In scriptwriting, we can’t rely on characters’ stated thoughts and feelings.

Telling us someone is angry is pretty much useless. Having them passive-

aggressively lash out at a loved one or trash an RV, on the other hand – that
gets the message across.

Be Concise

The screenplays that work best tend to be those that are able to convey a lot
with a little, those able to separate the essential from the extraneous.
But when we have such great, long scenes like the openings of THE SOCIAL
NETWORK or INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, it’s easy to fall into the trap of
assuming that drawing things out can heighten their effect.

That’s confusing concision with brevity.

Those scenes may be long, but every detail has purpose. Each line moves the
scene forward.

A good rule of thumb when it comes to writing a scene is to come in late and
get out early.
There’s a reason THE SOCIAL NETWORK opens mid-conversation rather
than with Mark and Erica sitting down for their drink.

There’s a reason we conclude the opening of INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

with Landa bidding farewell to Shoshanna, rather than seeing the aftermath
of the gunfire in the farmhouse and hearing his next orders to his men.

These details would do nothing for the story. As William Goldman puts it:

“I never enter scenes until the last possible moment… and as soon as
it’s done I get the hell out of there.”
 

Be Vigilant
If there’s anything more daunting than looking at a blank page, it’s looking at
a hundred, so it can help to set up a routine to keep you’re scriptwriting
going.

For some it’s easiest to set aside a certain amount of time each day, an hour
in which to focus purely on scriptwriting.

For those with a little more time to spare, it can prove more effective to set
yourself a more specific target, be it completing a scene each day or even
churning out a certain number of pages every week.

The specific approach doesn’t matter. What’s important is ensuring it

becomes a consistent habit.

Get Feedback and Rewrite… A Lot

As Terry Pratchett said:

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”

An