Three common habits—clinging to first ideas, fearing bold choices in the first draft, and treating ideas as irreplaceable—undermine early screenwriting. Practical steps show how to move past them and make better scripts faster.
Follow us on Discover See Us First on Google 'Synecdoche, New York' Credit:
Sony Pictures Classics Eric Hardman Sep 24, 2026 Follow us on Discover See Us First on Google Writing your first few scripts can feel really scary.
Staring at a blank Final Draft file often made me feel as though I was being thrown to the metaphorical wolves, and there were a lot of habits I found myself forming that I didn't know were hurting my process.
Why early scripts stall: three habits that slow progress
Many new writers form habits that feel productive but end up blocking better versions of their scripts. The piece draws on a conversation with filmmaker John Vorhaus and the author's experience reading and writing scripts to isolate three specific behaviors that commonly hurt writers starting out.
1) Getting too attached to your first ideas
3) Being too precious about ownership of ideas
It's common to see someone else get a similar idea made first. That can feel like your work wasn't special. The author argues this reaction is counterproductive. The business of film rewards persistence, timing, and being in the right room. Treat overlaps as a normal part of the landscape rather than proof of failure. Every rejection moves you closer to a yes.
Concrete steps a new writer can take
Why these changes speed improvement
Cutting attachments shortens development cycles and reduces clutter that masks story problems. Embracing risk in the first draft produces raw material that helps you discover what the script actually wants to be. Treating idea overlap as inevitable preserves momentum and resilience, two practical traits the film industry rewards.
What hurts new writers most are avoidable habits driven by fear and misplaced loyalty to early ideas. Set simple rules for cutting, intentionally experiment early, and keep producing. Those actions will create clearer drafts, faster learning, and more opportunities to place your work.
Screenwriter Corey Mandell recently sat down for a conversation at Film Courage, where he talked about the mistakes that he most consistently sees new writers make. It’s a fascinating conversation with a lot of great points. Let’s talk about a few of them, and also one or two of my own points that I’ll try to articulat
R.F. Kuang is 29 and has already published seven novels, including the Nebula-winning Babel , the #1 New York Times bestseller Yellowface , and this year's Katabasis . She trained at Cambridge, Oxford, and Yale. In a recent "How I Write" interview with David Perell, she walked through how she approaches writing scenes,
For many people’s scripts, the rewriting process can feel like Hell on Earth. Writer John Vorhaus recently sat down with Film Courage to talk about why he actually likes the rewriting process more than the initial draft. Let’s talk about the tricks he does to feel this way, and a couple I’ve got up my sleeve as well. S
If your first draft is imperfect, you haven’t failed —you are exactly where you need to be. By Dinty W. Moore One of the most difficult lessons we have to learn when writing our first book is this: Once you are done writing your book, you most likely aren’t done writing your book. When I […]
In a time when independent filmmaking is more accessible than it’s ever been, the intimidation factor is still the number one thing that holds creatives back from taking the big leap. Filmmaker Wade Patterson sat down with Film Courage recently and offered some tips for filmmakers to make this process feel a whole lot
“Sometimes you’ll get a note, ‘This scene is boring, can we put in a car chase?’ What you should take from that note is this scene, this quiet scene you intended to be emotionally devastating is boring. That means you might not have done your
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.
