I tend to focus on plot. Probably too much, in fact! So this time I'm going to spend more time on character...

I focus on my 9 beats - and I figure out my character's names - at least for the first draft and then I write the first draft intuitively - I find in the actual writing (which is almost part of the pre-writing for me) I learn about my characters where they want to go, twists and turns on the plot, and generally gain insights into the basic story that I would never have figured out without simply delving in.

I focus on writing a synopsis, beat sheet and treatment, and off course get to know my characters, theme and find my voice.

Plot, characters, twist and turns, synopsis, beat sheet, treatment, theme, voice, that can all be part of the prep-writing process. Every writer is different as is every story, so no one 'correct' or 'perfect' way to do prep. Indeed some writers do very little in the way of prep. Hey, if it works for them, great. But most screenwriters I know do a significant amount of prep work. And a TV series would crash and burn if the writers and producers didn't break stories in prep. For me the key is grounding the process in the characters. Start with them, get curious by asking questions and getting to know them, and eventually everything will emerge from that process including the plot. After all, it's THEIR story, who better to reveal how it plays out than them! So my focus in The Quest and in the six-week Prep class is working with the story's primary characters. And the key there is to use questions as prompts, tools to dig into the characters and steer the process.