My Day to Day as a Scriptwriter

creenwriting and writing as a whole are an enthralling subject for people to take an interest in, especially if they hope to make it their career. As challenging as it is to get the snowball rolling with something like writing, it tends to come a lot sooner than you might realize. Given that I’m about to be 23 and have been able to work solely as a writer and scriptwriter since I was 21, it’s certainly a possible reality for anyone as long as they work hard enough.

Scheduling is imperative, and speaking for myself, my early beginnings as a writer motivated me into seeing what a scriptwriter or writer’s day to day is. Of course, everyone is different and has a diverse work model from one another, but let’s take a look at what an average day is for me as a screenwriter.

7:00 am - Wake Up (Eat, Check Email and Schedule)

Like many others, I try to get up relatively early and check my email for any writing inquiries. I tend to do this on my laptop while making my breakfast, and I also look at my schedule for the day. Having a general checklist goes a long way and helps you remember everything you need to get done for the day.

7:30 am to 9:00 am - Write for my Blogs

In today’s technological landscape, who doesn’t have a blog? Like many other writers, I have a couple of blogs that I write an article for each day: a music blog and a satirical news site. Sometimes I write the article for them the day prior, but during this time is when I post the articles and have them go live.

9:30 am to 11:00 am - Write Video Scripts and Ideas

After my blogs are finished, I tend to use the next hour or two for my scriptwriting. My scriptwriting’s main bulk comes from Online Photography Training (link in bio), but I occasionally have a small video package work that requires a loose script. These scripts don't tend to be very long, and I usually get through them quickly.

11:30 am to 1:00 pm - Break (Exercise and Eat)

Staring at a screen all day can be very gloomy on someone’s health, which prompts me to take a relatively long break compared to most people. During this time, I try to exercise for a bit by going for a jog, skateboarding, or by lifting a few light weights, but nothing too crazy. Once my exercise concludes, I eat the majority of my calories for the day and get ready for a long session of writing.

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm - Freelance Writing Work

Once I’m done eating and feel comfortable to begin a long session of writing, I start going through any freelance writing work I have. My freelance work tends to be relatively short writing pieces and ranges from writing about parrots to BMX sports to scripts for YouTube channels. I have a few clients I work with almost every day through my email and Fiverr, but I occasionally get some new inquiries. I usually don’t seek out too many new clients since I’m comfortable with the workload I have right now and don’t want to burden myself too much yet.

5:00 pm to 6:00 pm - Creative Writing

My main passion for writing is more on the creative side, and I force myself to write creatively for an hour each day. Sometimes I’ll complete a short story, whereas other days I’ll continue editing my feature film script I’ve been trying to complete for a year. It all depends on what I’m in the mood for.

6:00 pm to 6:30 pm - Write Schedule for Following Day

I can’t stress this enough, but having a schedule is a must, no matter your profession. As a writer and scriptwriter, it’s incredibly valuable to stick to a plan. Some days I have to write over 10,000 words between my blogs, scripts, freelance work, and creative endeavors. A schedule is what keeps me sane and helps me accomplish any workload I might have.

7:00 pm to 11:00 pm - Free Time

Once my work and schedule are finished, I’ll use the remainder of the day to relax. My version of relaxing usually includes a dose of political shows I enjoy, a film or two, recording music, playing guitar, a video game session, or spending time with my girlfriend.

Conclusion

Some days are different than others, and as I’m finishing up my last semester in school, I have to fit in an hour of schoolwork during this schedule at some point. The weekends are typically a lot more free, but this should give you a rough idea of what the average day looks like for a writer and scriptwriter. It’s great to be your own boss in a sense.

“If I can leave you with two points: make a schedule and take breaks. You want to make sure you stay on track, and more importantly, you don’t want to burn yourself out from working too much.” - Joe Morganti