I think brainstorming is also important so that you don't choose the first idea that pops into your head.

A really good point, CN, one not to be overlooked. Brainstorming almost by definition negates lazy writing, at least the instinct to go with the first impulses that pop into our head.

I do the same exact thing. I think of myself as a creative executive, and brainstorming is my way to weed out any bad ideas I generate. Like a filter or firewall. That way I'll know if the story carries enough weight to become a great script. And Google Image search is a brainstormer's best friend.

If I have an idea, I spend a month thinking about it, then I dive into WORD and write a prose style story. I let my mind wonder, no pressure to write the screenplay. I spend about a month writing it, then put it away, come back to it and play with it again. Once I'm satisfied, I write the screenplay where I find (always to my surprise) that new motifs emerge that I hadn't considered before.

I agree wholeheartedly on planning and brainstorming even though I haven't even written anything yet.

I am currently studying what I perceive as great movies to better understand what makes them so great. My conclusion is that these films had a solid foundation long before FADE IN: was ever written. I just cannot imagine how these scripts could have been inspired DURING the writing process. There is simply too much coherent orchestration.

Perhaps the ideas only manifest themselves during the actual writing, at which point one starts afresh. but it sure seems a lot easier to navigate if a brainstorming roadmap exists at the outset.

The 'great movies' I refer to include:

Vertigo
Pulp Fiction
Fargo
Sideways

My goal is to write something THIS GOOD; and I think brainstorming before writing must be mandatory.

@Zoe: If this early on in your evolution as a screenwriter, then you have discovered a valuable lesson which will save you much time and heartache: The importance of nailing down your story before you type FADE IN. Most screenwriters and all TV writers operate this way.

Look at writing this way. There are two stages: Prep-writing (i.e., story concept, brainstorming, character development, plotting, and so on) and page-writing (writing the actual script). If you think of it as an iceberg, the script is the tip of the iceberg we see above the water line. The other 90% of the iceberg below the water? That's prep-writing.

In fact, 7 out of these 10 steps in this series of How I Write A Script are about prep-writing.

That's how important it is.

So good for you on hitting that realization as you have. And good for you in wanting to write stories as superior as the ones you've noted.

Question: It might sound a very basic and generic question about brainstorming. Is it advisable to have a structured approach for brainstorming. By structured approach I mean, should we decided all the beats, twist and turns before hand and then we works to address them or is it advisable to keep it coming and then try to find the different element of the story?

@ Mragendra Singh: Actually I do have a an approach to wrangle the brainstorming process, one we use in the Screenwriting Master Class course "Prep: From Concept to Outline". It's a series of prompts related to plot and character development that spur right-brain thinking yet at the same time provides specific targets to engage the left-brain to help sift through what the writer creates (a Master Brainstorming List) and spotlight the most useful and interesting ideas.

The next Prep class starts 8/1/11. More info here.

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