The Five Principles Of Screenwriting

While many terms have evolved to describe the process of writing for screens, I find it helpful to keep things simple. Here are five steps from the trenches — the Five S's of Screenwriting — that invite you into the process.

These aren't rules or checklists, although they can be used as such. They are guidelines intended to invite your creativity and imagination with a bit more structure than if we kept them vague and open-ended. If you try these out and don't like them, feel free to change them according to what works best for you:

Story:

Our first principle is about having a story to tell. It is the question that you continually ask yourself as a writer: what do I want to say? What makes a good story? Is my idea interesting enough for an audience? Can it be told in only one scene, or would it benefit from being expanded into a longer piece? Where can I go with this?

Storytelling

The second principle, storytelling, reminds us that screenwriting is fundamentally about telling a story — and doing so with as little dialogue as possible. This can be helpful when we find ourselves overwriting to compensate for an underdeveloped story or character. By focusing on our protagonist's quest, introducing obstacles along the way, and bringing things to their inevitable conclusion, we create the necessary dramatic tension to keep our audience engaged.

Structure

Structure refers to how a script is laid out — e.g., a three-act story with a character at the midpoint who has a major revelation, or a five-part structure that begins with an inciting incident and ends with a resolution. If you're unsure what structure works best for your idea, try writing it as two parallel stories: one linear and forward-moving, the other circling back upon itself to show how things have changed from the beginning of the story to its end.

Sequences

Sequence refers to any unit of action in your screenplay — each typically lasting about one page (or screen) long and relating either to another sequence (i.e., they're connected) or to the main storyline (i.e., they're stand-alone). For example, a sequence might show your protagonist preparing for an interview and include other scenes that take place before and after this event. The important thing about sequences is that we use them as writing prompts: if we know what happens in Sequence 1, can we develop something interesting for Sequences 2 and 3?

Spine

Our last principle, spine, refers to our protagonist's journey from beginning to end — e.g., leaving home; receiving news; engaging; overcoming; returning home changed. Spine requires us to connect all of our sequences using what screenwriter Steve Mazur calls "the story's spine" to build in-depth momentum. If your protagonist is leaving home, try thinking about when she receives news of what will happen next. This can create a sense of impending doom that adds tension to our final scenes.

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