This is Your Brain. This is Your Brain on Inspiration. Any Questions?

Once you’ve been in the scriptwriting biz for a while, a number of questions just… emerge.

In my particular experience, queries such as these: How do you manage to write so damned fast? What’s your method for bringing ideas to life? Followed by: What the fuck’s wrong with you? Can you connect me with your dealer? What the hell are you going to do with your life?

All legitimate questions, of course. Which bring up another: Where to Start?

As is often the case (except with certain Tarantino flicks), starting at the beginning’s usually best. Especially since every script starts with…

…. an IDEA.

Where does one get that? It depends. Every person’s different – as are his/her moods, past experiences, interests, troubles and triumphs in Life. And as long as a writer stays open and receptive, Inspiration can hit at any time. Really, during any activity that lets one’s mind wander. For me, common inspirational locations have included: the shower (when alone). Walking my dogs in the neighborhood. Riding the subway. Or drifting off to sleep (whether in the subway or bed). Now, there’s a fertile moment for many folks: that precious moment when one’s mental guards dissolve, and the lines between reality and dream state blur.

But no matter whether one’s tastes run to drama, romance, SF, horror or “something else”, the source of inspiration is the same. That loaded and intrinsically valueable question: “What if”?

What if an asteroid were on a collision course with Earth (Deep Impact?) Or a boy was stranded with a tiger on a raft (Life of Pi.)? What if dinosaurs were brought back to life (Jurassic Park)? The “what if” list just doesn’t end.

But once you’ve got an idea, there’s another essential leap to take: let it run wild. Ask yourself: where does this concept lead? Admit it: even the best idea is just a building block. Imagine what the world would have lost if J.K. Rowling had dreamt up a Wizarding School, but cruised on mental auto-pilot from there. (The result probably would’ve been some forgettable mess featuring kids with wands cheating their way through school. Supernatural meets Beverly Hills 90210, as it were!)

Still – even fantasy has its rules. Once your mind strolls down that “what if” path, it’s crucial to ensure whatever grows sprouts from logical, organic and profound soil.

EG: The Walking Dead - if zombies overrun the world, how will social groups react?

If an astronaut were stranded in space (Gravity) – what could they do? Or think?

Keep asking yourself such questions, and a story’s components fall right into place.

A writer just has to stay patient, and willing to roam. That’s sometimes hard. Such things take time.

But once you’re done… wooo-hoooo! Pop the champagne, and open Final Draft!

Not so fast, Hemingway. Cue the record scratch. Because hatching an idea is just Phase One. In cooking, it’s akin to assembling all the right ingredients. But before you turn that oven on, there’s prep work to get done. AKA: “Development”.

It’s at this stage every writer has their own MO. What works for Joel Silver might not cut it for Joss Whedon. Or Shane Black. Or little you and me.

It takes trial and error to get the process down. But speaking as someone that’s now written more than 20 features – here’s what I’ve discovered yields results:

Phase Two: Create the Treatment

So, you’ve got a fresh idea and characters. And you know the story’s arc. Overall – not too shabby. From there, some writers dive instantly into the script. For a percentage of people, that process works. (I know a few of those wild cards myself.)

But for many writers, creating a story with form, structure and direction requires developing the “Treatment” first. Skip that, and odds are you’ll end up with a story that wanders and loses tension. Collapsing into dreaded Second Act blahs.

So give the following a shot. It might work for you. It does for me:

Settle into your couch and open a Word Processing Program. Pages on the Ipad. MS Word on PC. Confirm you have the idea and the overall story figured out. Then create a new document, and go to town!

In other words – grab your script ingredients, and “fly free.” Write a loose bio for each of your characters: their current motivations, and past. What drives their actions? What do they think of each other… and why?

Compile a list of beats, details and themes that are “must haves” for your tale. (A bullet point list comes in useful now.) After all that’s assembled, the plot deepens… and things get fun.

Imagine yourself on a camping trip with your closest pals. It’s pitch black. S’Mores and Wine Coolers everywhere. The campfire is aglow. You envision that? Then let’s go!

For me, the best aspect of developing a treatment first is it really lets one’s creativity run wild. At this stage, there’s no pressure to generate a perfect, no-typos tale.

Nope – as a writer, you’re using this moment to creatively vent. Just tell the page a captivating story; one you yourself yearn to hear. Imagine sitting in an audience watching a riveting film – while writing down everything you see. At this stage of the process, just tell a story that grabs you by the balls (or other bits). Feel free to add snippets of dialogue, descriptions and story beat – whatever gets your point across.

And never straightjacket yourself. If ever there was a time to riff, it’s now. Write freeform – carefree. The only requirement: make sure scenes and characters develop organically – even in directions you (as their creator) don’t expect. Trust me: if you let it, this process works wonders. Supporting characters grow, thrive and pop. Subplots often write themselves. And story endings … evolve. Though it may take hours or days, eventually you’ll reach that final scene.

Once you do – save the file. Go for a walk, and take a well-earned break. Knowing that a few days later, you’ll sit down and re-read what’s spewed from your fingertips. You’ll polish what’s developed… and play with it more, until it shines.

Which brings us to…

Phase Three: Outline

This one’s a no-brainer. You’re thrilled with your treatment? Good. ‘Cause now it’s time to create an outline from it. Fortunately, this part’s not hard.

Using a numbered list function in Word (and your treatment as a reference), break your story into scenes – complete with salient descriptions for each one.

Say you’re writing an origin reboot for Superman. In that case, your outline might go like this:

1. Intro – Meet Our Hero! Getting into scenes late is best. Even in our first sentence, Planet Krypton’s breaking up. Sacrificing their lives for their son, Mom and Dad stuff baby Supes into a rocket. He zooms away. They’re left behind.
2. Next Stop – Planet Earth. Jetting through the void of space, Kal-El’s rocket swings towards a bright blue marble. It plummets through the atmosphere and crash-lands in a Kansas wheat field on Earth. Farmer Jonathan Kent stumbles across the rocket’s remains. Miraculously, the baby’s survived! Kent carries the infant home to Martha. From the look on both their faces, you can already tell they’ll raise this baby as their own.
3. Home Sweet Home – Superboy grows super fast. A montage of life at school and his farm flashes across the silver screen…

No doubt you know the rest of the story – and get the idea. No need to venture further on this one.

But why Outline when you’ve already got your Treatment? Two big old reasons stick out: 1) It helps a writer fully distill the story line, ensuring the dead weight and fat’s chopped out. 2) Later, the Outline provides an amazing tool for writing… super fast.

Phase Four: Riffing Scenes.

Remember how free you felt when you wrote the Treatment? How details and new ideas seemed to grow on their own? Guess what: that works for scenes as well.

Here’s a process that doesn’t necessarily “do it” for everyone, but you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Settle down with your new Outline. Double click MS Word.

Ready, Set… Go!

Begin at the beginning – with Scene One. Cut and paste what you’ve already created for the Treatment. But from that start point, rhapsodize. By now, you generally know where the scene’s going – but here’s your chance to focus on all the exquisite little details, and Easter Eggs.

As with the Treatment play freely, like a child – focusing on beats, dialogue and visuals. Not rules. Format has no importance here. Only that characterization and your scene feels right. Once it does…

Our beloved Final Draft (or Celtx, etc) finally comes into play. 1) Open that sucker up. 2) Copy your new scene from Word. Then 3) CUT AND PASTE.

Phase Five: Polishing Scenes.

A quick CNTRL-V: there it is! (Yes, you can cut and paste into FD from Word.) What about formatting, you ask? Here’s where your other screenwriter skills come in– ones you’ve honed and practiced over time.

Using the “riffed” scene as reference, retype every single line – polishing and formatting as you go. Do that, and you’ll find your story fine tunes and evolves on its own. As miracles happen, trust your instincts and let it flow. At least in most instances, you’ll find your subconscious – like Mother –Knows Best.

When you finally reach the end of Scene One - wow! Save and close FD. Scene Two can wait for another day.

Phase Six: Wash, Rinse and Repeat.

No matter how excited you are, you’ll sleep on it. Eventually. The sun will set, then rise. The next morning, coffee steams in front of you; the remains of breakfast swept away.

Which means it’s time to tackle Scene Two. As you did before, riff and play with it first in Word. Then open up Final Draft. Cut and Paste.

But before you start the polish process, review the previous Scene one last time.

Why so much OCD, you ask? Well, there can never be too many rewrites. Plus, going over a preceding scene reminds you how the characters feel – and gets you back in your “Writing Zone.”

Do that on a daily basis and – ta-da! Depending on how fast you write, you’ll probably have first draft completed in just one month. Though, that’s really not First Draft. More like Third – based on work you’ve done.

And thanks to the Treatment, Outline and Scene Polish, it’s far less likely your story’s wandered. At least most of the structure’ll be solid. As for the writing experience itself? Damned fun. Not only that, but if/when you get a director hooked on your script, you’ll already have a Treatment prepared to go!

Whew. That’s the story process for me, and I’m stickin’ to it like glue. Because it makes writing features fast and fun.

Hopefully, this article’s given you a few useful tips, as well. A writer’s toolbox can never be too full.

As for the other questions I’m often asked: it’s been a long article, so I’ll be brief.

What’s wrong with me? Who the heck knows? No, I don’t have a dealer to recommend. Unless Diet Pepsi counts. What’ll I do with the rest of my life? Write another 20 features, I hope!