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  "path": "/two-ways-approach-screenplay",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-06T19:00:04.000Z",
  "site": "https://nofilmschool.com",
  "tags": [
    "Screenwriting advice",
    "Screenwriting structure",
    "Outlining",
    "Screenwriting",
    "www.youtube.com",
    "_Some writers swear by this method_",
    "ways to outline",
    "_research provides the foundation_",
    "_Research_",
    "_Dustin Lance Black's process_",
    "_Robert Eggers does the same thing_",
    "_Tony Gilroy has said_",
    "_outline meticulously_"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nEvery writer has their process. It can change with experience or time or even based on the kind of thing you're writing, but what matters is finding what works and keeps the pages flowing.\n\nAccording to novelist Elif Shafak, in a recent conversation with David Perell, there are specifically two ways to approach your large-scale writing project.\n\nShe’s talking about writing novels here, but that doesn’t mean the advice is null. We always like to look at simple ways to get better at screenwriting, so we were excited to check this advice out. You can too in the video below.\n\n- YouTube www.youtube.com\n\n## Option 1: Plan It Out\n\nThe first approach is to write with a plan.\n\nThat means outlining. You map everything out. You build detailed character sheets. You know your plot beats, where they fall in your structure, understand exactly how your characters will behave, and maintain complete control over the material.\n\n_Some writers swear by this method_, spending weeks on detailed outlines.\n\nAnd this can be a great approach. There are many ways to outline and many ways to structure your stories. Having a plan means you don’t get lost.\n\n## Option 2: Follow Your Intuition\n\nThe second way is to rely on your intuition. You're a little “drunk” on the possibilities, as Shafak says. You take risks. You don't know what your protagonist will do five scenes from now. As a writer, you're lost inside the story rather than hovering above it, engineering each beat.\n\n\"For me to be able to feel that kind of confidence, I do a lot of learning beforehand,\" Shafak said. \"So I read a lot. I research a lot, and I listen a lot.\"\n\nThis method can be fun, especially if you know your characters well. As you let them go in a scene, sometimes they say or do things that surprise you. They might take the story in a completely new, exciting direction.\n\n## Either Way, Do Your Research\n\nEven if you prefer the intuitive approach, _research provides the foundation_ to get lost in your story without miring yourself in confusing details or plot points.\n\nYou can't wander confidently through a forest if you don't trust that there's solid ground beneath your feet. _Research_ is the path forward. It's what lets you take those intuitive leaps without worrying you've written something that makes no sense or feels inauthentic.\n\nSo what does research look like? Shafak says that writers need eclectic reading lists.\n\nSo, screenwriters, don't limit yourself to screenplay books or produced scripts. Read graphic novels. Pick up a newspaper. Take a free online course in a new topic. Whatever you learn goes into your toolbox so you can recall it later.\n\n_Dustin Lance Black's process_ demonstrates this beautifully. He spends months researching before writing a single scene, which allows him to write confidently.\n\n_Robert Eggers does the same thing_, exploring historical periods and lexicons until ideas start spilling over onto the page.\n\nThe research phase shouldn't feel like homework. Feed your curiosity.\n\nDon’t forget to get out in the world, too—that counts as research. Go to a coffee shop and listen to how people talk. You’re trying to understand human behavior, the ways people think, their cultural context, and the details that make a world feel lived-in.\n\n_Tony Gilroy has said_ that the quality of your writing is capped at your knowledge of human behavior. You can't write that well without observing, listening, and reading widely.\n\nWhether you _outline meticulously_ or write by instinct, research is the fuel for creativity. The more you know, the more freely you can explore your story.\n\nWhich approach do you like?",
  "title": "There Are Two Ways to Approach a Screenplay"
}