Screenwriter

Developing story ideas, writing outlines, treatments, screenplays and dialogue; rewriting after feedback from directors, producers and channels; working in writers' rooms on series; writing for Hindi and regional languages; protecting your work with contracts and registration.

A day in the work
You might start by writing for a few hours in the morning, when it is quiet, working out a scene or a dialogue that isn't working. After lunch there is often a call or meeting with the director, producer or other writers, to discuss notes on your last draft. Some days are spent reading, researching a place or profession, or watching other shows for ideas. Evenings go on rewriting. There can be long gaps between projects, and you keep pitching new ideas while you wait.

1. Step 1 · Class 7–10Read widely, watch films and shows with a notebook, and write short scenes and stories. If you are 15+ and have passed Class 10, FTII's weekend-and-online Foundation Course in Screenplay Writing (Aug–Oct 2026) took Indian students for ₹20,000. This is optional.
2. Step 2 · Class 11–12Choose any stream. Pick subjects you like reading in, such as languages, history or psychology. Write short film scripts, join your school's drama or literary club, and shoot a small film on a phone with friends.
3. Step 3 · 3 years after Class 12Do a bachelor's degree in any subject. Many students choose English, mass communication or film studies. Use these years to write samples: a short-film script, a one-hour pilot episode and a feature outline.
4. Step 4 · Optional, about 2 yearsA postgraduate screenwriting course. FTII Pune offers a 2-year MFA in Screenwriting, with about 16 seats in the 2025–26 listing (reported). It is entered through the FTII entrance test, which needs a bachelor's degree in any subject. SRFTI Kolkata has a writing course for electronic and digital media. Seats are few and competition is stiff. (reported — check with the official body)
5. Step 5 · Early careerBuild a portfolio of 2–3 finished scripts. Look for work as an assistant writer, script coordinator or junior writer in a writers' room, or as an assistant to a director. Many writers get their first paid break through someone they worked with, and they carry on freelancing between projects.
6. Step 6 · Join the SWAJoin the Screenwriters Association (Mumbai). Fellow membership is for beginners with no paid work yet and lasts 3 years. Associate membership needs a written contract for writing work, an 'Additional Writer' credit, or a 1-year-plus screenwriting course. Regular membership needs a released film, web series or TV credit. Members can register their scripts with SWA.
7. LaterMove up to lead writer or head writer, create your own series, or direct your own scripts.

• Film-school routeBachelor's degree in any subject, then a postgraduate course at FTII Pune or SRFTI Kolkata through the joint entrance test. It gives training, contacts and a graduation film or script portfolio, but seats are very few.
• Learn-by-doing routeWrite samples, take short courses, and get work as an assistant writer or script coordinator in a production house, series or writers' room. No entrance test, but you need persistence and a good network.
• Writer-director or content routeWrite and shoot your own short films or web content, then use them as samples for writing jobs.

Fees from: JSA 2024 course fee sheet (FTII and SRFTI) · SRFTI fee structure · FTII Foundation Course in Screenplay Writing (2026) · SWA membership fees · SWA bye-laws (registration charges). Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

Earnings swing a lot: many beginners get little or irregular pay, while experienced writers with released credits, a good agent or their own show can earn far more, mostly in Mumbai and the big regional film cities, and pay depends on the producer, platform and contract.

At SRFTI, the application fee is lower for SC, ST and PwD candidates, and FTII's prospectus lists reserved seats by category, so check its seat table. Writing can be done from home, so it can suit many students with mobility limits, but the industry has no formal quota for writers.

• Class 7–9This month, write one two-page scene with just two characters and a problem between them. Read it aloud with a friend and see where it drags.
• Class 10–12Write and shoot a 3-minute phone film with friends or your school's drama club. Browse the free SWAYAM catalogue for film, literature or writing courses, which cost nothing to join.Open link ↗
• College or afterRead the SWA membership page to see what Fellow membership means and how script registration works. Then finish a first short-film script (10–15 pages) to start your portfolio.Open link ↗

• SWA registration is a dated record of your work, useful if there is a dispute. It does not make you a professional by itself. SWA's own bye-laws say registering a script cannot count as the qualification for Regular, Associate or Life membership.
• SWA membership is meant for people above 18. In exceptional cases its executive committee can allow someone aged 15–18, as far as the law permits. Always read the current rules on swaindia.org.
• Watch out for expensive private courses that promise film jobs. No course can guarantee that a script will be bought.
• Interested in writing but want steadier pay? Look at copywriting, content writing or book editing too.