Your screenwriting journey is all about evolving as a screenwriter. Everyone generally starts at the same place. As we progress by educating ourselves (screenwriting books, screenwriting blogs, reading produced screenplays, etc.), we begin to add to our knowledge base. We build a go-to tool belt. Then, as we begin to write scripts, we learn through trial by fire and trial by error. We slowly get better and better with each script. 

But there comes a time, even after those first two or three scripts, when you begin to hit a ceiling of sorts. 

Becoming a better screenwriter is all about leveling-up. You get to stages that teach you valuable lessons. You advance to the next stage after applying what you’ve learned. This evolution is great, but there are a few ways that can help you jumpstart your evolution even more, catapulting you past many of those sometimes mundane stages. 

With that in mind, here are five fast ways you can be a better screenwriter. 

1. Don’t Wait for Inspiration 

One of the best screenwriting books you can learn from isn’t even a screenwriting book — it’s Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. It’s a nonfiction book he wrote years ago for aspiring writers. Every screenwriter should read it. 

Perhaps the best quote is:

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”

One of the major ceilings many screenwriters hit is finding new inspiration to get their creative juices flowing. That’s why many newcomers take a year or more to write a single script. They’re waiting for inspiration. 

If you want to be a pro screenwriter, there’s no time for that. You need to go seek inspiration out. You need to learn how to create those creative sparks so you can finish that next scene and move onto the next. 

The average first draft deadline for a pro screenwriting contract is 1-2 months. There’s no time to wait for inspiration. You need to be able to create it. 

Final Draft has a Beat Board™ that acts as a space to plan scenes, sequences, plot, act structure, or character goals for your script. It’s the perfect place for brainstorming. Think of the Beat Board as a virtual whiteboard or wall with index cards or sticky notes stuck to it. Learn more about Final Draft’s Beat Board here.

2. Watch Movies and TV Shows with the Eyes of a Writer

One way to find inspiration is to go back to the well of movies and TV shows. It’s not about stealing from them, despite the fact that Oscar-winning auteur Quentin Tarantino suggests just that. It’s about filling your brain with options. 

• When you watch a movie or show through the perspective of a writer, you can pick up on the many options you have for your stories and characters when it comes to arcs, structure, depth, exploration, etc. 
• When you watch successful content that has won awards and garnered major box office business, you can pick up on what works, and why.
• When you watch movies that were critical failures or box office bombs, you can see why and how things didn’t work and learn from that. 

When you do this — either before or during your writing process for a script — you’ll create a keen eye for:

• Structure
• Character and story arcs
• When certain moments happen in stories
• How characters react to those moments
• Pacing
• Placement of twists, turns, and reveals

Think of it this way — you’re filling your brain with options. Your brain will know your story and characters thus far. It will then meld those elements to the cinematic options you’ve ingested. After that, it will begin to figure out the possibilities of your story and provide the necessary inspiration for you. 

That’s why one of the best development practices is watching movies and TV shows similar to whatever concept you are developing. Ingest whatever you can. The good, the bad, and everything in between. But watch them through the eyes of your writing self, not the average audience member.   

This is the best way to prepare yourself for the journey ahead when it comes to developing your concept and writing the eventual script. 

3. Learn How to Easily Kill Your Darlings

“When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt — revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.” — Stephen King

This is a major step for any screenwriter — the ability to kill your darlings. We know how much work we put into a scene, sequence, storyline, or character. But sometimes they don’t belong in your script. The hardest hurdle to surpass for beginner screenwriters is finding the ability to kill your darlings. 

If it’s a scene, sequence, story arc, character, twist, or plot point, you can always save them for the next script. But if they are weighing down your script, you need to be able to cut them loose. 

Once you learn how to do that, it will be one of the most freeing experiences you’ll feel as a writer. And you’ll find yourself instantly leveled-up. 

4. Don’t Use Dialogue as a Crutch 

I’m a former studio screenwriter. The biggest crutch screenwriters use is dialogue. I can’t tell you how many scripts I passed on because the screenwriter leaned on that dialogue crutch far too often. 

Learn that less is more when it comes to dialogue. The less you say, and the more you show, the better your dialogue — and script as a whole — will be. 

Have your characters talk less. Supplant that with action and reaction. Don’t try to jam their mouths with “cool” dialogue. Show us what they’re thinking. You can reveal so much more characterisation that way.

Some prime examples include:

Pixar’s UP

With next-to-no dialogue, we see Ellie and Carl’s life unfold, through triumph, happiness, sadness and loss. 

Favorite Pixar’s Up scene ever - Ellie and Carl’s relationship through time, Sad scene

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

The opening sequence has no dialogue. We see what type of character Max is through his actions and reactions. And then we come to this quiet moment where some of his humanity is revealed amidst his otherwise apocalyptic survival mode. 

Opening Scene | MAD MAX 2 THE ROAD WARRIOR (1981) Mel Gibson, Movie CLIP HD

Good Will Hunting

This pivotal scene uses very few words to convey what each character is doing (Sean) and going through (Will). 

Good Will Hunting (1997) - It’s Not Your Fault Scene | Movieclips

Once you master the art of subtlety and quietness in your dialogue (or lack thereof), your writing will be so much better. 

5. Rewrite As You Go 

I know. You’ve read the quotes from screenwriting gurus — and maybe even some famous screenwriters — about writing your vomit draft where you just write frantically, non-stop, until you reach the end. If you want to be a better screenwriter, here’s the fastest way to accomplish that — rewrite as you go. 

Here’s the general process:

• After your development work, sit down and write your first 10 pages. 
• During your next writing session, read those first 10 pages as a reader, and tweak them as you do. 
• Then write your next 10 pages. 
• When you come back for your third writing session, read those first 20 pages, and rewrite them as needed. 
• Then you write your next 10 pages. 
• Come back, read those first 30 pages, rewrite them as you go, and then rinse and repeat until you hit the sweet spot of 100 pages (give or take). 

Here’s what you’re doing during this process. 

• You’re making sure that you’re staying consistent in your tone and pacing. 
• You’re constantly in the heads of your characters. 
• You’re minimizing grammatical, spelling, and format errors. 
• You’re reading your previous pages with a more objective eye, seeing the flaws and eradicating them from your script as quickly as possible. 
• You’re always on the same page with your past and present self. 

If you apply this process to your writing, you’ll find that your first draft is more like a solid third and near-final draft. You’ll also learn to write much faster. Gone will be the days of taking six months to a year to finish a script. 

Take these lessons into your next writing session, and see how much your work improves. There are always ways to improve your craft, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned professional, and these lessons will help you level up your writing game fast. The results will speak for themselves!