Writing a screenplay is an extremely rewarding process, but it’s not an easy task. It takes a serious amount of time and dedication to develop a good screenplay, and if your goal is to sell it, completing a first draft is only the beginning. You’ll have to refine the story, often with several more drafts, get an agent, submit your script to studios and producers, and have someone like it enough to risk a substantial amount of money to buy it. Unless, of course, you’re planning to finance and produce it yourself.

Each year, the major Hollywood studios purchase a combined 100-200 original screenplays. When you consider that somewhere between 25,000 and 50,000 new screenplays are registered with the WGA every year, it’s easy to see how difficult the task actually is. But, don’t be discouraged. Most people don’t invest enough time learning how to develop a good screenplay; they just try and write one. By dedicating yourself to the craft, your screenplays will start out well ahead of the pack. There are a few steps to follow when developing and writing your screenplay. Remember, though, there are no real rules, so they can happen in any order, or not at all. It’s up to the story, and ultimately you.