How to be a Screenwriter in 6 steps

So you want to be a screenwriter, or you are one but don't know if you are approaching it in the right method. Obviously it's not possible to state everything required to be a good screenwriter. However, I'll try my best to point out the bare essentials.

1. Learn the format of screenwriting

This is mostly for beginners. Think of journalism, novel or blog writing. Each have their own writing style. Screenwriting also has its own format. The most important blocks of writing are action and dialogue. Action depicts what's happening to move the plot forward and dialogue is the interaction between the characters. Sentence lengths can vary from as small as 1-2 or 7-8 depending on your voice or writing style.

2. Use software to put your visions onto paper

Yes, you can use MS word or even Notepad to write your million dollar script. However, its going to be frustrating to space out the words accordingly. I have been using a free software for the past 2 years and it still has yet to disappoint me. Although, the company recently integrated an online feature I prefer to use the software. Here is the link to Celtx: http://celtx.en.softonic.com/

Although, you can buy and use Final Draft Pro Celtx has all the functions I need to produce an award winning screenplay.

3. Be a writer who cares

Before we submerge ourselves into the nitty gritty details of producing a script you need to care about your script. Now, I'm not talking about raw passion. I'm talking about how far you will go to make your screen play good. Will you go back and edit the same sentence 8 times or just write a paragraph and move on with it? How detailed are you willing to make your character? Does your character smile, does he have a weakness, what are his goals, his height, weight, eye color, birth, and most importantly, death. You have to be willing to discover all these things by yourself and sit on it. Then will you be able to write a good script.

4. Write lean

What I mean by that is use as little words as possible to convey the idea. "Harry saw the ball coming. He stood his ground and tried to hit the ball. He missed." Instead you could write "Ball zooms. Harry stiffens. Swing.....and miss" I used way less words and made a stronger impact on the reader. Another reason why writing lean would be good is to save space. In movie industry, each page of a screenplay is one minute. You waste that space then you are wasting a minute of the movie.

5. Read books

And I don't mean any books. Read books in your genre. Read books that inspire you. Read books about other writers. "Why we write" is a great book to get you moving and removing your writer's block. More importantly, read books from authors who wrote screenplay. They will speak in greater detail of what you need to do to be successful. Whatever you do don't stop reading, or your writing will never improve.

6. Share & Copyright

Share your work to your friends, family, and colleagues. Let them judge you. I shared my first screenplay to Penguin Random House and came out as the Best writer in Brooklyn (and also with a thousand dollars). You never know what fate has in store for you so just give it a shot. And when I say copyright, I mean copyright. Don't get it patented because that will not protect your work.

HOPE THIS HELPED! HAPPY WRITING!