Screenwriting : How soon? by Stephen Quaranta Jr.

(assuming it's a Spec):

For an agency, not until it's 100% complete and polished to a brilliant shine.

And then a 2nd script on standby, just as good.

Before I begin to write it. I kick the idea/concept around with a few other script scribes in order to develop a basic feel for its worthiness - an they do the same with me.

I'm much the same as Doug Nelson I think. I'll develop the premise and characters and discuss it with a few close filmmaker friends. "I'm working on a SciFi piece... the premise is..." If they ask questions, I know it's interesting. If they ask MORE questions - It helps me flesh out the concept.

If they nod and say, "sounds good" ... without asking for more - it's probably not. And they're being polite. That's my approach.

When you have finished it and done a couple of serious rewrites.

Before that, don't tell anyone. It serves no purpose.

My joke is I write so much that I don't expect anyone, friends, family, to read it. I am way past that first novel, screenplay thing. If someone wanted to I would have to send them a huge list to pick from between novels, shorts and screenplays. So I never bring it up. I just write on and seek the opinions of pros only. The internet public and results from pros already gave me the confidence I needed to pursue the screenplay path with increased gusto.

Why bother, people will be polite and say they like it just because it's what people do. Or they won't have the screenwriting knowledge to give you valid feedback anyway. Unless you're done and it's polished and you're sending it out to pros, it's unnecessary.

I may run a couple of ideas with some other creatives, but I generally don't tell my reader friends about it until it's ready to read.