Once again I’m pulling a re-post from Chris the Story Ape’s blog. (Dude finds good stuff.) While this post is meant for all kinds of writing, it could really help screenwriters. Especially the ones that hate terms like “outlining,” and haven’t quite figured out that rewriting and editing are two different things. 

The Four Essential Stages of Writing (For Anything You’re Working On) by Ali of Aliventures blog

For screenwriters, I feel the need to translate Ali’s list; however, she gives a detailed explanation of each that is very useful for screenwriting!

Ali’s List of the 4 Essential Stages of Writing — With Screenwriting Translation:

  • Planning = Outlining
  • Drafting = Writing a complete draft of your screenplay
  • Rewriting = Writing a second draft of your screenplay (repeat this stage a few times, please)
  • Editing = Checking your script for grammatical errors

Hope this helps the next time you aren’t quite sure what’s wrong with the scene you just wrote. 

Feature image courtesy of Pixabay and creator janeb13, thank you!