Screenwriting : Script Thing by Steve Cleary

Hey, Steve Cleary. Right now, I outline my scripts in Microsoft Word.

Thanks again for the Demand Report, Screenwriting Dashboard, and Screenplay Idea Tracker.

Thanks for checking them out Maurice! Hows' the horror game show coming along?

I use save the cat but only use it as guide. It doesn't work with every screenplay nor should it.

You're welcome, Steve Cleary. I'm reworking a part of the show.

Crap! I meant to say "old heads" not "old hats". 2 entirely different meanings LOL My question was more about the technology, not so much methodology. I would imagine everyone on here has that pretty dialed in. Thanks to those who chimed in!

I outline using dot points and then the tools I learn in intelligence to flesh out aspects of people, places and story.

Derek Reid Nothing beats low-tech! And coffee stains add character :^D

Used to write scripts longhand on steno notebooks, then rewrite as I typed 'em into the trusted laptop. One day I left a notebook with a completed draft I hadn't transferred to the computer yet at my daughter's ballet class. It was never found. Fairly large quantities of rum were consumed that night.

Now everything goes right to the cloud, which should be safe until Skynet, the Cylons or ChatGPT takes over.

If anyone stumbles across that steno notebook, shoot me a DM, I'll buy the drinks. ;)

I always start out handwriting the major plot points and random ideas in notebooks before gathering them into a doc in Final Draft - JJ Abrams calls that doc his "living document" when writing a new project. Eventually I'll notecard out the beats and start building out the outline, but at some point I get restless and just start typing lol

@mark aw man that must have really sucked!

@emily that's an awesome approach. i wish I could write a whole script by hand, but my hand gets all cramped up after 1 page LOL

There's a lot of book available plus actual classics such as Cat on a hot tin roof, the Godfather script notes and all classic scripts U can read

I prefer simplicity (read minimal tech without its tendency for over automation) and use Pages' "note taking" template to sketch out my story. Pretty much acts as a beat by beat outline. In the beginning it contains various story threads that may or may not pan out.

I use Word to write a project doc that contains a lot of the character bios, loglines, synopsis, themes, act breaks, etc. - the things gleaned from Save the Cat and endless internet articles. If the project involves timelines, generations, or multiple episodes, I use excel to track ALL that. And my dirty little secret is that I started out as a prose writer and still use Word to write my screenplays (everything left aligned). I was ecstatic when I figured out that if you capitalize your character names and sluglines like you should, you can do a straight paste into Final Draft or Writer's Duet and it will autoformat everything for a polish. Just quicker for me.

@jeffrey that's a really cool trick about the capitalization! I'm going to work that into the staging document in my Screenwriting Dashboard application. Thank you!

@Ty Strange story thread variations. Love it! I'm going to add that to my list of future enhancements. Thanks!

@meredith those are great tips. Thanks for sharing!

Talent and words...and practice how to complement each on other...

I use index cards, tape them to a wall so I can see visually how a plot would play, assembly 7 or 8 sequences; each with beginning, middle, ending. Kinda like chapters on Dvd menu.

I use my whiteboard (which it’s big than the average whiteboard). I also brainstorm on my ideas on Google docs.

I'm a big fan of outlining. I usually write everything down on paper and/or a google doc that I can refer back to.

I use index cards on a whiteboard to plot my screenplay. I'm currently adapting from a book, so I started making notes on a sheet of paper so I don't lose track when I move scenes around.

I am a big fan of Dramatic Pro, I've had it for years on an ancient laptop with Windows Millenium Edition... I STILL use it lol.

@nathan hmm dramatic pro never heard of it. I'll look it up though and see its features. thx!

I'm not here to promote brands -- but I did sign up for Open Screenplay and I used the process to 1. Set the title/log line 2. Flesh out characters 3. Story Outline (ACT 1/2/3 in 700 characters each) 4. Scene Outline (I used Index cards to visually break up my acts) 5. Dialogue + Action = script -- Openscreenplay allows you to write using the guided or open workflow. Another advantage is you can write your script by yourself or ask for help from other contributors.