How to Develop Story Structure For Your Screenplay

If you enjoy writing, storytelling, and films chances are a dream job for you would be screen writing. However developing story structure is heavily dependent on certain aspects of writing your screenplay.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• a treatment
• screen writing software
• motivation

How to Develop Story Structure in Your Screenplay

1. Before starting on your screenplay the first step is to develop a treatment. A treatment is a basic outline of the story that is broken up into acts. This will help you while writing so you are able to develop your story in a solid direction.

2. It is also important to develop a character breakdown. A character breakdown is a list of all the character's names and what their roles are in the screenplay. This will help you remember their personas and goals as you write.

3. While you write it is important to go over the situations that the characters get into and make sure that the story flows well. If you feel like something may not make sense or the audience will just have to "assume" something you may want to consider making changes.

4. Once you have finished your first draft you may want to let a few other people (make sure they're people that you trust and that they won't steal your story idea) read it. Ask for honest and constructive criticism. Once you have received it you will probably want to go back in and make changes.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure not to become too defensive during constructive criticism. You will have to take the good with the bad and it is professional to hear people out and to understand what things they may not like about the screenplay.
• Make sure to write your screenplay using screen writing software. If it is not professionally formatted production companies will not look at it.

[johnt55]

on 8/19/2009 Here's some more, really good and helpful information about screenplay structure:

http://www.easy-budget.com//articles/articles.asp?article=screenplay