Chapter 13: Writing your first draft

Screenwriting is rewriting, and rewriting and rewriting…it’s an ongoing creative process that starts with you, the screenwriter, and eventually morphs into a creative collaboration between you, the producer, the director and an entire crew of talented people. Which is why screenwriting is so appealing.

You’ve conceived of your story idea, plotted it out, flushed out your characters and listened to them speak, and now you’re ready to write. Technically, you’ve been writing your screenplay this entire time, from the first conception of your idea to the moment you type FADE IN.

Because you’ve mapped out your story in your treatment, you now have the freedom to create. You can write your screenplay sequentially or not. You can jump around with your writing and develop the scenes that really inspire you first. This is a great way to keep your momentum going and to help you avoid the dreaded “writer’s block,” where you take more trips to the fridge than fresh paragraphs on the page.

Tips for building your scenes

Structure

It’s important to start your scene in a high-energy place, raise the stakes higher and higher and then cut before the energy starts to taper off or even burn out. This is the kind of momentum you want with each scene to keep the energy high from FADE IN to FADE OUT, regardless of the genre.

For example, you could start your scene as the alarm clock goes off and your character gets out of bed, checks his cell phone, brushes his teeth, gets dressed for work and then grabs his keys to leave the house when he hears about a zombie outbreak on the TV news, then he puts his shoes on, grabs his coat and leaves – with a scene like this, you have to build the energy from nothing, and the next scene will have to pick up the momentum.

Or, you could start your scene with screaming voices coming from the apartment next door, as your character, unfazed, hauls himself out of bed and brushes his teeth. When the blood curdling screams persist, and he opens his window to put an end to it, a zombie smashes through the screen and grabs his electric toothbrush. He slams the window, spewing zombie goo everywhere, snatches back his toothbrush and declares, “I wasn’t done with that.”

The second example starts with tension, keeps the stakes high and ends with a button that leaves the audience wondering, “What will this character do next?”

Setups and payoffs

As mentioned in chapter 7, a good setup and payoff is a device that introduces a subtle character trait, line of dialogue, object, clue, or story point that later returns with an “ah-ha” moment or reveal for the audience that has a significance to the storyline. It’s a great tool to add mystery, suspense, humor, and intrigue to your screenplay.

Exposition

Exposition is background information that the audience needs to know to make your story make sense. The challenge, of course, is to inform your audience without boring your audience. The solution is to disguise the information with action, tension, or humor.

For example, continuing with the zombie story idea – let’s say your character is driving through town on his way to work, explaining to his boss over his car phone why he’s late. All the while, he’s pegging zombies with his Prius, racking points like a high-speed video game.

From the phone call, the audience gets all of the information needed to get oriented to this world – while being entertained at the same time, watching zombie parts spew across the road and windshield.

Avoid the character’s thoughts

As you’re describing the action in your scenes, avoid words such as: he wonders, she thinks, they consider, etc. The audience won’t be reading your script while watching your movie, so it’s your job to convey your character’s thoughts and feelings through action or through dialogue within the scene.

Don’t rely on the actors to figure out what you mean. Come up with unique ways to show what your character “thinks” about his lover. Have your character smell a rose that was set up earlier in the script to be his lover’s favorite flower. Your character could look at a photo of his lover on his phone, listen to a favorite song, pass by the park bench where they first met and run his fingers across their carved initials. Movies are visual, so keep that in mind whenever you find yourself inside your character’s head.

Make it visual

Descriptions and actions read differently in a screenplay than in a novel, where the writer has the luxury of time. Screenplay descriptions and action are snappier, to the point, and in just a few words or sentences, a screenwriter can paint an entire picture. This skill can be developed over time, and one way to hone it, is to read lots of well-written screenplays. Learn from the masters, and soon you’ll be thinking and writing visually as well.

Another great method for visual writing, is to use metaphors and similes. Instead of describing your character as “Jasmine, a young woman, dressed in bell bottoms and platform shoes,” describe her as, “Jasmine dresses like a disco queen, where flashy just isn’t flashy enough.”

Button a scene

“Buttoning a scene” is like the cliff hanger before a commercial break. After your quick trip to the fridge, you’ll be sure to be back for more. This button is the funny line, action, question, at the end of the scene that creates a burst of energy that keeps us hooked.

As you’re wrapping up your scene, ask yourself, “Who’s the most important person in this scene?” Give that character the last line of dialogue or the last bit of action, so they stand out and make an impact.