How to Write Your First Screenplay — Complete Guide
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Full Transcript
Screenplay vs. Novel
Alright so here's the thing — a screenplay is not a novel. Not even close. A novel lives inside someone's head. A screenplay is a blueprint. Everything on the page translates directly to screen: what the camera sees, what people say, what happens. No internal monologue. You can't write 'she thought about him as she crossed the street.' If the camera can't see it, it doesn't exist. That's the fundamental shift. Once you get that, the format makes total sense.
Creating Your First Project
OK let's get into it. New project — 'My First Script.' Look at the page. It already looks like a screenplay. The margins, the font, the spacing — all pre-configured to industry standard. Every studio, every producer, every script reader expects this exact format. You don't configure anything. It's already right.
Writing Your First Scene
Every scene starts with a scene heading — some people call it a slug line. Three things: interior or exterior, the location, time of day. All caps, every time. Watch — INT. APARTMENT - DAY. I hit Enter and Free Screenwriter drops me automatically into action. This is what the audience sees. Think of it as you're a camera — you're describing what the camera sees. Present tense. Short sentences. I'll write: A small, cluttered desk. Empty coffee cups. A blinking cursor on a blank document. That's it. No backstory, no inner thoughts. Camera sees it or it doesn't exist.
Adding Characters and Dialogue
Now let's add a character. Hit Enter twice after your action line. Type the name in all caps — Free Screenwriter centers it automatically. Hit Enter and boom — it drops to dialogue format, indented from both sides. That's the industry-standard dialogue block. You're not setting tab stops or adjusting margins. You just write. Now watch a parenthetical — that's a brief acting note that goes between the name and the line. Type it in parens: (muttering). It positions itself exactly right. Everything in a screenplay has a specific place. The software knows where that place is. You focus on the story.
Using the Board for Story Structure
OK here's something most writers miss until they're 40 pages in and stuck. Click Board in the sidebar. This is your story structure view. You can map your entire film before you write a single word — acts, sequences, beats, scenes. Drag and rearrange. Add beat cards. Zoom out and see the whole arc at once. This is where professionals plan. Then you go back to Script and write it. The two views stay in sync — change the outline, the script follows. This is how you don't write yourself into a corner on page 60.
Exporting Your Script
When you're ready to share — click Script to get back to the editor, hit Export. You've got two options. PDF for submissions, notes, reading. FDX is the Final Draft format — every studio, every manager, every production company works in FDX. If anyone on your team uses Final Draft, this file opens perfectly. No reformatting, no conversion, no compatibility issues. Your first screenplay, formatted correctly, exported professionally. Free. That's it.
Next Steps
Alright so that's your foundation. You know what a screenplay is. You know how the format works. You can write scenes — action, dialogue, the whole stack. You know how to plan on the Board and export a professional file. The format is the easy part. The next thing to tackle is structure — three-act framework, beat sheets, how professional scripts are actually built. I've got a video on that linked below. Go write something. The story is up to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a screenplay and a script?
Screenplay and script are used interchangeably for feature films and TV. A screenplay is the written document that describes everything seen and heard on screen: scene headings, action descriptions, and dialogue. It is a blueprint for production, not a narrative to be read like a novel.
How long is a feature screenplay?
A standard feature screenplay is 90 to 120 pages. Each page equals roughly one minute of screen time, so a 100-page screenplay produces approximately a 100-minute film. Genre affects this: action films run shorter, dramas longer.
Do I need special software to write a screenplay?
You need software that handles screenplay formatting automatically — margins, character name centering, dialogue indentation, and scene heading formatting. Free Screenwriter does this for free in any browser. You do not need Final Draft or any paid tool to write a properly formatted screenplay.
What is a scene heading in a screenplay?
A scene heading (also called a slug line) opens every scene. It tells the reader INT (interior) or EXT (exterior), the location, and the time of day (DAY or NIGHT). It is always in all caps: INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY. Free Screenwriter formats this automatically.
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