How to Write Perfect Outline

Give a master carpenter a truckload of tools and a bunch of wood; hell build something. But
hand him structural blueprints, the end result will be amazing.
Screenwriters work the same way the outline is your blueprint. Never write without a plan;
thats screenwriting suicide. An outline gets you thinking (and all writing IS thinking), but it
also keeps you focused and on track.
But how do you design that prefect outline? First off, nothing is universally perfect. Some
writers put together comprehensive 20 page point outlines, plotting in every scene, even
tossing in lines of potential dialogue. For other writers, breaking down the broad strokes of
the eight sequences and making sure there is a clear central obstacle within each sequence is
enough. But still others simply clarify the five major plot points.
Part of discovering the perfect outline, however, is trying different approaches and using
what works best for you as well as for the script you are writing at the time. The more
formulaic the genre (e.g. rom-coms), the more useful a detailed outline can be. An indie
drama, on the other hand, may breathe better with more flexibility in the plan.
Regardless the many variables, however, I would argue that the most rudimentary outline
must include these FIVE CORE ELEMENTS: the protagonist and his or her goal, (2) the
supporting cast and what they each want, (3) the beginning and end, (4) the five major plot
points, and (5) the order of events, sequences, and act divisions.

Salvation: The Writer's Schedule
Okay, so incorporating a writing schedule isnt rocket science, but being true to the basics is
often the hardest thing to do.
We live in a world of instant gratification. Take this and lose 20 pounds. Inject that and get
bigger, faster, stronger. Botox, tummy tucks, no money down interest-only home loans.
Were constantly offered false promises to the easy way out, but heres the reality record
screech whether youre trying to lose those extra pounds or purchase your first home, it
doesnt happen over night. It takes hard work because its not some quick fix to fit in a
reunion dress; its a lifestyle.
Eat right and exercise: youll start enjoying the mirror. Save your money and put 20% down:
you wont lose your house. And if you call yourself a screenwriter, you absolutely must
follow suit. Schedule your writing. Make it a part of your daily routine, and stick to it like
crazy glue.
But be realistic about your own situation.
Ill offer myself as an example: married with three kids and a plethora of professional
demands, leaves me little time to work on my spec scripts? But Im a screenwriter, so I make
it happen. 4:30AM. Everyday. Just me, coffee, and my script. Imagine: two to three hours
every morning, I can bust out 15 pages a week, and in few short months, I have a completed
screenplay.
Writing takes discipline, and if you really want to be a writer, then do it. Make a schedule and
stick to it no matter what.

Endings & Beginnings
I talk a lot about the importance of endings and beginnings. In fact, Id argue that the first
thing to determine before outlining your screenplay is to KNOW YOUR ENDING.
Weve all been there, enjoying a great cinematic ride, only to have it destroyed with a
painfully forced and unbelievable end. When writing a screenplay, the ending is key, and its
wise to allow the ending to dictate how you begin. However, you must also be flexible. As
the story takes shape, its a mistake to blindly stay the course, especially since not all stories
should end Happily Ever After.
Happy endings are for rom-coms and storybook princesses, but film endings can be tragic,
bitter sweet, even depressing. The key is an ending thats satisfactory. Imagine Braveheart
with William Wallace NOT being tortured and martyred in London Square; instead, all his
Scottish mates hiding in the crowd come rushing out to rescue him. The ending now would
be trite and unbelievable, with the theme of freedom through sacrifice becoming
insignificant.
You must be honest with your story and in tune with your audience. Was Indiana Jones and
the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull really satisfactory when the Mayan temple turned out to be a
spaceship? The simple truth is that your audience will forgive flaws in the beginning or
middle of a film, but an unsatisfactory ending is unacceptable.

Fight! Exposition Through Conflict
If youve ever been in a serious relationship, you know all about conflict. Love hurts! Its
when our emotions are highest, that disagreements turn into arguments, which turn into fights
and all those stinging words we wish we could take back.
Remember the old playground rhyme: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words
will never hurt me. What a load of bull! Seriously, its much easier to recover from a black
eye than to repair the damage that words can create.
But the worst emotional scars dont come from a teammate who calls you stupid, the boss
who says youre incompetent, or the bully who snorts like a pig when you walk by. What
really sticks is when a husband, a mother, a brother someone you really love makes a
comment that stabs like an ice pick to your heart. When this occurs, some of us recoil, some
hiss, but some strike back. More words are said, more stabs in the aorta, more stuff is dug up
from the past.
In screenwriting, understanding this dynamic is paramount because you need scenes in which
an argument quickly deteriorates into a verbal assault of what happened last week, last
month, or last year. Using the real conflict within an emotionally fueled fight is one of the
best ways to deliver exposition. Its relatable and believable. Not boring. Not explained. Not
fake.

The Mechanics of Screenwriting
The impulse to be free as a screenwriter is one of the most self-destructive notions you can
have.
Screenwriting is a specialized trade that follows very specific rules, and the unwillingness to
accept the fundamental principles of screenplay structure is like playing Russian roulette
only theres a round in every chamber. You do have artistic freedom in many areas of
screenwriting voice, originality, characters but when it comes to story and structure, you
must master the mechanics of the screenplay machine. And it is a machine.
The practicalities of writing a script include a multitude of working parts that fit together in a
specific way in order for the screenplay apparatus to operate properly. You cant write a
successful screenplay if you ignore three-act structure, plot points, and sequences. Scenes
must be concise and move the story forward. The presentation of the page script economy,
describing the shot, and the art of the white space are all part of the package.
There are many tools used to create audience connection: planting and payoff, preparation
and aftermath, delay and reversal, to name a few. Even page count itself has a system: a rom-
com is about 90 pages, each major sequence averaging about 12 pages, the character locked
in at the end of Act One on or around page 24. Every genre has slightly different working
parts, but the mechanics of writing a sellable screenplay are essentially the same.
So take a look at The Formula - it's a great resource to help build your script.