect the space program and future missions. His logic is sound but his moral calculus is wrong. Supporting: Marcus, Elena's former co-pilot who is on the stranded crew (seen only through communications); Sarah, a young NASA engineer who becomes Elena's ally; Senator Hayes, a politician who could authorize or kill the rescue.

Step 3 (scene-writing): First draft written over 6 weeks: 115 pages, 52 scenes. The draft captures the full story but has pacing issues in Act II (too many investigation scenes that repeat the same emotional beat) and the climax needs tightening (the final choice is clear but the stakes need to be felt more viscerally).

Step 4 (screenplay-scene): Every scene reformatted to industry standard. Scene headings standardized (INT. NASA MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT), action lines tightened to present tense and visual language only (removed internal thoughts expressed as narration), dialogue blocks formatted with character names capitalized, parentheticals removed except where genuinely needed for intent clarity. Mars communication scenes formatted as INTERCUT sequences.

Step 5 (structural-editing): Revision cuts 8 scenes from Act II (consolidating investigation beats), adds 2 new scenes that raise personal stakes (Elena's estranged daughter confronts her about the obsession), and rewrites the climax to make the choice more painful (the cover-up protected Elena's own mission legacy, not just NASA's). Final page count: 108 pages. Second revision pass tightens dialogue throughout (cutting 15% of dialogue lines for concision).

Step 6 (story-pitch): Logline polished: "When a retired astronaut intercepts a distress signal from a Mars crew the world believes is dead, she must choose between exposing the cover-up that could save them and protecting the fragile rescue mission that requires the liars' cooperation." Short synopsis: 1 page covering the complete story. Query letter targets 5 production companies known for character-driven sci-fi (A24, Plan B, Participant). Comparable titles: "The Martian meets All the President's Men." Verbal pitch prepared for 2-minute (elevator) and 5-minute (meeting) delivery.

Result: Screenplay completed in 12 weeks from concept to pitch-ready draft. The user has a professionally formatted 108-page feature screenplay, a complete pitch package, and targeted query letters ready for submission to production companies and competitions.

Expected Outcome

When this workflow is complete, the user will have:

1. A complete plot outline with three-act structure, beat sheet, and logline
2. Fully developed character profiles for all major characters with defined wants, needs, flaws, and arcs
3. A complete first draft written scene-by-scene following the beat sheet
4. A professionally formatted screenplay meeting industry standard conventions
5. A structurally edited final draft with pacing, logic, and character arc refinements
6. A pitch package with logline, synopsis, query letter, and verbal pitch scripts ready for submission