LESSON

“I have this idea. It would make a great movie.”

Stop right there. Ideas are a dime a dozen. Insanely great ideas? Those take a little more talent and know-how. Having an idea and sitting down in front of your keyboard to birth it on paper couldn’t be further removed from what it takes to write even the most basic ﬁrst draft of a screenplay, although that’s a common misconception.

If you’ve heard me speak, you know that I believe in the power of insanely great stories. Stories are one of the ways we, as human beings, understand who we are and make sense of our place in the world. Stories are at the very core of what it means to be human. As I explained in my 2014 TEDx talk (“Hardwired for Story”), our brains on story behave differently than when they are receiving any other kind of information. That’s why story is such a powerful medium.

And yet, not everyone has what it takes to be a great storyteller. Great stories demand hard work and training. That’s why so many writers quit before they ﬁnish a ﬁrst draft. Staring at the blank page is so overwhelming and daunting that enthusiasm dwindles and passion fades. They might not even make it beyond page ten. They experience, as Seth Godin puts it, “the dip”—and end the journey.

Writers who abandon their dreams are in part victims of our culture of immediacy, and of the lies we propagate about genius and inspiration. For the record, I’ve never met a great writer who didn’t hit a dip from time to time. Moreover, I’ve never met a great writer who didn’t have to work hard for every word, writing and revising, rethinking and tearing their work to shreds, only to start again at the beginning. Too many ﬁrst-time writers think storytelling is about getting word-count down on paper, rather than viewing the design of their story as a fundamental and time-consuming process. I’m telling you the truth up front because I don’t want you to lose hope, deceived by the illusion that writing is easy. The truth is, it won’t be easy. However, it will be worthwhile.

A civilization that forgets how to tell its story crumbles and dies. We need great storytellers. We need people willing to put in the time and effort it takes to master the craft. Without the proper tools, those who are eager to embark upon this journey risk getting lost along the way. Still others are committed to the process but don’t know where to start. That’s why I’ve written this course.

By learning the basic principles of what I call story design, we’re going to empower you to take your project from “Fade In” to “Fade Out.” Think of story design and the outlining process as that of constructing a blueprint for your screenplay, similar to the blueprint an architect would prepare for a house. Throughout the process, you’ll be able to test, or sound, your blueprint. Missing a load-bearing (story) wall in one spot? We’ll catch that before you spend time and resources executing a ﬂawed plan—rather than having to rip that wall down and start over. (Or worse, ﬁnding out later that your house is going to fall down.) Far from restricting your creativity, my goal is for you to unleash your creative powers and maximize the time you invest in the writing process.

By going through the process outlined in this course, you should accomplish a pretty decent first draft. It won’t be perfect, and like all projects, you’ll want to put it through a few more revisions. However, I’m conﬁdent when I say that you’ll have every opportunity to reach the finish line.

Remember, you’ll get out of this 20-step program what you put into it. I’m not only going to guide you through the process of writing your screenplay draft, I’m also going to teach you how to pick up new habits that will empower you to become a better writer. You don’t have to complete the challenge in twenty consecutive days. You can take a break or even just focus on your project a few days a week. You just have to stick with it. It’s like going to the gym. You won’t see results unless you make the commitment to keep going.

Ready to begin?

Lesson