Screenwriting : First Draft Struggles: Are You Writing the Wrong Way? by Kenneth Arinze

Fellow writers, how much time and energy do you spend on your first draft? Let's talk about it.

Is the first draft really the most difficult part of writing a screenplay? What if the problem isn't the writing itself, but the approach?

I've been there. Stuck in the middle of a first draft, not because I didn't know what to write next, but because I was chasing perfection instead of progress. That's not a writing strategy, that's a trap.

Your first draft is not your final work. It's not even close. So why treat it like it has to be?

The real issue isn't what you're writing. It's how you're preparing to write.

¶ Tell It. Watch It. Then Write It.

Writing isn't the first step, telling is.

Before I write a single line, I go through two stages: I tell my story, then I watch my story.

★Telling★ is where everything begins. It starts with the initial spark, the idea, and everything I build around it. I develop my thoughts, shape the plot, construct the story arc, and write it all down into a comprehensive outline. This becomes my blueprint.

★Watching★ comes next. I don't start writing until I can close my eyes and watch my entire story play out, scene by scene, from start to finish, like a film in my mind. Only when I can see it clearly do I open the page and begin.

From that point, I write with one goal: finish what I've already seen. Not perfect it. Finish it.

¶ The Trap Most Writers Fall Into

Here's where many writers go wrong. While writing a first draft, new ideas will come, and they will feel exciting, urgent, even better than what you're working with. This is almost guaranteed.

The temptation is to stop, incorporate those ideas, and reshape your story mid-draft. But this usually leads to one of two outcomes: the work becomes too complicated and the writer abandons it entirely, or the first draft drags on far longer than it should.

This is why so many writers believe the first draft is the hardest part. It's not. It's the pattern that makes it feel that way.

¶ How to Break the Pattern

Here's the approach that works for me, and I believe it can work for you too.

1. Don't stop until you finish.

Work from your original outline, start to finish, without deviation. The outline exists so you don't have to figure things out while writing, you've already done that work.

2. Ignore the new ideas, for now.

When fresh inspiration strikes mid-draft, don't write it down. I know that goes against common advice, but hear me out: noting it down is already a distraction. Your only job in this moment is to finish the draft. Those ideas will come back, I'll explain why in a moment.

3. Read it. Watch it again.

Once the draft is complete, read it from beginning to end and watch it again in your imagination. Because you stayed true to your outline, the story is intact. Now, at this stage, you'll naturally identify what needs improvement, and those ideas you ignored while writing? Most of them will resurface here, right where they belong.

4. Refine and improve.

With a completed draft in front of you, go back and incorporate the ideas and changes that genuinely strengthen the story. You now have the full picture, so your decisions are clearer and better informed.

5. Write your final version.

This is where you bring everything together, refined ideas, improved structure, and your sharpest instincts about the story's direction.

6. Step away before you conclude.

If you're not under pressure to sell the script, give it time. Set it aside for days or even weeks. Come back with fresh eyes, you'll often catch something that makes it even better. But remember: less is more. You're not trying to tell a different story. You're refining the one you have.

¶ Why This Works

The logic is simple: your first draft will never be your final copy. You're going to revise it anyway, once, maybe several times. So why exhaust yourself trying to perfect it before it's even finished?

Focus on progress first. Perfection has its turn later.

This approach doesn't just free you from getting stuck, it gets you to a completed draft faster, with your story's foundation fully intact and ready to be built upon.

So what's your method for navigating first draft struggles? I'd love to hear how you approach it.