Screenwriting - Tumblr Posts - Page 3
''what if my writing isn't good eno--'' what if it's a reflection of your soul. what if it has a place in this world. what if you write it anyway
To whichever writer it might benefit:
Just write, honestly. If it brings you joy, if it fulfills something inside you, just write.
Don’t let the possibility of “bad writing” stop you. Start writing. You cannot edit a blank page. You can write something beautiful — you can become a better writer — but only if you write.
It is A-OK for your story not to be a masterpiece from the start, don’t let it demotivate you. Just write, keep at it. You will get there.
A writing reminder:
Sometimes it isn’t about how much progress you’ve made, or how groundbreaking a piece of writing is. Sometimes it’s about letting the words flow onto the paper, so that you have a good base to build upon.
Give your ideas time to flourish 🌸
you have to keep writing, despite the horrors
Your writing deserves love, kudos, recognition, and it is totally VALID to want those things, but a lack of it does not diminish nor determine your worth as a writer.
I know it's frustrating, but your stories are worth telling regardless. (+ sometimes a story pops off months after it was first published).
”I’m scared to write because what if the story fails” DO IT ANYWAY. EITHER IT WILL BE A SUCCESS OR YOU CAN TRY AGAIN BUT WRITE IT ANYWAY. DO IT CONFIDENTLY OR DO IT SCARED BUT BELIEVE IN YOURSELF YOU HAVE UNLIMITED ATTEMPTS TO GET IT RIGHT
”My writing is insignificant—” WRONG. Your stories will never see the light of day if you don’t write them! So write them, because nobody else will!
Does nobody else think it's absolutely fucked that screenwriters can't include explicit camera directions even though it's their goddamn story
Fuck off, friend (a Mr. Robot script)
Elliot won't speak to Mr. Robot after discovering about Stage 2, and tries his best to call off the operation his alter ego has set up while he had his back turned.
Mr. Robot used to be half of a pair. Now he's by himself. That is, until Elliot's mute and invisible friend starts appearing when only he is around.
Resources for Screenwriting
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Format & Structure
How to Write a Screenplay: Example & Tips
Formatting a Screenplay
Screenplay Format: Everything You Need to Know
What Does the Screenwriting Rule “Show, Don’t Tell” Mean?
How Long Should a Screenplay Be?
What Font Is Best for Writing a Screenplay?
What Are the Right Screenplay Margins?
How Should You Format a Screenplay?
How to Format a Screenplay Step 1: Scene Headings
How to Format a Screenplay Step 2: Action
How to Format a Screenplay Step 3: Character
How to Format a Screenplay Step 4: Dialogue
How to Format a Screenplay Step 5: Parentheticals
What Should Not Be Included in a Screenplay?
What Is the Difference Between a Spec Script vs. a Shooting Script?
What Are the Best Screenwriting Software Programs?
5 Reasons Screenplay Story Structure is Important
How to Structure a Screenplay: 7-Step Script Structure Guide
Structure of a Screenplay: Everything You Need To Know
Screenwriting Plot & Story Structure
How To Master The Structure Of Script Writing
Screenplay Structure Examples
10 Screenplay Structures That Screenwriters Can Use
Screenplay Structure - Screenwriting Tips
Character for The Screen
On Creating Characters
5 Tips for Writing Better Characters into Your Screenplay
30 Days of Tips for Character Development
Improving Your Screenplay's Characterization
The Six Stages of Character Development in Screenplays
The 10 Critical Steps of Good Character Development
Plot for The Screen
The Art Of Plotting Your Story & Screenplay Structure
Understanding and Implementing Plot Structure for Films and Screenplays
Strengthen Your Plot through Character Creation
Plot Structure Tools to Help You Master the Art of Dramatic Writing
Screenplay Plot Development
A Field Guide to Screenplay Plot Points
The 5 Key Turning Points of All Successful Screenplays
Screenwriting By Genre
50 Best Screenplays to Read in Every Genre
Drama
Drama Script Writing Tips
6 Essential Traits of a Great Drama Screenplay
Writing a Dramatic Script: Five Key Techniques
20 Best Drama Script Examples
Comedy
How to Write a Comedy Screenplay
The 4 Rules of Comedy Writing For Screenwriters
Five Screenwriting Lessons from the Geniuses of TV Comedy
11 Rules For Comedy Screenwriting
How to Write a Comedy Script
Writing a Comedy Screenplay
How to Write Comedy Scripts with Laugh Out Loud Dialogue
Science Fiction
How to Write a Compelling Science Fiction Movie
5 Things To Know Before Writing That Science Fiction Script
131 Sci-Fi Scripts That Screenwriters Can Study
How to Write a Sci-Fi Screenplay
Writing the Science Fiction Film
What Bad Science Fiction Can Teach Us About Writing Screenplay Description
Writing the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Screenplay
Fantasy
How to BEGIN Writing a Fantasy Script: 7 Great Ways into the Fantasy Genre
The Do's and Don'ts of Writing A Fantasy TV Pilot
How To Write A Fantasy World Based on Your Experiences
10 Fantasy Scripts You Must Analyze
Historical
Seven Keys to Writing Historical Fiction
Screenwriting and Historical Accuracy
Historical Drama Screenwriting: The Difference Between Real And Reel
History In Action: Writing the Period Piece Script
How to Achieve Truth in Historical Storytelling
How to Write Period Drama
Action
How to Write Great Action Sequences in Your Screenplay
8 Tips To Writing Great Action Lines
What Every Screenwriter Should Know About Action Writing
How to write Action Description
How To Write Action In The Middle Of Dialogue In A Screenplay
Writing the Action Script
25 Best Action Screenplays You Can Read
Romance
How to Write A Romantic Comedy Screenplay
How To Create Engaging Romance In Movies
7 Screenwriting Lessons From Quentin Tarantino's True Romance
Screenwriters: Write A RomCom
How to Write a Love Interest That Audiences Believe In
Your Romantic Screenplay Starts Here
5 Screenwriting Tips from the Godmothers of Rom-Com
Thriller
The 13 Steps For Writing Your Next Thriller Screenplay
Jordan Peele's Advice for Writing A Thriller
How to Write a Captivating Psychological Thriller
What You'll Find in All Great Thrillers
Thriller Scripts to Read
How to Write A Thriller Screenplay
Horror
Effective Writing Tips to Make Your Horror Movie Terrify Audiences
8 Horror Screenwriting Tips
Writing The Perfect Horror Screenplay
Effective Horror Films
How to Write a Great Horror Movie
Horror Writing Tips for Fiction & Film
Nine Simple Lessons for Writing Effective Horror Screenplays
The Horror Spec: How to Write a Horror Movie
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Screenwriting 101 — a guide for novice screenwriters
Before you start writing your first script, start by reading screenplays, familiarize yourself with the format. It is also advised that you watch TV-shows and study how scenes/characters are built up and presented.
For when you’re writing your script:
Visualize your scenes
Read your dialogue out loud — what reads good on paper might not translate the same way when spoken
Finish your script before you start questioning techniques or rules. Get your script done — it’s better to learn as you go
A script does not need to be written in chronological order — think of it more as a puzzle in which you piece your scenes together
Screenwriting can be overwhelming when you first start out, which is the precise reason why it’s recommended that you finish your first draft before you start looking further into the rules, otherwise you risk never finishing it
I'm more than serious. Googling screenwriting advice as a beginner is going to confuse you even further. I've been there. I didn't understand anything. I made a conscious decision to disregard the articles, and instead, the way I learned screenwriting was from writing and watching TV-shows. And I turned out fine. So. Watch. And write.
More things to keep in mind:
Enter late, exit early
This is a key aspect to screenwriting, and perhaps the most important mindset to adapt. It’s a technique that forces you to focus on what’s crucial to include in a scene. Below are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine whether or not an action is crucial to the scene or not:
• Does it impact the plot? • Does it add invaluable insight into a character’s motivations, goals or personality? • Does it make the scene more memorable? • Is it a payoff to an earlier scene or set-up for a future one? • Does the scene simply not work without it?
(See also: mundane scenes are important). (Seriously! Read. There's some amazingly resourceful articles online regarding this mantra, but they all fail to mention the importance of mundane scenes).
Another thing:
If your slugline reads, INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT, there's no reason for you to write ''character enters the kitchen.'' The slug line already tells us our location, ''character enters.'' will suffice.
Say that you have a character entering the therapist's office. There's no need for introductions. Start the scene by having the character sit on the sofa, already deep in conversation with their therapist. Cut out the chit-chat. You need to save your pages.
Screenwriting VS Writing a Novel
Remember, you’re much more limited writing a screenplay than you are writing a novel. Scripts need to be fast-paced:
You develop your characters through action and dialogue, as opposed to description and internal monologues. All and any emotion has to come across in your characters actions, which needs to be shown on screen, which leads us to another important point:
If something isn’t shown on screen, it doesn’t belong in the script. You only write down what is seen, or heard. Nothing else.
This is a common mistake that novice screenwriters do, especially coming from a background of novel writing, so keep this in mind.
Action lines:
Action lines are just what they sound like, it's where you describe what happens in the scene. Again — only what appears on screen!
Meaning — don’t write what your characters are thinking, or feeling. We can’t see their inner thoughts or feelings, leave it to your actors to interpret the scene. You don't need to direct them, they know what they're doing.
SAME THING WITH CAMERA DIRECTIONS. NO CAMERA DIRECTIONS IN YOUR SCRIPT. NONE. LEAVE THEM OUT.
More on action lines:
Every paragraph of action lines should be between 1—4 lines long
Screenplays are written in present tense. It’s “she arrives at the house” as opposed to “she came to the house.”
Synonyms are important to use for an interesting read — and generally you should avoid generic words (like walk, for example) but less is still more. Make sure not to go completely overboard with synonyms in each sentence you write)
Parentheticals are used to communicate emotion, action or delivery within a script's dialogue:
Parentheticals can also be used to indicate a pause (beat) or (then) in a character's dialogue, but keep in mind that they should be used sparingly.
You only imply tone when it can be misinterpreted (say if the atmosphere of the scene is flirty, but the actor should be snarky delivering the line).
What should be capitalized in a script:
Things that should ALWAYS be capitalized:
Character names above dialogue
Scene headings and slug lines
Transitions
Character extensions, such as V.O (voice-over) and O.S (off-screen)
Headlines and inserts
Always (and only) capitalize a character’s name when they are first introduced on screen/in the script (in your action lines)
Sounds are capitalized, as is anything important that you want to draw attention to, such as certain objects and visual effects.
Use sparingly, though! If something reads better without caps, don’t cap it. Your script should be easy to read more than anything.
More things to keep in mind:
It's said that 1 page in a script translates to about 1 minute of screentime, and while it's a good rule for beginners trying to keep track of their projects, it is not very accurate and the runtime of your movie cannot be determined by the pages of your script.
There's a debate going on regarding whether to bold your sluglines or not. This is completely irrelevant and not something that in any way going is to affect your story.
Writing a TV-show
Start by deciding what type of show it is that you’re writing. Is it a sitcom or a 1-hour drama? Episodic or serialized?
Serialized TV-show: in which each episode builds off previous episodes (examples: Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Buffy The Vampire Slayer).
Episodic TV-show: same setting, but a different plot for each new episode (examples: Friends, The Simpsons, Law and Order).
If you’re choosing to write a serialized show, I would suggest that you start by writing down all major events that will occur throughout the season:
What are you working towards? What scenes do you have written? What will happen in the season finale? What needs to occur in the remaining episodes to make that happen?
Character development is also a factor. What about your character arcs?
Where will your characters end up? Come the season finale — what will they have experienced? How will those experiences change or affect them? How will that affect the plot? Think about your characters’ journey and destination — What obstacles do they have to face to reach that point?
Of course, all these things can come to change later down the line, but you need to have a general idea of where you want to go.
Essential elements of a TV pilot (know your starting point)
So you’ve got the general gist of how your season is going to play out, but what about your pilot episode? This is where you establish:
PLOT — establish what your show is about. What themes are you touching upon? What type of genre are you going for? What are your characters going to be dealing with?
When you’re making a TV-show, it’s more than likely you’ll be working with more than one storyline. Start by identifying how many you’re dealing with, and introduce them accordingly.
It's important to come up with a one or two-sentence long line that sums up the entire premise of your show (the logline), but some writers also like to come up with a question that should be answered by the end of each episode.
CHARACTERS — introduce your characters, set up character relationships as well as their wants and needs (but keep in mind: there is no reason to dump a character’s entire life story into one episode. Backstories can unfold throughout the season).
When you’ve got all of that written down, start by asking yourself — how do I most effectively introduce my audience to this new world, as well as its plot and characters? How do I hook my audience, making them want more? THIS IS WHERE WATCHING TV-SHOWS COME IN HAND. STUDY THEM. STUDY HOW THEY'RE BUILT. STUDY HOW EACH SCENE IS STRUCTURED.
Okay… I know what my pilot needs, but then what?
To tie this all up, when you're writing a TV-show, I really wouldn't recommend that you start by separating all your scenes into specific episodes, especially not if you haven't even started scripting your pilot episode yet.
Take it episode by episode. Look over your outline, work through your scenes, decide which scenes work best for the episode you’re currently writing.
If you happen to know that you’ve already got some scenes centered around establishing your world, plot or introducing characters, see if you can work them into your pilot script. Then simply repeat the process for upcoming episodes depending on what is necessary to tell, reveal and develop in the specific episode you're writing.
It is OK to divide scenes into episodes straight away, but it’s better to keep it open and instead have a general idea of if something is going to occur in the first couple of episodes, the middle or towards the end, simply because there is so much material when it comes to writing a show, it’s really not something that can be packed up and compressed like in a movie. Whether something is going to occur in episode 1x04, 1x05 or 1x16 is irrelevant — it doesn’t matter until the episode is being written.
By the way — the more scripts you write, the easier it will be to puzzle your scenes together. You'll learn to see a connection, but you gotta start small.
Cinema can be at its most interesting and forceful when images play against the literal sense of the dialogue.
Alexander Mackendrick (in 'On Film-making')
Keep writing! Your characters need you!
“I bring my characters through hell though” good for you! Keep it up!
This would probably do for a philosophical sitcom that ends when you die. Whoever is budgeting the whole thing can continue to capitalize on this show by turning the attention on whomever you have impact between the above prompt and your death.
You a retired adventurer and an elf. Your party was comprised of people of a few different races. After all of you retired, you started having reunions every few decades, always the same place, same day. You have arrived at the location and been there for hours. You realize the rest are dead.
whichever writer came up with the idea of putting grogu in ig-12 and giving him yes and no buttons deserves the sloppiest head
Excerpt from Zombieland 2009 screenplay
This is a great example for witty cuts and subtext.
An excerpt from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) script.
I had watched the movie more than once before I could understand this scene, the sequence was pretty chaotic and with the narration being something interrupting- I couldn’t really feel sad more than I was confused. But now I realize that confusion is equally sad. Like Clementine as a fleeting figment of Joel’s mind, I felt my understanding of reality was disappearing.