Screenwriters don’t get better by making a few resolutions to work on each year. You improve through hundreds of small, intentional actions taken across days, weeks, and months during your screenwriting journey. These are actions that sharpen your writing tools, broaden your skillset, and help you evolve into a better screenwriter.
With that in mind, here is an extensive list of things you can do each and every day of the year to become a better screenwriter. Keep in mind that this isn’t a checklist you must conquer. It’s a collection of creative prompts, practical exercises, and mindset resets that you can return to and practice any time you feel stuck, bored, restless, hopeless, or disconnected from your screenwriting.
If you’d like to challenge yourself to do them all over the course of the 365-day calendar year, go for it. Otherwise, use this as a master list of prompts and practices to become a better screenwriter.
- Write one page even when you feel uninspired and see where it takes you.
- Finish a scene you’ve been avoiding.
- Rewrite a scene using fewer words than before.
- Rewrite a scene with all dialogue stripped out.
- Watch a favorite movie purely for enjoyment.
- Watch a favorite movie and timecode when major events happen.
- Watch a classic film you’ve never seen.
- Watch a foreign-language film you never thought you’d like.
- Watch a silent film and track how emotion is conveyed visually.
- Watch a movie from a genre you have never written.
- Watch a low-budget indie and note how they likely kept the budget down.
- Watch a studio blockbuster and track the story’s pacing.
- Binge-watch an acclaimed TV series you missed.
- Rewatch a pilot episode and map its story engine.
- Read the screenplay of a movie you love.
- Read the screenplay of a movie you dislike.
- Read a screenplay written before 1980.
- Read a modern spec script that sold.
- Read only the scene description from a produced script, skipping all of the dialogue.
- Read only dialogue from a produced script, skipping all of the scene description.
- Take a long walk to think through a story problem.
- Drive without music and write in your head.
- Carry a notebook and handwrite story notes instead of using your phone.
- Go to a public restaurant, coffee shop, or bar and listen to nearby conversations.
- Write a scene inspired by a real argument.
- Write a disagreement scene that plays out with no dialogue.
- Write a scene inspired by a childhood memory.
- Write a scene where a character experiences a moment of regret.
- Write a scene based on a personal fear.
- Write a scene where a character experiences a moment of joy.
- Write a scene between two characters with no spoken dialogue.
- Look up scenes on YouTube that have no dialogue.
- Write a scene where every line of dialogue has subtext.
- Write a scene that begins mid-conflict.
- Write a short script set entirely in one room.
- Write a short script set somewhere you’ve never been.
- Write a scene with three characters wanting different things.
- Write a scene where the protagonist loses control.
- Write a scene where the antagonist makes a valid and empathetic point.
- Write a scene driven by what is not said.
- Write a scene where tension builds without action.
- Write a scene that reveals a secret to the reader, but not the characters.
- Write a scene that escalates emotionally instead of physically.
- Write a scene that makes you uncomfortable.
- Write a logline for an unfinished script.
- Rewrite a logline for one of your scripts to make it better.
- Pitch a story idea out loud to yourself.
- Pitch a story idea to a friend.
- Pitch a story idea to a family member.
- Pitch a story idea to a complete stranger.
- Write a one-sentence theme statement for every script you’ve written.
- Identify what your protagonist wants in each scene.
- Identify what your protagonist is afraid of.
- Clarify what the antagonist stands to lose.
- Remove backstory that delays the story’s start.
- Cut a favorite line of dialogue to test the scene.
- Remove a scene and see how it affects the rest of the script.
- Rename a character whose name feels generic - give it more meaning.
- Give a character a contradiction that affects their choices.
- Give a character a secret.
- Give a character a flaw that causes consequences for all.
- Watch a movie with flashbacks and determine if they’re necessary.
- Watch a movie with time jumps and see how they are handled.
- Watch a classic film and study how information is revealed visually.
- Watch a movie and study how information is withheld.
- Watch and study the opening ten minutes of several movies.
- Watch and study the final ten minutes of several movies.
- Watch and study endings that end ambiguously.
- Watch a thriller and track how the tension escalates.
- Watch a drama and study the character arc of the protagonist.
- Rewrite a first act and raise the stakes.
- Rewrite a second act and escalate the conflict.
- Rewrite a third act to build to a bigger climax.
- Rewrite an ending without using dialogue.
- Rewrite an opening image to reflect the theme.
- Compare the first and final images of one of your scripts.
- Compare the first and final images of successful and iconic movies.
- Identify the midpoint moment in a screenplay.
- Watch a favorite movie and find its midpoint.
- Watch a favorite movie and conjure a better ending.
- Watch a bad movie with a good concept and think how you would have written a better version of it.
- Make a reactive character take more decisive action.
- Remove lines that explain what’s already visible.
- Write nonstop for thirty minutes.
- Write nonstop for ten minutes without rereading.
- Write deliberately bad pages and then rewrite them to make them better.
- Write something purely for your own amusement.
- Conjure a concept for a new script without considering marketability.
- Conjure a concept for a new script that is very marketable.
- Write a scene pulled directly from personal experience.
- Write something outside your usual tone.
- Write thirty pages in one hour.
- Start a novel from a genre you normally avoid.
- Read short stories with cinematic potential.
- Read interviews with screenwriters you admire.
- Watch interviews with screenwriters you admire.
- Seek out interviews with directors you admire.
- Read about films that were critical failures but made by celebrated screenwriters, directors, and actors.
- Read about films that were commercial failures but made by celebrated screenwriters, directors, and actors.
- Read about films that became hits unexpectedly.
- Study a favorite screenwriter’s first produced credit.
- Google rejection stories from successful actors, directors, and screenwriters.
- Reread an old draft with fresh distance.
- Identify specific improvements in your past writing.
- Rewrite a scene by changing the location only.
- Rewrite a scene by changing the time of day only.
- Rewrite a scene by removing the strongest line of dialogue.
- Rewrite a scene by giving the power to a different character.
- Rewrite a scene so the opposite emotional outcome occurs.
- Rewrite a scene using only action lines.
- Rewrite a scene to end one beat earlier.
- Rewrite a scene to begin one beat later.
- Rewrite a scene with a clear objective driving the character.
- Rewrite a scene by cutting it in half.
- Watch a movie and note when you feel the emotion of the characters.
- Watch a movie and note when your attention drifts.
- Watch a movie and identify the inciting incident.
- Watch a movie and identify the midpoint shift.
- Watch a movie and identify the big revelation.
- Watch a movie opening and list what information is withheld.
- Watch a movie ending and list unanswered questions.
- Watch the same film twice in one week with critical and less critical eyes.
- Watch a movie without sound for ten minutes.
- Watch a movie using subtitles only.
- Read a script and mark emotional turns in each scene.
- Read a script and highlight active verbs only.
- Read a script and circle unnecessary dialogue.
- Read a script and note how the exposition is disguised.
- Read your own script and see how you can disguise exposition creatively.
- Read a script and observe how action reveals character.
- Watch a movie and observe how action, not words, reveal character.
- Watch a movie and observe how action, not words, reveal twists and turns.
- Read a script of yours and note how late scenes begin.
- Read a script of yours and track how fast conflict appears.
- Read a script from a successful screenwriter early in their career.
- Read a script from a genre you usually avoid.
- Write a logline for a new script inspired by a current news headline.
- Write a logline for a new script inspired by a moral dilemma.
- Write a logline for a new script inspired by a lie you once told.
- Write a logline for a new script inspired by a choice you regret.
- Write a logline for a new script inspired by an unresolved argument in your life.
- Write a scene inspired by jealousy.
- Write a scene inspired by loyalty being tested.
- Write a scene inspired by misplaced trust.
- Write a scene inspired by a moment of courage.
- Write a scene where no one gets what they want.
- Write a scene where everyone gets what they want.
- Write a scene where success creates a new problem.
- Write a scene where failure creates unexpected opportunity.
- Write a logline for a new script where a secret is protected at all costs.
- Write a scene where a promise is broken quietly.
- Write a scene where a promise is kept painfully.
- Write a scene where forgiveness is withheld, and show the consequences.
- Write a scene where forgiveness comes too early, and show the consequences.
- Develop a new script story that shifts genres halfway through.
- Write a logline for a new script that subverts genre expectations.
- Write a scene that feels calm but is revealed to be dangerous.
- Write a scene that ends with a shocking realization.
- Write a scene that ends with major loss.
- Write a scene that ends with a character’s utter relief.
- Write a scene where dialogue contradicts behavior.
- Write a scene where silence delivers the message more effectively than words would.
- Write a new ending for an existing script.
- Write a new opening for an existing script.
- Rewrite the midpoint of an existing script.
- Remove a subplot from a script and assess the impact.
- Strengthen one of your antagonist’s personal stakes.
- Simplify one of your protagonist’s goals.
- Cut five pages from a draft.
- Add five pages of character-driven material.
- Take a walk and record story ideas as voice notes.
- Sit in a public place and quietly observe behavior.
- Listen for how people dodge direct questions.
- Listen for tone shifts under stress.
- Notice how people end conversations abruptly.
- Notice how people stall before telling the truth.
- Notice how people act when they feel safe.
- Notice how people act when they feel watched.
- Make a character justify poor decisions.
- Make a character rationalize good intentions.
- Create a character based on someone you know.
- Create a character based on someone you quietly admire.
- Create a character based on someone who scared you as a child.
- Create a character based on someone you lost.
- Create a character based on a shared fear.
- Create a character based on a version of yourself you avoid.
- Create a character whose flaw mirrors your own.
- Create a character who lies convincingly.
- Create a character who no one believes.
- Create a character who avoids conflict at all costs.
- Create a character who causes conflict for personal pleasure.
- Research a profession by watching real interviews.
- Research a location using archival footage.
- Research a historical event through personal accounts.
- Research a true crime with the eyes of a detective.
- Take a real event and fictionalize the outcome.
- Stop researching before it overwhelms and overtakes the story.
- Remove facts that don’t move the story forward.
- Go through your own scripts and give your own passes on pacing alone.
- Go through your own scripts and give your own passes on character depth alone.
- Go through your own scripts and give your own passes on spelling and grammar alone.
- Go through your own scripts and give your own passes on formatting alone.
- Send a script to one trusted reader.
- Seek feedback on pacing alone.
- Seek feedback on character depth alone.
- Seek feedback on spelling and grammar alone.
- Seek feedback on formatting alone.
- Read notes without responding immediately.
- Separate emotional reaction from useful insight.
- Apply one note deeply instead of many lightly.
- Ignore notes that contradict the core vision.
- Print a script of yours and read it aloud slowly.
- Mark places where boredom appears.
- Mark places where confusion appears.
- Mark places where excitement spikes.
- Reread your best work.
- Remove dialogue that explains motivation.
- Replace dialogue with physical action.
- Shorten speeches and monologues.
- Break long scenes into smaller beats.
- Intercut between longer scenes in different locations to better pacing.
- Combine characters serving the same function.
- Identify scenes that repeat information.
- Identify scenes that stall momentum.
- Identify scenes that shift relationships.
- Strengthen scenes that alter power dynamics.
- Remove scenes that exist only to explain.
- Write at a different time than usual.
- Write in a different location than usual.
- Write with a strict limitation in time but with a specific page goal.
- Write using a timer instead of page goals.
- Write ONLY after rereading previous pages.
- Write with the sole goal of finishing a scene, sequence, or act.
- Write a complete scene before checking emails and texts.
- Write a complete scene right when you get up in the morning.
- Write a complete scene right before you go to bed.
- Don’t get discouraged when writing feels difficult.
- Make note of when writing flows easily - and try to figure out why.
- Write even when your confidence is low.
- Take a two-week break from writing a single word.
- Return to writing after time away without guilt.
- End each writing session with a cliffhanger.
- Begin each writing session with a clear goal.
- Set boundaries around writing time.
- Protect writing time from interruptions.
- Push yourself to write one more scene.
- Push yourself to write for one more hour.
- Push yourself to do one more rewrite.
- Push yourself to try writing a script that scares you.
- Watch a movie while focusing only on the story structure.
- Watch a movie while focusing only on the dialogue.
- Watch a movie while focusing only on the tone.
- Watch a movie while focusing only on the build up to the ending.
- Watch a movie you said you’d never watch.
- Watch a film once considered too difficult to adapt, and study how the filmmakers succeeded or failed at doing so.
- Watch a movie known for its dialogue and learn from it.
- Watch a movie known for its lack of dialogue and learn from it.
- Watch the same movie twice in one day and see what you notice.
- Watch a movie without knowing the premise beforehand.
- Take a break when you’re frustrated.
- Step away from a script when you’ve hit a wall.
- Return to a script after emotional distance.
- Finish a draft even when it feels flawed.
- Submit work despite fear of rejection.
- Accept rejection without self-judgment.
- Accept rejection without becoming pessimistic.
- Let curiosity guide your creative decisions.
- Let stories evolve naturally without jumping into writing them.
- Recognize when a project has served its purpose.
- Let go of ideas that no longer resonate.
- Revisit ideas that have lingered over the years.
- Take a creative risk.
- Choose discomfort over becoming stagnant in your writing.
- Conjure a concept for a small character-driven story.
- Conjure a concept for a mid-budget movie.
- Conjure a concept for a large-scale epic.
- Conjure a concept for a blend of a small character-driven story, mid-budget movie, and large-scale epic.
- Reflect on what each script you’ve written has taught you.
- Learn from mistakes without being hard on yourself.
- Learn from successes without getting your head in the clouds.
- Go on a day adventure somewhere and let your creative mind wander.
- Plan a vacation somewhere.
- Plan an affordable writing retreat with fellow writers.
- Plan an affordable writing retreat by yourself.
- Splurge on a trip to a place you always wanted to visit and let your creative mind wander.
- Go on a walk and let your creative mind wander.
- Go on a run and let your creative mind wander.
- Go on a bike ride and let your creative mind wander.
- Write scenes that challenge your worldview.
- Create characters that challenge your worldview.
- Make unethical characters see the light.
- Make ethical characters tip their toes into the darkness.
- Challenge yourself in one way outside of your writing.
- Take on the characteristics of one of your characters for a day.
- Dress what one of your characters would dress like for a day.
- Take on the persona of one of your characters for a day.
- Cast your script using real actors.
- Direct a scene from one of your scripts on your smart phone.
- Have friends gather at your place for a script read.
- Watch a movie with your friends and gauge their reactions to various points of the movie.
- Create a questionnaire for your friends to fill out as if the movie they watched with you was a test screening.
- Create a questionnaire for your friends to fill out after they’ve participated in a reading of your script.
- Read the comments with an open mind.
- Learn that with feedback, you can take what you’d like and leave the rest, as long as you consider every single point.
- Reimagine popular movies in different genres and imagine how the story would change.
- Reimagine your scripts in different genres and imagine how the story would change.
- Consider spicing up a script by writing it in another genre.
- Try to conjure twenty new script ideas in one hour.
- Consider blending some of those ideas into one.
- Rewrite all of your current loglines to make them better.
- Watch movies and pick out a secondary character and create a new story starring them.
- Blend iconic movie characters you love to create a new protagonist for a script of your own.
- Blend iconic movie premises to create a new script idea of your own.
- See what intellectual properties (IP) are in the public domain.
- Try to pick IP in the public domain that could make for a great franchise.
- Conjure new creative takes on public domain IP.
- Look for a new writers group online.
- Look for a new writers group locally.
- If you’ve been a part of a writers group for a long time, consider taking a break.
- Learn how to rely on your own choices rather than the feedback of others.
- If you’ve always written with a writing partner, try writing someone on your own.
- If you’ve never written with a writing partner, find someone you can trust and team up.
- Shake up your script by adding a major new twist.
- Shake up your protagonist by adding a secret they’ve been hiding from all.
- Turn your antagonist into the hero.
- Turn your protagonist into the villain.
- Make a character into a double agent.
- Show the reader/audience that they’re a double agent, but keep it a secret to characters in the script.
- Make an otherwise trustworthy character betray the protagonist in the third act.
- Learn how to pepper your scripts with foreshadowing, plants, and payoffs.
- Go through every script you’ve written and pepper them with more foreshadowing, plants, and payoffs.
- Go through every script you’ve written and add a twist.
- Write a short story instead of a screenplay.
- Take one of your scripts and decide to write a novel version of it.
- Before you start a new script, find a temp track playlist to listen to while writing it.
- Focus on atmospheric music for your temp track playlist instead of lyrical songs.
- Use movie theme soundtracks from other movies for your temp track playlists.
- Before you start a new script, watch movies similar in genre.
- Before you start a new script, watch movies similar in tone and atmosphere.
- Before you start a new script, watch movies similar in character types.
- Before you start a new script, watch movies similar in subject.
- Before you start a new script, watch movies similar in location.
- Invite friends over and ask them what they love in movies.
- Invite friends over and ask them what they hate in movies.
- Go to a matinee alone at your local movie theater.
- Make a habit of going to a matinee alone at your local movie theater.
- Then go to a movie on a Friday or Saturday night at your local theater.
- Then go to a movie with friends at your local theater.
- Late at night, search streaming platforms for obscure movies you’ve never heard of and watch them.
- Watch low budget B-movies.
- Conjure a story idea for sequels to your favorite franchises.
- Conjure a story idea for sequels to your favorite movies that have no business having sequels for.
- Consider taking some time away from original scripts and write a fan script sequel.
- Take a favorite movie or movie franchise of yours and conjure a TV series version of it.
- Learn how to use these practices as ways to get your creative juices flowing.
- Consider the truth that most screenwriters end up doing writing assignments like these to make a living.
- Look ahead within the year and find film festivals to attend.
- Look ahead within the year and find writing conferences to attend.
- Pick three new scripts to write during the upcoming year.
- Choose one or two of your best scripts to do a marketing push on.
- Apply many of the above things you can do to better those scripts.
- Do a final polish draft on any scripts you plan to market.
- Submit those scripts to major screenwriting contests and fellowships.
- Pay for any feedback or coverage they offer and learn from what you receive.
- Just keep writing, whether it’s on paper, fingers to keys, or in your head. It’s going to be a great year!