how to finish a first draft
how to finish a first draft
Hi! I’m trying out a series where I talk a little more about the screenwriting process. Everyone has their own way of writing, but I spent a lot of last year experimenting and refining what that looks like for me.
I recently finished a first draft of the feature I’ve been working on (Dylan We Need to Talk) and I thought it’d be the perfect time to reflect on how I got to this draft.
If any of this resonates or interests you, let me know—I’d be happy to go deeper into each step in a future post. I just totally geek out on the writing process!
How to Finish a First Draft
So initially Dylan We Need To Talk started out as a short idea I had back in September 2024. I didn’t decide to expand it into a feature until January, and by the beginning of March I had a full first draft. Here’s the general process I followed:
1. Research & Brainstorm
This is where you’re just feeling things out, getting a general semblance of an idea. You don’t need a full story. With Dylan, I knew I wanted to try writing something surreal. I’ve always loved magical realism and watching movies like Pan’s Labyrinth and Sorry To Bother You, stories that are aesthetically bold and surreal with layered political commentary.
I started spitballing ideas in the Notes app on my phone. I like writing there because it feels lower-stakes than a blank page on Final Draft. It’s about making the idea feel playful and approachable at this stage.
2. Write a Title & Logline
Come up with a few versions and test them out with friends, family, or colleagues whenever you’re in conversation. You don’t need to have everything figured out—just ask yourself:
a) Are you excited to talk about it?
b) Do other people light up when you talk about it?
If the answer one or ideally both is yes, then you know this is a good enough idea to invest more time into and develop further.
3. Write a Short Pitch
This includes the title, logline, and a short summary of what the project is. I also include comps, genre, and try to answer why is this story important now and why I’m the person to write it.
This step helps you think about your audience and clarify your vision. I usually write these just for myself, but they’ve been incredibly useful as a jumping pad when you are casually talking to others about what you’re working on.
4. Write an Outline
Sometimes I skip this and go straight to the next step, but it helps to jot down a general structure. I used to just follow Save the Cat, but there are SO many different outlines out there that you can use, I think it’s dependent on what you’re writing. But now I also study the structure of comps I admire.
One thing that’s leveled up my writing: find a similar comp where you like the structure of the movie, watch it and write down what happens scene by scene. Use this as a general outline (I did this with Daytrippers, one of my comps for Dylan).
It’s very tedious and takes hours, but it trains your storytelling instincts. This is honestly the best advice one of my writing profs gave me and I 100% believe this has made me a better writer.
5. Backstory Work
This is where I explore character arcs, thematic and philosophical questions, stakes, etc. I’ll put this all in a master document that I can refer back to while I’m writing.
Since Dylan also contains magical elements in it, I also wrote down what are the rules of the world we’re in.
6. Beat Sheet / Scriptment
Basically I write a list of every single scene in the screenplay, and write the slug lines, for example:
INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT
Then I write a short summary of what happens in each scene. Some scenes will be more fleshed out than others. If I don’t know the dialogue yet or what exactly will happen, I will write: “Something along the lines of…” and move on. The point is to have something written in every scene!
7. Get Feedback
This is when I share my scriptment (which DOES NOT LOOK PRETTY, it looks like a Frankenstein piece of work) for notes with my writers group. Why now? Because this is the bones of the script. If there are structural issues, this is the time to fix them before moving into the actual script.
8. Write the First Draft
After I fixed any major structural issues, I dive straight into writing the first draft. This is the first major writing sprint I do. I give myself a schedule (finish Act I by this date, etc.), and I write as fast as I can. I also tell a friend I’ll send them the draft by a certain date to keep myself accountable.
Overall rule: Write Fast!
This is the key. The trick is to not spend too much time on any of these steps. You want to move to the next one when you’re almost but not quite finished. This is to stop letting your perfectionism get in the way (which happens to me all the time!) I could spend hours tinkering with one line, but writing fast forces me to let go of that and trick myself into letting go.
And voila! After a few delirious weeks, you have a first draft.
Hope this was helpful! I’d love to hear about your process if you’re a writer (or even if you’re working on something else like a product or idea—I think this kind of workflow applies across disciplines).
Let me know if you want me to break down any of these steps more in-depth. Again—I love talking about this stuff!
Thanks again for reading,
x Gisella
what i’m consuming 🍰
Fresh eggs from my parents farm out in Eastern Washington! I’ve been busy working on a website but in the meantime, you can follow us on IG here.
who i am
Hi, I’m Gisella! I’m a repped screenwriter based in Seattle. I directed a feature-length documentary and most recently, my pilot Body Brokers was on the 2024 Blacklist Latine List. Follow me on my journey to get my first screenplay green lit 💚
interesting to hear your process here, also it curiously translates well into other written pieces of work that I might want to work on in other disciplines!