Download a screenwriting template. Screenwriting templates are available from software manufacturers and screenwriting communities online for free. The command keys vary between each template. Some templates will use the function keys (F1-F12) to change the formatting of the line, while other templates will automatically change from one format to the next when you space down.
Open the screenwriting template with the word processing program of your choice.
Set the font type to 12-point Courier. This is the standard screenplay font.
Create the title page with the name of the screenplay at the top center. Move down a few spaces and center the name of the author or authors. You may include contact information at the bottom right of the page and a copyright year at the bottom left.
Enter the opening transition in all capitals followed by a colon, for example: "FADE IN:"
Move down two lines to create the "scene heading" that states the location and time of day for the scene, for example: "EXT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT." This would indicate an exterior scene near a hospital at night. "INT." is used for interior scenes and "DAY" is used for daytime scenes.
Move down two lines to begin the description of the scene. Write the description with normal capitalization and write in the present tense.
Type all characters' names in capital letters the first time they are introduced in your scene descriptions. Write the character's age in parentheses after their name in capitals.
Move down two lines and center the character's name to indicate who is speaking the following lines of dialogue.
Move down one line to write the dialogue for the character. Dialogue paragraphs are justified a few inches in from the margins. If there is any specific content in the way the dialogue is spoken, write it centered above the first line of dialogue in parentheses. For example: "(angrily)."
Finish the screenplay by writing "THE END" in capitals aligned to the right of the page.