Screenwriting Success 12-Month Screenwriting Success Planner

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Gregory Holland
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day. When they re not writing script pages they re planning story or developing characters.

1 Screenwriting Success Screenwriting Success Take your screenwriting to where you want it to be with this easy-to-follow fill-in-the-blanks planner Successful screenwriters write every day. When they re not writing script pages they re planning story or developing characters. And they get scripts written, rewritten and finished. - Hayley McKenzie, Founder, Script Angel

2 Summary Introduction The most successful screenwriters I know get results by being productive. To achieve this, they are committed to writing every day, no matter what. Successful screenwriters set goals and deadlines. Writers breaking-in, turning from hobbyist to professional screenwriter, are typically producing one polished spec script every six months. And they invest time in developing characters and outlining story, as well as writing script pages. Even if you re fitting your screenwriting around a day-job and family commitments, you can achieve screenwriting success. By writing for just thirty minutes every day you can create a portfolio of scripts in a year or two. This planner has been designed to help you achieve that. Use this easy fill in the blanks planner regularly to help you get more writing done and ultimately achieve screenwriting success. How To Use The Planner Planning At the beginning of each month take some time to schedule and plan your writing work. Your goal is to be writing for at least thirty minutes every day but that might be something you need to build up to. Be ambitious but realistic. Set deadlines for completing your main project. You might also want to make a note of screenwriting contests whose deadlines you might aim for. You will also want to take time to plan what learning you ll complete to help you improve your screenwriting craft; reading scripts and screenwriting books, watching videos or attending events or classes. Evaluating At the end of the month use the calendar to note what writing work days you achieved. A writing work day is any day you did thirty minutes or more of writing work. Fill out the sections at the end of each month to help you evaluate your progress and what lessons you learned. Please see below for definitions and clarification on each of the types of writing work days.

3 Summary What Each Writing Work Day Means Screenwriting is much more than just writing script pages. Screenwriters also spend time planning the script and preparing for future projects. This planner allows you to plan and keep track of all your writing work by dividing your writing days into three types. Pages Writing or rewriting script pages of your priority film or tv project. Planning All planning and pre-script development on your priority project; plotting story, developing characters, working out your theme. Prep All writing work not directly on your prioritised project. Noting ideas for other projects you might develop in the future. Developing your screenwriting skills through learning and writing exercises. The Screenwriting Habit Successful screenwriters don t just dream about success, they take consistent action to make it happen. The way to get better at anything is daily practise, so start making writing a part of your daily routine right now. Find a time of day, a place and a process that works for you and stick to it. One writer I know found an hour a day by spending his work lunch break sitting in his car to write! Treating your writing like a job is the best way to make progress, but it s hard when there s no pay-check and no-one waiting for you to deliver your script. To overcome this, you need to make yourself accountable to yourself. Planning what writing you ll do each month and then honestly assessing what writing you ve really done will help you create some accountability. If you decide you need an accountability buddy to answer to, try joining a screenwriting group or hiring a screenwriting coach. Getting in the screenwriting habit is the best way to achieve success so jump into the planner to help you make that commitment.

4 January If you want to be a writer you must read a lot and write a lot. Stephen King Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

5 January If you want to be a writer you must read a lot and write a lot. Stephen King Plan Writing Goals For This Month: Target Writing Days By Type: Target Writing Days Total: Evaluate Did I Achieve My Writing Goals?: Actual Writing Days By Type: Actual Writing Days Total: Action Steps Things that went well: Things that didn t go so well: Skills To Learn: Screenwriting Book To Read: Other Learning Goals: Longest Run of Consecutive Writing Days: Changes to make for next month:

6 February If it s important to you, you ll find a way. If not, you ll find an excuse. Ryan Blair Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

7 February If it s important to you, you ll find a way. If not, you ll find an excuse. Ryan Blair Plan Writing Goals For This Month: Target Writing Days By Type: Target Writing Days Total: Evaluate Did I Achieve My Writing Goals?: Actual Writing Days By Type: Actual Writing Days Total: Action Steps Things that went well: Things that didn t go so well: Skills To Learn: Screenwriting Book To Read: Other Learning Goals: Longest Run of Consecutive Writing Days: Changes to make for next month:

8 March Be ruthless about protecting your writing time. J K Rowling Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

9 March Be ruthless about protecting your writing time. J K Rowling Plan Writing Goals For This Month: Target Writing Days By Type: Target Writing Days Total: Evaluate Did I Achieve My Writing Goals?: Actual Writing Days By Type: Actual Writing Days Total: Action Steps Things that went well: Things that didn t go so well: Skills To Learn: Screenwriting Book To Read: Other Learning Goals: Longest Run of Consecutive Writing Days: Changes to make for next month:

10 April Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it. Napoleon Hill Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

11 April Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it. Napoleon Hill Plan Writing Goals For This Month: Target Writing Days By Type: Target Writing Days Total: Evaluate Did I Achieve My Writing Goals?: Actual Writing Days By Type: Actual Writing Days Total: Action Steps Things that went well: Things that didn t go so well: Skills To Learn: Screenwriting Book To Read: Other Learning Goals: Longest Run of Consecutive Writing Days: Changes to make for next month:

12 May If you wish to be a writer, write. Epictetus Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

13 May If you wish to be a writer, write. Epictetus Plan Writing Goals For This Month: Target Writing Days By Type: Target Writing Days Total: Evaluate Did I Achieve My Writing Goals?: Actual Writing Days By Type: Actual Writing Days Total: Action Steps Things that went well: Things that didn t go so well: Skills To Learn: Screenwriting Book To Read: Other Learning Goals: Longest Run of Consecutive Writing Days: Changes to make for next month:

14 June Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it. Lao Tzu Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

15 June Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it. Lao Tzu Plan Writing Goals For This Month: Target Writing Days By Type: Target Writing Days Total: Evaluate Did I Achieve My Writing Goals?: Actual Writing Days By Type: Actual Writing Days Total: Action Steps Things that went well: Things that didn t go so well: Skills To Learn: Screenwriting Book To Read: Other Learning Goals: Longest Run of Consecutive Writing Days: Changes to make for next month:

16 July A writer who waits for the ideal conditions under which to work will never put a word on paper. E B White Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

17 July A writer who waits for the ideal conditions under which to work will never put a word on paper. E B White Plan Writing Goals For This Month: Target Writing Days By Type: Target Writing Days Total: Evaluate Did I Achieve My Writing Goals?: Actual Writing Days By Type: Actual Writing Days Total: Action Steps Things that went well: Things that didn t go so well: Skills To Learn: Screenwriting Book To Read: Other Learning Goals: Longest Run of Consecutive Writing Days: Changes to make for next month:

18 August We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. Aristotle Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

19 August We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. Aristotle Plan Writing Goals For This Month: Target Writing Days By Type: Target Writing Days Total: Evaluate Did I Achieve My Writing Goals?: Actual Writing Days By Type: Actual Writing Days Total: Action Steps Things that went well: Things that didn t go so well: Skills To Learn: Screenwriting Book To Read: Other Learning Goals: Longest Run of Consecutive Writing Days: Changes to make for next month:

20 September Start writing, no matter what. Louis L Amour Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

21 September Start writing, no matter what. Louis L Amour Plan Writing Goals For This Month: Target Writing Days By Type: Target Writing Days Total: Evaluate Did I Achieve My Writing Goals?: Actual Writing Days By Type: Actual Writing Days Total: Action Steps Things that went well: Things that didn t go so well: Skills To Learn: Screenwriting Book To Read: Other Learning Goals: Longest Run of Consecutive Writing Days: Changes to make for next month:

22 October Success is the result of hard work and persistence. Colin Powell Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

23 October Success is the result of hard work and persistence. Colin Powell Plan Writing Goals For This Month: Target Writing Days By Type: Target Writing Days Total: Evaluate Did I Achieve My Writing Goals?: Actual Writing Days By Type: Actual Writing Days Total: Action Steps Things that went well: Things that didn t go so well: Skills To Learn: Screenwriting Book To Read: Other Learning Goals: Longest Run of Consecutive Writing Days: Changes to make for next month:

24 November It is only by going through a volume of work that your work will be as good as your ambitions. Ira Glass Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

25 November It is only by going through a volume of work that your work will be as good as your ambitions. Ira Glass Plan Writing Goals For This Month: Target Writing Days By Type: Target Writing Days Total: Evaluate Did I Achieve My Writing Goals?: Actual Writing Days By Type: Actual Writing Days Total: Action Steps Things that went well: Things that didn t go so well: Skills To Learn: Screenwriting Book To Read: Other Learning Goals: Longest Run of Consecutive Writing Days: Changes to make for next month:

26 December Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. Jim Rohn Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

27 December Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. Jim Rohn Plan Writing Goals For This Month: Target Writing Days By Type: Target Writing Days Total: Evaluate Did I Achieve My Writing Goals?: Actual Writing Days By Type: Actual Writing Days Total: Action Steps Things that went well: Things that didn t go so well: Skills To Learn: Screenwriting Book To Read: Other Learning Goals: Longest Run of Consecutive Writing Days: Changes to make for next month:

28 About Hayley McKenzie Hayley McKenzie is the Founder of Script Angel, a screenwriter training and development company. She is a highly experienced professional script executive with over fifteen years working in the film and television industry, in both development and production. Hayley was Development Executive at ITV Studios Drama and has script edited UK television dramas for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, and on produced feature films including indie hit Papadopoulos & Sons (Dir. Marcus Markou). As a producer, Hayley s short film Love in the Afternoon secured a distribution deal with Shorts International. Hayley is an international speaker at film and television events including Cannes Film Festival (for the European Producers' Club), Raindance Film Festival (DigiCreators Writersroom), Craft of Comedy UK, LOCO London Comedy Film Festival and London Screenwriters' Festival. Script Angel has provided script development support for Story Expo in Los Angeles, Northern Film & Media, The Sitcom Mission, the Big Comedy Conference and the Craft of Comedy UK. For more information on Hayley, please visit: You can find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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