In a post on ScreenCraft, Ken Miyamoto offers advice on outlining your screenplay and why you should. “Outlining a screenplay allows you to draft your script in broad strokes without being locked into specific details until the actual writing process begins,” he says.
Miyamoto recommends using a simple numbered bullet list, in the same way writers use index cards to outline. Bullet lists can highlight weak parts in your story – where too much or too little action are occurring, for example – and are easy to rewrite and rearrange. Each numbered bullet includes a general description of what happens in the scene, usually 3 to 4 sentences worth of summary. Important scenes may need a bit more.
Screenwriters are generally required to write an outline as part of their contract. They are also useful to share with collaborators, including the director. However, outlines can benefit fiction writers as well. It’s a lot easier to add, cut, or rearrange scenes before you’ve done too much writing. You can also add characters or subplots without upending your entire story structure. “Since each bullet or numbered point is a brief description of what is happening and what is being said within each given scene, you can easily adjust, adapt, and configure the whole vision of the story before you even start to write,” Miyamoto says.
Miyamoto also suggests that the writing phase goes much faster when you have a roadmap, which you used to solve story problems. For screenwriters, the outline may save them from getting a copious amount of story notes after they hand in the first draft. For fiction writers, your editing process may be much smoother.
