Understanding The Role Of A Screenwriter

Let’s understand the role of a screenwriter and the process of screenwriting a little bit better. I mean, it’s pretty simple. You just write the dialogue on the page and hope the audience laughs or cries, depending on whether it’s a comedy or a drama. Great! We now understand screenwriting, and we are all done! Good job! That was pretty easy. You can clear the spot on your mantle for your Emmy now.

Understanding the role of a screenwriter really comes to understanding what storytelling is. As I talked briefly in the last article, we all have stories that we want to tell or that we want to see. And we all have stories we have told to friends, family, colleagues, and strangers at the bus stop. So inherently, as humans, we are storytellers. With that said, it should be fairly easy to be a screenwriter, right? Well… no.

The problem is that when we are telling stories for TV and Film, there is a story structure that needs to be followed. Not a formula. A STRUCTURE. Again, it needs to be followed. It’s not a recommendation, it’s an obligation. Humans have been conditioned to understand that there are certain parts of a story that actually make a story, a story. And when you are telling a story to the stranger at the bus stop, you probably aren’t hitting those story structure points, and that’s why they don’t care, and they pull out their cell phone pretending they are getting a phone call. Your main job as a screenwriter is to know how to detect a “story” that has enough of an emotional engine to it so you can unpack it in a way that is compelling to the audience. And all of this begins with knowing exactly what story structure is. Once you know that like the back of your hand, the doors to telling stories will unlock. 

It’s very important to understand that screenwriting is very much a process. You cannot just open up Final Draft and start writing. I mean, technically, you can. No one will stop you. But it is a waste of time. Before you even get to that part, you have to understand human conditions. You have to understand what obstacles mean. You have to understand what it really means to put a certain character on a certain journey. These are all key components to understanding your role as a screenwriter and understanding what story structure is. 

What Do Screenwriters Do?

I mean, it’s it obvious? They write stories. Again, there is very much a process, and it is a very collaborative process. From a philosophical point of view, as a screenwriter, you have to go to emotional places within you that you are afraid to talk about. This is where you are going to generate these compelling stories. Sometimes you have to relive certain traumas over and over again to be able to bring out the best story. And I hear some of you yelling,” But I want to write comedy, so I don’t need to relive the trauma.” Well… pain can be comedy. It sucks. But that is the reality. 

It’s like if you are dating someone you work with and you break up, and you still have to see them every day. When other people watch the two of you interact, I am sure it is a bit funny to them because they can sense the desperation, tension, and awkwardness. Plus, it’s juicy gossip around the office. But for you, it is painful to have to go through that every day. Obviously, I’m not talking from any personal experience or anything here. But that is the whole point of the story. There is that emotional element to it. Yeah, it’s funny that two exes are working together. But the real story is… is he ever going to get over her? Is working by her every day destroying him more? Is she finally going to give him another chance? Is she going to apologize? She won’t. Again, not speaking from experience here. 

Screenwriters have to generate ideas from everyday encounters they have with people and take things from their personal lives. And again, you may not find your life interesting at all, but if you can tell one specific story from one specific moment in your life and unpack it in just the right way, it will move people, regardless of whether it’s a funny story or a dramatic story. You just have to know how to do this.

Another element you are going to have to face on a daily basis with being a screenwriter is feedback on the story. This can be hard for some people because they get so protective of their story and their vision, and they have spent years on it, and they think someone is trying to change their vision. At the end of it, screenwriting is a collaborative process. You have to be able to take a step back and allow for changes to happen to help the story and characters evolve. It isn’t meant to discredit any personal experience you dealt with. But if you want to be a professional screenwriter, there is the business side of it, and you have to be willing to compromise and listen to other people who have their own input, like Directors, Studios Executives, and Network Executives. None of them are intentionally trying to make the story worse. They really are all trying to make the story better.

Aside from that, screenwriters also do a lot of good in society. You get to take this nugget of an idea from a time in your life or someone else’s life, and you get to lay it out on a blank sheet of paper. You are bringing an idea that doesn’t exist in the real world and making it exist. It’s a pretty cool feeling. It boggles my mind that, at face value, all that screenwriters are really doing is arranging words on a page in a specific order. But the execution and the decisions you make on what order those words appear make all the difference in the world.

The Screenwriting Process: From Idea to Written Draft

The screenwriting process is going to be different from person to person. But I think all screenwriters have the same foundation that they abide by. And those two magical words are “story structure”. I know, I’ve said it 7,373 times so far. But it really is the most intricate part of screenwriting. You can have a great idea, but if you don’t know how to execute it, it’s going to flop. On the flip side, you can have a mediocre idea, and you know how to execute it and abide by the right story structure, it will be great.

Fundamentally, screenwriting is so much about brainstorming and trial and error before you even put one word of dialogue on the page. Which is why knowing the structure is so important.

The first thing you have to start with is your logline. You have to know what you are writing toward. You have to know who the hero of the story is and what their goal is. That’s what people want to see. If you don’t even know that before you write, how can you possibly even write a story, and if somehow you “did,” how is the audience going to resonate with it? Once you nail that logline, then you can start talking about all of the specific beats of the story and organizing them in a way that makes up what “3-Act Story Structure” is. The majority of Michael’s screenwriting course focuses on this very thing. When breaking a story, make sure you are giving yourself grace. Professional writers do this in a room with 10 other writers who have been professional writers for years. And sometimes it’s hard for them. So it’s going to be hard for you because you are doing it by yourself. And that’s okay.

Once you have the structure and beats all plotted out, then you want to write an outline. And the outline can consist of many things. But it is mostly the characters’ behavior and what they are doing in the scenes. You can have a bit of dialogue in there to help. But the dialogue should not be overpowering in the outline, it should be minimal. This is the outline portion. It’s meant to outline what the story is. The dialogue comes with the writing of the actual script. This outline will also go through a notes process and will have to get approved by studios and networks. And once this is finally done, then you get to open up Final Draft. And the beauty of this is that the majority of the work has been done! You are just writing the dialogue to match the outline, which matches the story structure, which matches the beats you created, which matches… you guessed it… your logline. Weird how that came full circle. Once you are writing the actual script, it will go through many revisions and versions because there are a lot of people who have a say in how the script turns out.

Now I know a lot of this is peaking from working on a TV show for a studio. But even as amateur writers, you still need to go through all of these processes. I mean, you can skip them if you want; no one is babysitting you. But why learn bad habits right away? If you want to work as a professional, this is how the professionals do it. Every step of the script process has a purpose. If it didn’t have a purpose, they would get rid of it because time is money. If they said “eh… we don’t need an outline” that would save like a week’s worth of work. Not to mention how much money. But because it is so necessary and part of the process, it has to be implemented and done.

Skills Every Screenwriter Needs

You don’t have to be a savant to be a screenwriter. You don’t have to be some brilliant mythological being to pull this off. You just have to know how to tell a story. Screenwriters all have different skill sets. Some are really good at punching up jokes. Some are really good at writing twists. Some are really good at dialogue. And that’s why writers usually have different people for those skill sets. But the one thing they all know is story structure. 

The number of skills a screenwriter needs is going to be unlimited. And that can seem very overwhelming. So I think making these skills become more habitual is going to better serve you. One of the biggest things you need to be able to do is identify if a “story” has enough meat on the bones to actually be a story. And the more you study and the more you understand structure, the easier this will be. You are probably already pretty good at identifying that now. But when you make it a habit, you notice things more.

Conclusion

Being a screenwriter is so much more than just opening a laptop and typing. And if we want to get much more metaphorical, screenwriting is more about feeling than writing. Pay attention to the emotions you go through in situations. Really sit and feel the weight carry over you, and then write it. 

There are so many skills that you can do to become better, and I think the best way to start is just to commit to writing every day. Doesn’t matter what it is. Open up that notebook and write down something. Go to a public place like a mall and jot down how you see a couple interacting with each other. Is it creepy? Maybe? But how many people do we stalk on social media whom we have never even met? So who cares?

But the very best thing you can do is just make the decision to start your writing journey. It is so much easier to keep putting it off. Two years from now you will be telling yourself, “Crap, I should have started 2 years ago.” So just do it now.

Michael has some free lessons you can watch, so you can start your journey and learn more about story structure and the storytelling process.

I encourage you to sign up. It’s free! Literally no excuse. It’s free! And just in case you don’t know what “free” means, “free” means “FREE.” Do you know what ISN’T free?

Having regrets.

But what IS free is Michael’s free screenwriting lesson.

Sign up and start your screenwriting journey today with a lesson from Michael Jamin at michaeljamin.com/free.

Did I mention that these free lessons are FREE?

Read More From This Series

How To Become A Screenwriter
Do You Need an Apprenticeship to Become a Screenwriter
Essential Skills For Successful Screenwriting
Building A Strong Writing Portfolio
Networking And Industry Connections For Screenwriters
What Are Strong Goals In Screenwriting
How Do Screenwriters Contribute To Society