Why I Write Before I Outline

One of the first things you're taught in screenwriting is to outline before you start writing. Know your beats, map out the structure, and have some idea of where the story is going before you type FADE IN.

I tried that.

It turns out I spend more time staring at an outline than actually writing the script.

So now, I write first.

I should probably clarify that I don't go into a screenplay with absolutely nothing. I usually know the premise, the main characters, and the general direction of the story. I just don't know every scene or exactly how I'm going to get from page one to the end.

For me, that's the point of the first draft.

I need to spend time with the characters before I start making major decisions for them. I need to hear how they talk to each other and figure out which relationships actually work on the page. I've had characters become much more important than I originally planned and storylines I was excited about completely fall apart once I started writing them.

I'd rather figure that out in the script than spend weeks perfecting an outline for a story that's probably going to change anyway.

Once the first draft is finished, I usually step away from it for a little while. Then I do something that has become one of my favorite parts of the process: I make a mood board.

I'm a visual person, so this is where I start collecting locations, color palettes, scenery, wardrobe, and anything else that feels like it belongs in the world I just wrote. I think about what certain places smell like or how a room feels when someone walks into it. A lot of those details will never be written into the screenplay, but they help me understand the story differently.

Sometimes the mood board is used for brainstorming. I may pull a few details from it and move on.

Other times, I like it so much that I end up building an entire pitch deck around it.

Either way, by the time I'm done, I can usually see the project much more clearly.

That's when I outline.

Instead of trying to guess where the story should go, I'm looking at what I already wrote and figuring out what works. I go scene by scene, track the characters and storylines, and look for things I missed while I was word-vomiting the first draft.

This is usually where I find the storyline I forgot about for thirty pages. Or the two scenes that are basically doing the same thing. Or the character who suddenly makes a decision that doesn't make sense based on the previous eighty pages.

The outline becomes my plan for draft two.

I'm not saying everyone should stop outlining before they write. Some writers genuinely love a detailed beat sheet, and I admire anyone who can map out an entire screenplay before starting it.

My brain doesn't work that way.

Finding what works for you is part of becoming a better writer.