Increase Your Script Output--Efficiently

[roscoegino]

1. Develop ten loglines. Should be no more than three sentences each. No exceptions.

2. Of the loglines that garner the most promise, whip up a 20 point beatsheet for the first act of each of the loglines. Not the whole story, just Act One. If you're stuck on one beatsheet, immediately move to the other. Just keep it moving. As quickly as you can.

3. Of the beatsheets that you and your trusted allies are most satisfied with, move on to writing a beat sheet for Act 2. Just Act 2.

4. Repeat Step 3, only with the third act in mind.

5. Begin writing your first drafts based only on the most effective beatsheets that have made it to the end of the Third Act.


I followed this method after talkin to an established writer at the WGA library here in LA. I was able to pump out three descent first drafts in two weeks working a night job. If you havent already given this a try it might work for you. If you have or if you've done something similar, tell us what worked and what didnt.

[TheKeenGuy]

That's not too far off from what I've been doing, but you'll have to go into more detail to convince me why I should fully develop Act 1 in the beat sheet without giving any consideration to Act 3 or Act 2.

[Kwinnky]

Originally Posted by roscoegino

1. Develop ten loglines. Should be no more than three sentences each. No exceptions.

2. Of the loglines that garner the most promise, whip up a 20 point beatsheet for the first act of each of the loglines. Not the whole story, just Act One. If you're stuck on one beatsheet, immediately move to the other. Just keep it moving. As quickly as you can.

3. Of the beatsheets that you and your trusted allies are most satisfied with, move on to writing a beat sheet for Act 2. Just Act 2.

4. Repeat Step 3, only with the third act in mind.

5. Begin writing your first drafts based only on the most effective beatsheets that have made it to the end of the Third Act.


I followed this method after talkin to an established writer at the WGA library here in LA. I was able to pump out three descent first drafts in two weeks working a night job. If you havent already given this a try it might work for you. If you have or if you've done something similar, tell us what worked and what didnt.

Have you gotten good feedback on those scripts?

[roscoegino]

Originally Posted by TheKeenGuy

but you'll have to go into more detail to convince me why I should fully develop Act 1 in the beat sheet without giving any consideration to Act 3 or Act 2.

It works on the notion that the first act is the engine for the rest of the story which I believe. You'd have to write a twenty beat outline for the two and three as well. It's just a way of making certain that everything is structurally sound in Act 1 before moving on. If not, proceed to constructing an Act One beat sheet for the next story ideas until you have one that is as lean and effective as it should be. You can always come back to the other ones later.

[Biohazard]

20 points for act I and 20 for act III is a sh t load.

Act II is inherently longer than I and III. Sometimes it can be twice as long. There are exceptions, however, but normally, II is longer.

Maybe try 10 or 15 for I and III and 20 for II?

[roscoegino]

Originally Posted by Kwinnky

Have you gotten good feedback on those scripts?

I've received very good feedback from those scripits bearing in mind that these are first drafts. They are far from polished, and some scenes go one longer than they should. A few of the character voices were too similar to each other. But the main thing is that the stories flow organically using this method. It also inspires one to write quickly.

[roscoegino]

Originally Posted by Biohazard

20 points for act I and 20 for act III is a sh t load.

Act II is inherently longer than I and III. Sometimes it can be twice as long. There are exceptions, however, but normally, II is longer.

If you have a sturdy story idea with lots of potential for conflict and drama ten points can easily turn into twenty without you even realizing it. The more developed the first act the less heartache I have writing the second. That's not to say I'm going to pack all this information in one convuluted act. It means that Act One is the engine and you may need more beats than you think to make certain everything is working. And yes, Act 2 is the longest act but I wouldn't write more than 20 beats for it since the essence of your story is grounded in Act 1.

[ShaneBlackFan]

I need to know the ending before I attempt an outline.

[Raw_and_Vital]

So wait a second here... You just take Blake Snyder's beat sheet and fill that out for the first ACT? This is to make sure the structure is tight and sound?

Am I understanding this correctly?

[roscoegino]

Originally Posted by ShaneBlackFan

I need to know the ending before I attempt an outline.

Absolutely. So do I. But it's about making the structure foolproof before actually getting there.