Picture it...

Hollywood 2005. A young, struggling writer has just completed a 120-page screenplay. The writer submits it to an agent. The agent loves it, thinks it's the greatest piece of movie fiction since "Gone With the Wind." Excited, the agent sends it to a producer. The producer reads it and is equally riveted. The agent negotiates a deal between the writer and the producer. Result, the writer gets paid a handsome amount, the agent gets commission, the producer gets a blockbuster movie and everyone lives happily every after! So how can this Cinderella story happen to you?

Follow the 5 immutable laws of screenwriting:

Brainstorm

Brainstorming is the art of generating ideas. Both professional and amateur screenwriters use brainstorming techniques to produce fresh, new ideas. These ideas can be for a complete script or for a particular scene or sequence. A brainstorming session can be a solo event or group activity if you have a writing partner or team. It can be conducted simply with pen and paper or more elaborately with brainstorming software. The latter can literally spawn thousands of ideas in a matter of minutes.

Here's an example of a simple brainstorming session you might conduct on paper or with a computer software program:

You want to write a science fiction movie. Write or type the words "science fiction". Let's say "science fiction" triggers the words: robot, monster, outer space, heavenly bodies. You decide to write a screenplay about a "monster" from outer space. Now you need to decide on the type of monster. Repeating the previous step, you generate several possibilities including: gremlin, giant squid and giant insect. You pick "giant squid". So far your story is about a giant squid from outer space. Next you brainstorm where the giant squid lands on Earth. Trigger words could be: a river, ocean, lake or an above-ground swimming pool. You like the idea of an "above-ground swimming pool". Your science fiction screenplay is about a giant squid from outer space that lands in an above-ground swimming pool. Get the idea? Feel free to finish the story, I'd love to see it on the silver screen!

Outline

An outline presents a picture of the main plot points of your screenplay. It's a way to organize the ideas you developed in your brainstorming session. You get to describe the major events and character interactions of the story. A screenplay may be written without an outline, but the story may not be cohesive. Outlining helps you visualize how the main story and subplot will play out on the big screen. It will also help you see the holes, strengths and weaknesses. Again, screenplay outlining can be a simple pen and paper process or created in a computer program.

Sample outline of our giant squid story:

EXT. BACKYARD SWIMMING POOL