Every screenwriter hits a wall at some point. Sometimes it’s after your third script. Sometimes it’s a dozen screenplays in. But there are key screenwriting challenges that can help beginners avoid hitting those walls — even before you get to a more advanced point in your screenwriting career. 

These aren’t warm-ups. They are full-blown script workouts that will help any screenwriter grow their screenwriting muscles. They’re not designed to be easy — they are designed to help you level up by creating tears in your current writing process to allow space to fill in more talent and experience. 

With that in mind, here are five screenwriting challenges to help you level up! 

1. Attempt a New Genre

Write a script in a genre you have never tackled before.

You’ll eventually begin to learn what you’re good at and where your strengths lie. It’s very easy to get pigeon-holed or complacent in those genres. 

If you really want to challenge yourself to promote screenwriting growth, one of the best ways to accomplish that is by tackling a genre you haven’t tried yet. 

• Pick a genre you’ve never written in. If you’re a screenwriter who has a passion for comedy and has written some comedy scripts, try a drama, thriller, or horror script. If you’re a drama, thriller, or horror writer, try your hand at comedy. 
• Study the best five movies in this new genre that you can find, and take notes on things like pacing, structure, dialogue rhythms, world-building, archetypes, etc. Use the “one script page equals one screen minute” formula and make note of what happens every 5-10 pages. 
• Then find a concept in a new genre, and commit to writing that script. 

When you do this, you’ll quickly learn that genre isn’t a trap to be afraid of — it’s a toolbox you can utilize in your screenwriting career to showcase diverse abilities and talents as you continue to build a strong stack of spec scripts. 

You’ll also discover instincts you didn’t know you had, and those newly unlocked instincts can be crucial to your screenwriting career, because having the talent of jumping from one genre to another can help you write genre-blending scripts that Hollywood — and audiences — love. 

Further reading: How to make genre-bending work in your screenplay

Quentin Tarantino, Michael Madsen, and Edward Bunker in 'Reservoir Dogs'

2. Write a Dialogue-Driven Script

When we say dialogue-driven, we’re basically suggesting that you write a dialogue-only screenplay. 

This challenge will help you work those dialogue muscles to get a sense of — and ear for — character voice, subtext, dialogue pacing and structure, tone, atmosphere, and emotion. 

When you have no action lines of scene description to fall back on, your dialogue will have to be strong enough to carry the whole script. 

• Pick a concept that falls under the talking heads umbrella of cinematic storytelling (The Big Chill, Reservoir Dogs, My Dinner with Andre, etc.). 
• Outline the script’s story, but when you open a new Final Draft document to start the script, only use Scene Headings, Character Names, and Dialogue. 
• Everything must be spoken or implied through speech. 

You’ll quickly discover that you need to build a sense of timing, structure, emotion, stakes, and character/story arcs. You’ll be more attune to how each character has their own voice — and you’ll also be able to better identify characters that don’t have their own voices. 

Once you finish the dialogue-only draft of the script, you’ll be able to go back and rewrite it as a more conventional screenplay, complete with actions, reactions, and more visual storytelling. Or maybe you’ll opt for a different option — formatting the script as a stage play. 

Further reading: Learn how to write good dialogue

3. The Silent Screenplay Challenge 

Write a feature-length screenplay with no dialogue — just action, reaction, and visual storytelling. 

Okay. You’ve learned key lessons about the power of dialogue in Challenge #2. Now it’s time to visit the opposite end of the cinematic storytelling spectrum — visual storytelling. 

• Create a concept where silence is either a necessary plot tool (i.e. A Quiet Place) or dialogue isn’t necessarily needed to tell the visual story. 
• Structure the story using purely visual beats, and think about how every scene advances the plot or reveals character through reaction to a conflict, character through behavior, accompanied by blocking, movement, and action. 
• Use scene description to tell the story by showing it rather than having dialogue explain it away. Do this without over-explanation. Keep scene description short, sweet, and to the point. 

This challenge will teach you the power of showing versus telling. You’ll be able to communicate emotion, stakes, and themes through visuals rather than using dialogue as a crutch. 
For cinematic examples of this, watch the opening moments in There Will Be Blood and Pixar’s Up.  

Further reading: ‘Flow’ Shows Why Action Lines Can Speak Louder Than Dialogue

Colin Farrell in 'Phone Booth'

4. Write a Single-Location Contained Screenplay

Write a script that takes place entirely in one single location. 

This challenge isn’t only fun and, well, challenging — it’s also a great real-world production skill to practice. Many low budget films take place in single or highly limited locations. If you can tell a riveting story without changing locations, you’ll level up with a deeper understanding of how to master characterization and structure. 

• Choose a primary location, which can be a cabin, diner, hospital, passenger jet, or whichever comes to mind. 
• Make sure the location can also support a story with continually escalating conflict and tension. Buried, Phone Booth, and Reservoir Dogs are amazing examples to explore. 
• You can use the confined space to heighten emotions, physicality, and psychological claustrophobia. 

You’ll find that this challenge will help you be able to handle character-driven drama that doesn’t rely on spectacle in the form of location-hopping. You’ll also be able to find the importance of making sure that every single line of dialogue matters. And finally, you’ll be able to discover how to stage story beats creatively without having a new scenery-change to fall back on. 

Further reading: How to write a contained screenplay

5. Rewrite a Script From a New Point of View

Take a previous script or story you’ve written and rewrite entirely from the point of view of another character.

Wicked accomplished this masterfully, showing us the perspective of the Wicked Witch. What would other iconic stories look like from a supporting character’s point of view? 

• What if E.T. the Extraterrestrial was told through the eyes of Keys, the government scientist who was looking for an alien he tracked down?
• What if Die Hard was told through the perspective of villain Hans Gruber?
• What if Ferris Bueller's Day Off showed us the empathetic viewpoint of antagonist Principal Rooney dealing with a bunch of entitled high school students? 

Now, take one of your stories and do the same. 

• Consider picking a script or unfinished project of yours. 
• Choose a supporting character whose point of view would radically change the story. 
• Rewrite the script to make that supporting character the lead, rebuilding the structure, character arcs, tone, theme, and atmosphere to suit their emotional character arc. 

Perspective shifts change everything in a story. Challenging yourself to be able to see the different perspectives of your characters — from leads to supporting — can help you to create better characters across the board. This challenge can also help you to better explore your concepts before you decide on a protagonist. 

You can also use this challenge to help you find character and story themes you didn’t know existed. 

'Remember the Titans'

Leveling Up to Achieve Your Screenwriting Dreams

With each choice — feature-length challenges, short script challenges, single scene challenges — you can start to further develop your skills and eventually begin to level up in your screenwriting.

Success as a screenwriter isn’t about lucking out and selling a script for millions of dollars. While that notion sounds amazing, you need to focus on evolving into a better screenwriter by challenging yourself whenever you can. Most screenwriting contracts are writing assignments where you’ll be tasked with writing someone else’s concept, idea, or adaptation of intellectual properties they own. 

If you can prove to the powers that be that you are at a high-enough level to handle anything thrown your way, your chances of success as a working screenwriter are unlimited. 

So, challenge yourself. Have fun with these challenges. The only result from taking these challenges on is you bettering yourself as a screenwriter — and getting even closer to your screenwriting dreams.