Write your first short episode

Start with a change, then write the scene

A short episode needs a clear action. Decide what the character knows at the beginning, what they do, and what is different by the end. Write for the runtime of your story; there is no required episode length on Drama Drama.

A five-beat outline

1. Opening image or line: Put us close to the problem.
2. Immediate goal: What does the character try to do in this episode?
3. Obstacle: What blocks or complicates the attempt?
4. Turn: What new fact or decision changes the scene?
5. Ending: What question or consequence draws us to the next episode?

Nia episode 1 beat sheet: Nia records her honest review → her mother calls and asks her to take the video down → Nia refuses → at home Nia sees the sale documents → the named buyer is the owner she just reviewed.

Sample scene: original teaching example

INT. NIA'S APARTMENT — NIGHT
Nia turns the camera toward herself. A restaurant sign glows through the window behind her.

NIA (to camera): The pasta was good. The apology for the cold pasta was better. Three stars.

She posts. Her phone rings. MOM.

NIA: You watched it already?

MOM (phone): Take it down.

NIA: You always say I should tell the truth.

MOM (phone): Then come home and let me tell you mine.

Later, at her mother's restaurant, Nia reaches for a takeout menu. Beneath it sits a signed sale agreement. The buyer's name matches the restaurant in her video.

NIA: Mom, why is he buying this place?

Her mother takes the agreement from her. CUT.

Revise for the screen

Read the scene aloud. Remove lines that only explain facts the image already shows. Make the key clue visible. The viewer should understand why the character reacts, and the ending should result from the conversation and discovery.

For vertical video, verify that the agreement and the character's reaction can be read within a narrow frame. For horizontal video, you can hold both characters in view as one reacts to the other. Keep the script playable in either format.

Episode worksheet:

• At the opening, my character believes: ___
• In this episode they try to: ___
• The obstacle is: ___
• A new fact or choice changes the scene when: ___
• At the ending, the audience wants to know: ___
• The information the camera must show clearly: ___

Next: produce it. When your script is ready, follow How to produce your first AI drama episode. Approved creators can request a starting production bonus through Drama Drama Studio. Want to write a longer episode first? Continue with the ten-minute episode guide.