1. Edit on the page

"I'll try to start thinking like an editor as I'm writing, and how the juxtaposition of images is going to be something more."

He considers how shot A plus shot B makes the gives the thought C, even while writing.

2. Structure is everything

His process is spending months thinking about the script, not letting himself write until he's ready to go. He comes up with the structure beforehand.

"I can only start writing when I have the structure in place."

3. Show people your work early

When Nolan experimented with writing the Oppenheimer script in first person, he showed his bother Jonah.

More importantly, he didn't pre-qualify by saying "this is a first draft".

Jonah said it worked.

4. Don't be precious

Nolan is an overwriter.

He writes entire scenes that are unnecessary. He writes stream of consciousness monologues. He writes aimless conversations.

But after finishing the draft, he cuts ruthlessly.

5. Know the ending

"With Oppenheimer, I knew what the end of the film was going to be."

He learned over the years that...

"It’s a really important thing for everybody to know, because the feeling is so convincing that you’ll always be able to write it."

Approach your project with these 5 tips and watch your writing explode.

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h/t @johnaugust and the team at the Scriptnotes Podcast