Frame One

Once the outline is done, the job changes. The outline decides what happens. The draft finds out how it plays on the page. The method is simple: know what you need before page one, write forward without stopping to polish, and treat the first draft as raw material that only has to exist.

This guide covers what to have in hand, how to set a routine, what to do when the outline stops working, and the mistakes that stall a first draft.

Before page one: what to have in hand

An outline does not need to be perfect. It needs to let you see the next scene. Before starting, check that you have:

• The ending. Even a rough one. Knowing where the story lands makes every scene easier to aim.
• The cards or a short outline. One card per scene is enough. Beat, Scene, Sequence explains how to choose the size of each card.
• What each main character wants. One line each, written down. The scenes will keep returning to it.
• A structure to check against. Three acts is the usual starting point, as explained in Screenplay Structure: The Complete Guide.

If one of these is missing, a short pause to write it is faster than discovering the gap on page 60.

Write scene by scene

Treat each card as a scene to write, not as a script to reproduce. For each one, ask two questions before typing: who wants what in this scene, and what changes by the end of it.

If nothing changes, the scene is not ready to write. If something changes, you have enough to start. Keep the scene as short as it needs to be, and move on as soon as the change has happened.

Dialogue is where most first drafts go wrong early, because characters tend to say exactly what they feel. A first draft can contain that. It is still worth knowing the difference, which is covered in Text, Context and Subtext in Screenwriting Explained.

Set a routine you can keep

A feature draft is long, and what finishes it is a steady pace, not a few big days. A fixed daily target makes the length visible. For a 100-page draft:

• 1 page a day: 100 days
• 2 pages a day: 50 days
• 3 pages a day: about 34 days
• 5 pages a day: 20 days

Choose a number you can hit on a bad day, not a good one. A small target that is met every day builds a draft. A large target that is missed builds guilt.

Write forward, fix later

The most useful rule for a first draft is not to go back. When a line is weak or a scene feels wrong, leave a note and keep writing. Most screenwriting programs have a notes feature, and in Fountain a note goes in double square brackets and does not appear in the exported script.

Going back to polish page 12 while you are on page 40 trades momentum for a better page 12 that will probably change in the next draft anyway. The first draft is allowed to be bad. It is not allowed to stay unfinished.

When the outline stops working

At some point the characters will not do what the card says, or a scene will feel false. This is normal, and it is information. The outline was a plan made before the story existed on the page.

When it happens, check the card, not the writing. Either the card is in the wrong place, or it describes an event that the characters would not choose. Change the cards to match what you now know, then continue. If the change affects the ending, update the structure and see what else moves.

Five problems that stall a first draft

1. Rewriting page one again and again. The opening is the part most likely to change after the whole story is known.
2. Explaining feelings in dialogue. Characters who say what they feel leave the scene with nothing underneath it.
3. Starting every scene too early. Enter late and leave early, and cut the greetings and the goodbyes.
4. Waiting for the right conditions. A first draft gets written in ordinary hours, not in perfect ones.
5. Stopping in the middle. Writers often describe the middle as the place where drafts stall. The cards help here, because the next scene is already decided.

Finishing the draft

The first draft is finished when the last scene is on the page, however rough it is. After that, rest for a while, then read the whole script in one sitting before making a single change. Reading it as a reader shows what works and what does not far better than reading it scene by scene while writing.

Only then does rewriting begin. That step is a method of its own, covered in the final chapter of The Screenwriting Series.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to write a first draft?
It depends on the daily page target. At two pages a day, a 100-page feature takes about 50 days. The number matters less than keeping it steady.

Should I write the script in order?
Most writers do, because each scene builds on the last. Some write key scenes first. Either works, as long as the draft gets finished.

Do I need a full outline before page one?
Not always. An outline helps, because it shows where the story is going, but some writers begin with less. What matters is knowing the ending and the next scene.

What should I do with a scene that does not fit?
Leave a note, move on and decide later. A scene that does not fit usually shows that a card is in the wrong place.

Go deeper

Chapter 7 of The Screenwriting Series, From Outline to Screenplay, covers this step in full, and Chapter 11 covers the move from one draft to the next.

How many pages do you write on a good writing day? Tell us in the comments.