When you ask them what happened, the answers are always the same. They got stuck. They lost inspiration. The story stopped working.
The real problem is not inspiration. The real problem is that they never understood the stages of screenwriting.
Screenwriting has stages. Real stages. Not film school diagrams. Not Hollywood formulas. I’m talking about the stages I personally go through when I sit down to write a script.
Once you understand these stages, the process becomes clearer. Ignore them, and frustration becomes inevitable.
What are the three stages of screenwriting?
The three stages of screenwriting are thinking, writing, and rewriting. First, I allow the story to take shape in my mind. Then I write the script without chasing perfection. Finally, I rewrite to strengthen what imagination alone could not fully shape.
Everything else people add on top of this is unnecessary complication.
Stage one: Thinking
This is the stage most beginners rush or ignore, and it is the foundation of everything that follows.
Thinking is not daydreaming. It is not random brainstorming. It is deliberate mental work.
At this stage, I am not writing dialogue. I am not formatting scenes. I am asking serious questions and refusing to move forward without clear answers.
Who is this story really about?
What does the main character want badly enough to suffer for it?
What stands in the way?
What happens if they fail?
If these answers are weak, the script will be weak.
I let ideas sit. I replay scenes in my head. I imagine conflict and consequences. Weak ideas fade. Strong ideas grow louder.
If an idea cannot survive this stage, it does not deserve to be written.
What beginners overcomplicate at this stage
They think thinking requires notebooks, character biographies, research folders, and endless preparation.
I don’t do that.
I think in images. I think in emotions. I think in plain language.
The moment thinking turns into paperwork, creativity suffocates.
Where most people get stuck and quit
They confuse thinking with procrastination.
Thinking leads to clarity. Procrastination avoids commitment.
If months pass and nothing becomes clearer, the problem is fear, not process.
Stage two: Writing
Writing is not creation from nothing. Writing is translation.
You are translating what already exists in your head into scenes, dialogue, and action.
When I write, I move forward. I do not stop to polish every line. I do not judge the script while it is still being born.
I write to finish.
An unfinished perfect script is useless. A finished imperfect script can be rewritten.
Because I already thought deeply during stage one, I am not guessing where the story is going. I already know.
Scenes connect naturally. Characters speak with intention. Momentum carries me through difficult sections.
What beginners overcomplicate while writing
They obsess over rules, page numbers, and invisible standards.
I focus on clarity and movement.
If a scene serves the story, it stays for now. Judgment comes later.
Where most people quit
The middle of the script.
The excitement fades. Doubt grows louder. Discipline is tested.
This is where weak preparation reveals itself.
A strong thinking stage pulls you through. A weak one leaves you stranded.
Stage three: Rewriting
This is where real screenwriting begins.
Rewriting is not correction. Rewriting is confrontation.
I step away from the script and return with distance.
I ask hard questions.
Does this scene matter?
Is this dialogue natural or forced?
Am I earning emotion or pushing it?
This stage exposes ego. You will love scenes that do not work. You must remove them anyway.
What rewriting actually fixes
Weak motivation.
Unclear conflict.
Artificial dialogue.
Repetitive scenes.
Rewriting is where imagination meets discipline.
Why beginners fear rewriting
Some see rewriting as failure.
Others rewrite endlessly because they are afraid to let go.
Both misunderstand the purpose.
Rewriting is proof that the script is alive.
Why I don’t use Hollywood templates
I don’t write stories to satisfy diagrams.
I write stories to reflect human behavior.
Templates can teach structure, but worshipping them kills originality.
Local stories do not always breathe inside imported formulas.
How the three stages work together
Thinking gives direction.
Writing gives form.
Rewriting gives strength.
Skip one stage and the script suffers.
Final words
I don’t guess my way through scripts.
I think.
I write.
I rewrite.
That is the work.
Next, I will break down the golden rules for screenwriting, based on experience, not theory.