Hello!

I was just wondering, how much planning are you allowed to do before starting on something like this?

Do you write a scene-by scene guide to what's going to happen in the script before April 1st, just a rough outline, or just think of an idea and start typing?

I don't want to cheat by accident!

You can plan or not plan as much as you wish. I plan virtually nothing ahead of time and just kind of "go with it" as the month progresses. That's not for everyone, though, and that's cool. If you like to plan, feel free to plan as much as makes you comfortable. The simple rule is that none of what you put down for your plan should be included in the actual dialogue of your script starting April 1.

Thanks! That's exactly what I needed to know! Hmmm, I think I'd at least like to know what I'm going to write about before I start, but it is good to let a first draft have free rain. Good luck!

I'm so glad this thread exists because I was just about to come here and ask about that! That was exactly what I wanted to know, so thank you :)

I've written some sort of outline of my script and I thought if I can't write any dialogue - and no, I can't.

I've honestly got a few ideas rolling around in my head, and I'm trying to decide between the extension of my NaNoWriMo writing or a fanfic...XD (Nevermind that I've never DONE a fanfic...)

But this is good news for me. ^^ I can go planning-crazy before writing!

That's cool. That'll give the right amount of time to do the amount of planning I need to do. I can't make the characters shut up, but I just won't write down what they say.

My purpose to join this Script Frenzy is to make my brain get used to make a lot of plots without thinking too much like I usually do, so I guess I won't write any plan if possible, but I think I can't stop to think about it. :D

I've already planned my entire plot and am now in the process of writing a fairly descriptive summary of the story. By the time April 1 rolls around, I plan to have a scene breakdown, character bios, and even a few ideas for casting worked out (I'm planning on actually making my screenplay once I've finished writing it, so I'm putting down ideas for people I know to play parts, etc.).

So I have a buttload of planning done already.

I need a further clarification. Since my project is very plotty, I've been doing a very detailed outline that has brief scene descriptions, projected sluglines and even brief snippets of dialogue. The outline is in WORD, and my plan was to dump the whole thing (about 20 pages)into my software at 12:01am. I don't consider the outline real "writing" thus far, just kind of my own version of a treatment.

But based on what you've said, it sounds like this might be considered cheating. Can you clarify?

Basically nothing that you are writing now should end up in your final script. So any actual dialogue, for example, that you write beforehand should not end up in the script. So if you technically had dialogue written before hand and this actual dialogue ended up in your script it would be cheating, but really no one but you will know.

Oookaaayyy,

I truly have no intention of cheating, but I don't want to get lost in the middle of my second act either. So I'll delete anything that looks like dialogue from my outline before I open it in my software. It's all just placeholder stuff so I know what kinds of things go where.

Thanks for the quick reply.

"K"

This is a good debate to dwell on for all future writing. So many times I have tried to plan everything out ahead of time thinking that approach was the only way to go. Well, maybe that is not the best way to be creative. Now I'm wondering about spontaneous thought contributing to witty writing.

So, what is normal? I suppose a well thought out skinny outline can get the ball rolling followed by spontaneous witty writing to add meat to that skinny frame. This should allow for a great deal of creativity. online casino