A Hollywood Workflow: How to Write Screenplays on Freewrite

Can you draft screenplays on Freewrite? Absolutely. All you need is this simple trio: Freewrite, Fountain, and Final Draft.

Read on to learn how one pro screenwriter uses Freewrite to pitch, draft, and deliver screenplays.

When I came to Los Angeles thirty years ago, my goal was to become a film and television writer. After a few years working on the production side of the business, I was able to move into television writing, and now I've sold a script to a major studio.

It was at the start of that screenwriting project that I bought my first Freewrite — the Smart Typewriter — which I used to write outlines, treatments, and the first draft of the screenplay. It’s been a revelation, and I now have Traveler as well.

The industry-standard writing software in the screenwriting world is Final Draft, which properly formats a script. Freewrite supports the use of Fountain, a simple markup syntax for writing screenplays in plain, human-readable text, so that when you transfer your work to Final Draft for editing, it’s formatted like a script.

Here is an overview of my screenwriting workflow with Freewrite, Fountain, and Final Draft.

My Screenwriting Process

1. Brainstorm. I jot notes in my Field Notes notebooks, iPhone, and Freewrite Smart Typewriter or Traveler. With my newest script, I’ve been storing all of these notes as well as online research in Scrivener
2. High concept. In the TV and film business, you rarely get to just dive right into the scripting. Even for my own stuff, I first write a paragraph that hones the idea into a pitchable form.
3. Outline or beat sheet. I know outlines are a much-debated topic in the world of novelists, but for scripts, especially if sold to a studio or producer, it’s usually a must-have. Even famous screenwriters often have to write these documents if not selling an already completed spec script. The Freewrite has been great for my outlining process, which lays out the big beats of the story.
4. Treatment. After I’ve laid out the beats, I dive deeper with a more detailed treatment, which can run from 15-25 pages and sometimes includes a little placeholder dialogue. This is a brand-new document that I create on the Freewrite, which I then review as a printout or as a PDF on my iPad before moving to script.
5. First draft screenplay with Fountain. Now the real fun begins. This is when I switch to folder C on my Freewrite, start a new document, and begin to write the actual script using Fountain. (See below for in-depth directions for using Fountain.)
6. Export to Final Draft. I set my Cloud Settings in Postbox to save work in the Final Draft file format (.FDX), and when I start to get a dozen or so pages into the script, I export the file into Final Draft. Voila! They open seamlessly in Final Draft, transformed into perfect script format. 
7. Revise in Final Draft. I keep writing on my Freewrite and collecting scenes in my Final Draft master document until I have my first draft, which is usually longer than the average 90-120 pages of a typical screenplay. Once the draft is done, I edit in Final Draft and rewrite until I’m finished.

Note: It's great to have a version of your screenplay saved in Fountain simply because it’s plain text. That means it’s the perfect format for archiving screenplays without worrying about file-format obsolescence or incompatibility in the future.

Finding Your Way with Fountain

As you know by now, screenplays have a unique format. Screenplay format involves using all caps for scene headings, regular sentence structure flush left for action/description lines, character names positioned in the middle of the page, and dialogue below the character name.

For that reason, formatting scripts on a traditional word processor like Microsoft Word is maddening. That’s why special scriptwriting software like Final Draft has become the industry standard. Final Draft is expensive and quirky, but it’s an essential tool in the business.

Enter Fountain.

Out of a desire to be able to write scripts using almost any plain-text editing software, a number of screenwriters led by John August developed a version of Markdown language called Fountain that is tailored to screenwriting. And you can use both Markdown and Fountain on Freewrite devices!

Fountain is a markup language that enables screenwriters to easily write a formatted screenplay in any software, on any device.

Drafting with Fountain on Freewrite is simple and straightforward. You can learn how to use specific Fountain syntax at fountain.io/syntax, but don’t be intimidated — it’s easy to learn and easier to use.

Here's an example of how I write in Fountain my Freewrite:

INT. MARK’S KITCHEN - DAY

MARK, a weary but upbeat Gen-X’er, writes an essay on his Freewrite Smart Typewriter. His dog, COOKIE, a black and white tri-color mini-Aussie sits nearby.

MARK

Well, Cookie, I’m really getting into the essay now. Just need some more coffee.

COOKIE

Ruff...

MARK

I’m glad you agree with me, but remember, no coffee for dogs.

Mark gets back to the essay, typing quickly.

--

As you can see, I’m writing the text all flush left, and if you follow certain rules like putting names in all caps and dialogue immediately afterward, it will magically become screenplay format when you bring it into Final Draft.

The best part is that you can use as much — or as little — as you’d like. You can get as complex or keep it as simple as you prefer.

I must admit, when using Smart Typewriter, I feel like a screenwriter working in the classic era of Hollywood. (Of course, without the cigarettes, hard liquor, or view of Sunset Blvd.)

Time to go freewrite the next great blockbuster!

FADE OUT.