What Writers Love About This System:
CLARITY
16 organized steps that take you from idea to “Fade Out”
No getting lost.
STRUCTURE
Explained simply.
Understand beats vs scenes &
make stronger
writing choices. ​
FLOW
Learn the system once and use it every time you start a screenplay. Builds a consistent writing flow you can trust.
Amanda Moresco is a writer, director, and screenwriting instructor with more than twenty years of professional experience. She has worked with countless writers, helping them understand real story structure, not page count or act breaks. She created the 16 Steps System to give screenwriters a simple, reliable workflow they can use directly inside Final Draft.
Student Successes Using the 16 Steps System
Writers using this workflow have earned competition placements, major creative breakthroughs and production deals. Here are just a few recent success stories.
Amanda has not only been inspiring with her approach to screenwriting, but work gets produced!
I now have an understanding of the monolithic journey and how to apply it to my writing. Amanda has given me powerful tools to continue my screenwriting and I feel confident.
Ivy K.
Google Review
Morgan James, NY
Amanda offered some of the best, concise, thoughtful and essential notes to improve the structure and plot of my play that I had missed as playwright. I don't know anyone who knows structure as well as Amanda, not only in her own screenplays, but how to teach it
J. Pickering
Google Review
“Have customers review you and share what they had to say. Click to edit and add their testimonial.”
A.R. Bloch
Google Review
Amanda has been a vital contributor in my growth as a playwright, tv writer, and screenwriter. Her tough, no nonsense wisdom broke down crucial “road blocks” allowing me to finish my pilot, HOOKED, and stage play CLEMENTINE!
How the
16 Step System
Works With
01
Step 1 — Open Final Draft > Get to
This Page
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Inside Final Draft, open the "Templates" tab and click the 16 Steps "Intro" Module. You’ll find a link directing you to this page for deeper instruction and support.
Once you’re here: download the Starter Kit, review the Glossary, and skim the Story Structure Cheat Sheet to familiarize yourself with the concepts this system uses.
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02
Step 2 - Book Your Free Onboarding Consult + Open The Blueprint
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Inside the Starter Kit you will find a link to book our free consult, where we will walk through the Blueprint together, tailoring the system to your real world schedule and writing process. This is how we avoid being formulaic, by adapting the method to your vision and personal habits.
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03
Step 3 - Work The
16 Steps System
Notebook!
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Choose your route:
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Print the worksheets (PDF in the Starter Kit)
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Buy the Notebook (full-color graphics + discount code inside the Starter Kit)
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Complete the worksheets inside Final Draft (typing-only option)
This is the least preferred method: staying off your computer until your story decisions are made will keep you from writing before you’re ready.
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16 Steps Mantra​
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“Out of clutter, find simplicity.
Out of discord, find harmony.
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
​— Einstein (Rules of Work)
A Quick Guide to What Each Module Includes
Inside the Final Draft templates
and inside your Starter Kit + Notebook.
Story
Inside the Final Draft Templates:
Guided prompts (type only) that help you identify your beginning, middle, and end. Clear story arc prompts walk you through discovering what your protagonist wants, and what stands in their way.
Inside the Starter Kit + Notebook:
Full Page Story Map templates (three variations) where you can brainstorm your structure visually. These color graphic maps live only in the Notebook so you can explore freely, make a creative mess, and see your entire story at a glance before transferring your decisions into Final Draft.
**Notebook Exclusive: the ordinary full page chess board graphic, + act break index card graphic breaking down what needs to happen in each act to achieve catharsis.
Prep
Inside the Final Draft Templates:
Six guided Prep worksheets (type only) that help you define your organic vision. Tone, theme, world, character arcs, purpose, and the emotional spine of your story.
Inside the Starter Kit + Notebook:
The same six Prep worksheets in full-color, graphic-rich format for deeper brainstorming AND a Glossary that explains all key concepts, a Story Structure Cheat Sheet, a complimentary onboarding call, and a link for future discounted consult rates.
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**Notebook Exclusive: the full 4-page Anatomy of an Adaptation worksheet — a guided breakdown for adapting books, articles, true stories, and IP into a cinematic blueprint. Discount code for the physical notebook included in the Starter Kit
Write
Inside the Final Draft Templates:
Once your Prep, Story, and Plot decisions are locked, you’ll move directly into screenplay pages with clear direction. This module includes a concise explanation of cinematic writing and a built in writing timeline to keep you focused, intentional, and moving steadily forward as you draft.
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Inside the Starter Kit + Notebook:
A daily writing-prompt calendar that shows you exactly what to work on every day during your 8-week writing phase, expanded cinematic writing guidance, and research tips with optional exercise worksheets to add depth and authenticity to your script.
Starter Kit Exclusive: A discounted rate for 1:1 Story Consults via Zoom. During the writing phase, you can use this discount to review up to 15 pages with me. I’ll read your pages in real time and give you line-by-line notes, clarity fixes, and immediate guidance to strengthen your draft.
Plot
Inside the Final Draft Templates:
Three (type only) plotting worksheets that help you understand what an “incident” or story beat truly is. Includes written guidance on what belongs on a plotting card and how to arrange those cards on your plotting board.
Inside the Starter Kit + Notebook:
Color-coded Plotting Card templates for both linear and non-linear structure. These plotting tools live only in the Notebook and are designed for creative exploration before transferring your refined beats into Final Draft.
**Notebook Exclusive: Aristotle’s Poetics Cheat Sheet (your breakdown of the seven core concepts as they apply to modern screenwriting), plus full page color graphic worksheets: "Understanding Reversals" and "Identify the Incident" to solifify your understanding of Poetics.
A Preview of the 16 Step Templates Inside Final Draft
01.
PREP
STORY
PLOT