Photo via Go Into the Story.
An active voice stands out immediately from the rest of the pile. It’s such a huge advantage to write action lines as if you want to tell a story rather than sketch in the background.
INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY
Tim is sitting at the table, playing solitaire. Molly is needlepointing on the couch.
Okay. That’s bad.
- It’s written in the present progressive, with gerunds, which is a not very active way to write.
- Who cares? Other than a general sense of nothing happening, which is the enemy, what does this convey?
- It is flat and featureless, robotic in tone. Anyone could write this.
INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY
Tim plays solitaire, Molly needlepoints. The ugly puppy clock ticks loudly. It barks the hour, Tim and Molly jump.
- Serviceable. There is a sense of something underway, some anxiety. The tense is simple present, which is crisp to read. It’s a little more individual with the details, more personal. It still doesn’t tell us very much.
INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY
Molly vacantly embroiders a little pink bib. The needle stabs her. A bead of blood swells on her fingertip. Her composure wavers and cracks, she sobs aloud. Tim plays solitaire, his back to her. He turns over a red queen as Molly grieves. Nowhere to play it. He shuffles it to the bottom of the deck and deals again.
- Better. This is a visual representation of a beat rather than a static description. No dialogue required. It’s economical, its voice matches the tone, it accomplishes story. The words are all useful.
TL;DR. Flat description of nothing special gives your script very low readability.
Annie is a screenwriter, story consultant, and reader for major screenplay competitions.
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Christy Veeder
Welcome to our new NYWIFT Member, Christy Veeder! Christy is a screenwriter, former climate scientist, and erstwhile bureaucrat whose first major work of fiction, a personal interpretation of The Dark Crystal, was written in response to not being allowed to see Jim Henson’s fantasy epic in the theater with her other third grade friends. But what Christy really loves is 30-minute comedy and the ways in which it can illuminate our hopes, defang our fears, and help us keep going in this thing called life. Christy’s screenplays culminate a career spanning years of editing and writing about the culinary arts, publishing academic journal articles, handing out coupons at the Port Authority while dressed as a box of cough syrup, impersonating celebrity cats on Twitter, and drafting federal legislation in the U.S. Senate – all of which have been rich preparation for the process of creating worlds on the page. Christy discusses her diverse career background, her experience as a writer, and how she first got into the field.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Guneet K. Singh
Welcome to NYWIFT, Guneet K. Singh! Former NYWIFT intern Guneet K. Singh is a producer and writer with a passion for diverse storytelling. She was most recently the producer for the poignant play, Irreparable, which premiered at the Act One One-Act Theater Festival. She has worked in television development for NBC and Peacock, working on programs such as That’s My Jam, Password, Joyelle Nicole Johnson: Love Joy and 5 More Sleeps ‘Til Christmas. Her first producing role was as the Digital Producer for the Emmy nominated The Kids Tonight Show. She began her career as an NBC Page, working on shows like Saturday Night Live and The TODAY Show. In our interview, Guneet discusses her exciting time in NBC’s legendary Page Program, the power of networking, and finding her calling as a writer and producer.
READ MOREHow to Decide Which Screenwriting Contests to Submit To
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of screenwriting competitions out there — so how do you decide which ones are worth your time and money? As the co-founder of Moonshot Initiative, a nonprofit that works toward gender equity in film and television, NYWIFT Member Katrina Medoff has been on the other side of the application process. Her team reads hundreds of submissions a year for the Moonshot Pilot Accelerator and their newest program, the Moonshot Feature Accelerator. They know that their applicants poured their time, talents, and energy into their scripts, and that every fellowship submission means putting more time and money into your career. So it’s important to carefully consider which labs and contests to prioritize. If you’re ready to submit your feature film screenplay or TV pilot script to screenwriting competitions, here’s how to determine which labs, fellowships, and contests would be a good fit.
READ MOREMeet the new NYWIFT Member: Stacey Messina
Let’s all give a warm welcome to our new NYWIFT Member, Stacey Messina! Stacey began her career in tourism and hotel marketing, eventually moving into the academic fundraising arena. She most recently finished a freelance gig in nonprofit theatre production and fundraising, and is now fully investing herself in her creative screenwriting projects. She recently completed a semester at NY Film Academy and will begin pursuit of her MFA in Film and Television Production at the New York campus in January. After 25 years of only dreaming of the movies, Stacey is finally engaged in the pursuit of writing and producing the stories that take shape in her head as scenes from a film. Check out the rest of the article to learn more about Stacey and her big leap towards her dreams!
READ MORE