At the beginning of June, I made a goal to write at least 100 pages for my third feature. Prior to writing, I spent some time in May mapping out my third feature so by the time June came around, I would be prepared. At first, I wasn't quite too sure if I was going to complete this goal by the end of June, but I set my eye on the prize and worked as hard as I could to get to my goal. As of now, my first draft of my script is 98 pages. Is it 100 pages exactly? No, but it's close enough! (I do have 2 pages that are full of action with no dialogue, so filming wise, it's a total of 100 minutes.) If you've ever wondered how to write your script in a month, here's a few tips that got me to my goal.
Have a goal in mind
Sometimes when we set a goal for something, we have to hold ourselves accountable. Whatever you want to achieve, make sure your goal is realistic. For example, if you want to have 100 pages by the end of the month, you'd need to put in the time to make that happen. In my case, I decided to write at least 5 pages a day. Sometimes, it can sound like a chore and you're worried about the script not looking great at first. Keep in mind, it is a first draft, so chances are it's not going to be great, and as a writer myself, I kind of cringed at my first draft after completion. Just know there's plenty of time to improve your script.
Organize your schedule
Take a look at your calendar. Make sure you can put at least one hour dedicated to writing somewhere in your schedule. If you're more creative in the early morning, great! If you're better at writing in the evening, that also works too. Or if you're like me, write a few pages throughout the day. When I was writing my script, I would write about 2 pages or so, take a break, then write a few more pages. In fact, there were times when I could write 5 pages in one sitting, and wrote a few more pages later in the day. Just keep in mind, if you have a busy schedule and you're unable to reach your goal by the end of the month, it's not the end of the world. Just keep writing.
Have a blueprint of your script
Before you begin writing, make sure you have a beat sheet or a blueprint of your script from start to end. Make sure everything looks good before you start writing. I know there are some professionals who don't have a blueprint and they just start writing their script, yet they're somehow able to complete the first draft. If you have a beat sheet of your script, it'll be easy for you to know what happens next in the story. However, it's not required to have a beat sheet, but I use one just to keep myself focused on the story I'm trying to tell. Don't worry about a beat not landing on the exact page number you want, because after all you can change things around if needed.
Have fun with it
Don't be hard on yourself. Keep those creative juices flowing and keep writing. When you're writing your script, don't think of it as torture because you're not going to get a lot done. If you find yourself getting stuck, just keep writing. After all, this is a first draft so you can fix things later on.
Hopefully you've found some of these tips helpful. I believe you can do this! If you need mentoring or extra guidance on your script, feel free to reach out to me and I'd be honored to help!