Go On Your Own Quest checklist

We are heading into Week 6 of Go On Your Own Quest, your opportunity to write an original feature-length screenplay by the end of the year, following the same course of action as the writers are doing as they go through The Quest with me. In Week 9, we shift from talking about screenwriting theory into the prep-writing phase, so I figured now would be a good time to assess where everyone is with their writing process. My advice is as follows:

1. You should be zeroing in a story concept. Not just any story concept, but a really solid one.

2. You should be brainstorming every day about your characters, plot, themes and so on, and keeping your reflections in a master brainstorming list.

3. Now is the time to be reading scripts and watching movies that are similar to your story for research purposes.

4. Ask yourself tough questions including, “Why would anybody be willing to fork over hard-earned cash to watch my movie”?

5. Follow along each day with the GOYOQ posts here on GITS where we discuss relevant issues.

6. Prepare yourself for the rigors of prep-writing. This is where you ‘break’ your story, so steal yourself for 6 weeks of really focused work on your story.

7. Create the time and place to be able to knock out a first draft by the end of the year.

How else do you prepare for writing a spec script?

For background on “Go Into The Story: The Quest,” go here and here.

Comment Archive