The first thing you'll need is professional screenwriting software. Screenwriting in a word processing program is highly discouraged. In fact—it's a nightmare. Great screenplays are born through a process of constant rewriting and you need the proper tools. You'll lose your mind with anything less than professional software. Screenwriting is rigorous enough, don't make it unbearable. Keep in mind that screenwriting software will not format your script for you. You need to understand the various screenplay expressions and elements and every Screenwriter needs to own screenplay format reference books. They're inexpensive and absolutely vital. We recommend Cole & Haag's "The Complete Guide to Standard Script Formats" and David Trottier's "The Screenwriter's Bible". They'll make a nice start to your reference library.

Picking the right premise is the most important decision you will make in the entire screenwriting process. Everything else will depend on that one decision. Premise is your story stated or reduced to a single line. Also called a logline. An example of a great logline is the 1980 film “Private Benjamin” starring Goldie Hawn. The premise is: Jewish American Princess joins the Army. Premise is the joy of the screenwriting process. It's the initial inspiration that drives you through the entire project. Your premise has got to be so inspiring to you that it will carry you through months of great boredom, occasional pain, struggles and constant rewriting as you develop it into a great script. You've got to be able to occasionally go back to that great premise and say: "Wow, in spite of all this struggle, what a great idea for a script."

You can't just be a good Screenwriter. You also have to be able to sell your material. And in Hollywood, where nobody likes to read anything, you must be able to convince a Producer that you have a terrific story—by giving it to them in one line. If you do not have a great premise, nothing else you do in the screenwriting process will make a difference. You can write terrific scenes, but it doesn't matter if the basic idea of the story is not appealing. Pick your premise carefully. You're going to have a lot more ideas in your life than time to write them. Make sure you pick something that you're passionate about. Try to write something that may change your life. That's a pretty high standard, but it's very important. First of all, if it's that important to you, it might just be that important to others. And secondly, when you're done writing it, even if you don’t sell it, you might have changed your life. And, that's not a bad reason to write anything. You never want to begin the screenwriting process until you're certain you have an incredible premise and you’ve digested the elements and expressions of screenplay format and story structure. See Screenplay Format and Story Structure links for more information. One of the marks of an amateur is to get an idea and immediately start writing script pages. It doesn't work that way or everyone would be a working Screenwriter.

In addition to mastering the art and craft of screenwriting, you must educate yourself on the film industry at large. We highly recommend Dov Simens incredible two-day Film School. Voted "America's #1 Film Instructor" by the National Association of Film Schools, and having taught at USC, NYU, UCLA and over 18 other major universities and film schools around the world. This is the premiere film school course of its kind. Dov Simens' 2-Day Film School condenses four years of film school theory and education into two days of essential and practical facts and information. It's a no-hold barred, rapid fire weekend designed for anyone from first-time filmmakers to industry professionals seeking a fresh perspective on the realities of the film business. Called the "Champion of Independent Filmmaking," Dov's Grads include: Quentin Tarantino ("Kill Bill"), Guy Ritchie ("Snatch"), Will Smith, Kirk Jones (Director of "Waking Ned Devine"), Chris Nolan (Director of "Memento"), Paul Brooks (Producer of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"), the makers of "The Blair Witch Project," "The Matrix" trilogy and many others. The Hollywood Film Institute course is also available on audio tape, CD and DVD.

MASTER SCREENWRITER PLAN

If you're a new Screenwriter and you're truly serious about success, the following steps will give you the knowledge, insight and wisdom necessary to compete in one of the most competitive industries in the world.

1. Pick the right premise.
2. Purchase and study Screenwriting Format Reference Books.
3. Purchase and study a wide variety of Screenplay Story Structure books.
4. Purchase audio version or attend John Truby’s Great Screenwriting Course.
5. Purchase or attend Dov Simens’ 2 Day Film School.

Follow this simple Master Plan and you will have the screenwriting skills and an excellent overview of the motion picture industry at large. You’d be hard-pressed to get this quality of knowledge if you spent four years in a formal Screenwriting and/or Film School. All the items above can be found in the Library section of this website.