Screenplay approaches...

Hi, new here. I am just getting down to seriously writing my first screenplays. I have many ideas in notes and descriptive passages I've saved from over the years. I am having trouble translating these into real progress though. So I was wondering have others had more success writing out their full stories in narrative form then structuring them to a screenplay format or am I better off starting to write in screen format in Final Draft or some such program? Thanks guys.
 
If I were you, I would start with a detailed outline. I don't think writing out the full story in narrative is a great idea because it will be very time consuming--unless you intend to make a standalone book adaptation.
 
Software will make the formatting easy. Look up "free screenwriting software".
Some writers write out their full stories in narrative form then write the screenplay
and that works well for them. I don't do it. But that doesn't mean you should do
it. Try it. See how it works for you.

Most writers have trouble with their first screenplay. My only advice is to write
every day. And keep at it. As with anything you do you will get better at it the
more you do it.
 
When I wrote my first screenplay, I found it helpful to set a deadline and a daily goal. For me, I tried to write three pages a day. I also made myself log overtime in the case that I didn't fulfill my work load, i.e. if I only wrote two pages one day, I would have to write four pages the next. It's also helpful, as others have said, to plan out your screenplay ahead of time. I'm not a fan of writing out the narrative, I prefer to do it on index cards, but you really just have to find what works for you.
 
I start out by creating my locations and characters first. I go general then I get very detailed. Even going as far as mapping out things that would probably not be in the final script or video. I even draw out maps for areas and so forth. Everyone has their own method, I find this one works for me. For me it makes creating a scene much easier when I know Character-A was in the military as a <whatever> was <again> and <again>. I can almost get in their heads, figure them out, and write it out better.

I once took some inspiration from Magic: The Gathering, going as far as to figure out their power/defense, abilities, and so on (not a monster/creature movie I just found it helped me).
 
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