The Creative Mistake Every Screenwriter Makes

You don’t need to solve the whole story before you start. Progress begins with page one.

As a beginner screenwriter, I hoarded popular books on writing, obsessed over plotting, and spent hours tweaking loglines for scripts I hadn’t even started yet.

If I could give advice to anyone in the same situation—it would be this:

Start before you’re ready.

Time is valuable, and I spent so much of it thinking I had to “figure it all out” before I began. I’d work on beat sheets, plan out character arcs, and watch hours of inspirational interviews.

I told myself I was preparing but really, I was procrastinating doing the work that actually mattered.

The harsh reality I’ve come to accept is this:

You can’t discover your story until you start writing it.

Everyone works differently, but you’ll never be able to have all the answers beforehand. Eventually you have to stop preparing & start doing.

Your characters don’t feel alive because you haven’t brought them to life. Your plot isn’t clear because there’s nothing on the page to shape yet.

Structure is something that you need apply to something that already exists. You don’t have it locked down at the start.

Quit waiting until you “crack your story” and write the first page.

And this week’s Creative XP is all about helping you take action even if you don’t feel ready.