![]() ![]() So, take your time and work on creating a really strong outline. By having a strong notecard outline, your writing process will be more focused and smoother. ![]() If your act 3 doesn’t tie up all loose ends presented in act one, tie them up. If you realize you have too many characters, combine them. If you have an excessive amount of scenes,start cutting them out. If you feel bored reading through your notecards, that’s a sign the pacing is off. Now that it’s all there, don’t be afraid to make changes. The purpose of an outline is to get everything out of your head and put right in front of you. This is the time to cut out weak and unnecessary scenes, add in transitions, get rid of pointless characters and so on. Work on it until you see no more problems. Repeat! Just like you rewrite a script, you should rewrite your outline. This is the time to wrap everything up and solve all the problems your protagonist has faced to this point. From here, outlining your 3rd act should be a breeze. However, if you don’t want to break act 2 into two parts, just remember that by the midpoint of the story, it should take a turn and raise the stakes. Act 2 part 1 should be from the beginning of the act to midpoint (around page 55) and act 2 part 2 should be from midpoint to the end of the act.īreaking it down this way makes it much easier to tackle the 60+ pages. Step 3. The best way to tackle the depths of Act 2 is by breaking it into two parts. Have in mind how many pages you want your final draft to be and then be mindful of that when building your scenes. Whether you believe you should have 10 notecards per act like Blake Snyder does or 14 notecards like Syd Field does, make sure all your acts feel complete but not overstuffed before moving on. However, only use a PENCIL to number the scenes because they will most likely change in later steps. This is so that the notecards can never get out-of-order. Once I get those first 4 notecards done, I move to the rest of Act 1.Īfter I complete a notecard, in the bottom right corner, I number what scene it is. In Act 1, the beats I choose are the opening image, theme, inciting incident, and the break into act 2. I tend to write the beat notecards first. ![]() This is where you include the scene header, minimal action lines, and any dialogue that pops into mind. For each scene you want in Act 1, write it on a notecard. Then, write your beats out on the top corner of your notecard.ĭon’t fill in any other information yet since this step is only about assigning the card where the beat will go. For a short script, it varies depending on the intended length. For feature-length scripts, there are about 15 beats. Step 2. Decide how many beats you want in your script. The purpose is to not have to stack or overlap your notecard, but to have them each laid out with their own space. Make sure you have enough space to layout out notecards in accordance to the 3 acts. If you don’t have a big enough desk, I suggest getting some painters tape and putting the notecards on the wall or closet doors. From there, designate a large space to layout the notecards. Colored notecards work great for dividing between the 3 Acts. Note: For this outlining method, I follow Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet for structure purposes.įor each beat, I write it in the top corner of the notecard and highlight it. The notecard method makes outlining easy and can take the intimidation out of tackling a screenplay. While some screenwriters write strictly from passion, most find it necessary to have a outline. Not only is it the basic structure of a feature or short film, it gives the writer a chance to fix plot holes, attack multiple angles, monitor length, spark creativity and serve as a layout for beats and act turns. Plus, they come with free Envelopes.A script outline is a screenwriters best friend. Great for writing messages on, our premium Luxe Notecards make your invites and thank-yous extra personal. You can receive your Notecards (and free Envelopes) in as few as two business days. If you’re using them in the traditional way, it’s customary to add your address, email, phone number and brand logo – all things that are set up for you with our custom templates.
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