The advice I’m about to give you really applies anytime you write a script but it especially applies if you’re a first time script writer. With Script Frenzy only about a week away, many aspiring script writers are about to dive into the process for the very first time and may wonder what they can do to prepare. I’m not talking about outlining your ideas ahead of time: if your creative process is to map out your ideas ahead or time or write by the seat of your pants, either is just fine. Instead, I want to talk about some helpful ways to get yourself thinking like a script writer.
- Immerse yourself in the type of content you’ll be writing. This is the fun part. Are you writing a comic book script? Read as many comic books as you can. If you’re writing a horror film, now’s the perfect time for a movie marathon. If you’re writing a spec script for your favorite TV show, it’s time to re-watch your favorite episodes. Get out and see as many plays as you can before you start to work on your stage play. Play video games all day but pay attention to the story. Read as many scripts of the type you want to write as you can get your hands on. You’ll learn what works and what doesn’t by seeing your chosen genre in action.
- Read the scripts for your favorites. Find the script for your favorite movie, TV episode, comic book, stage play or video game, the one you’ve seen so many time’s it’s all but memorized. The scripts for many comic books, films and even television shows are online and your local library or bookstore will have most stage plays. Reading the original words behind the visuals you’re so familiar with is the perfect way to conceptualize how what the script writer put on the page translated onto the final product. It will also give you a new perspective into how your favorites were crafted.
- Read a script first, then experience the finished content. Now pick something you haven’t seen and read the script for it. Maybe it’s one of this year’s Oscar nominated movies you haven’t had a chance to watch yet or the play you’ll be seeing next Friday. Once you’ve read the script, only then watch, read or play the finished product. Unlike the last step, which just let you peel back a layer when you were already familiar with the source material, this one shows you a more realistic picture of how the finished product emerged from the words. It’s a great way to see how much of the written word is what resulted on screen and how much is actors/directors/artists interpretation.
What are you doing to prepare to write your script?
Related articles
- Why fear of formatting, filmmaking & the future shouldn’t intimidate you out of writing a script
- Sick of your novel? Stuck in a story? Rework your prose as a script for a fresh perspective.
- Script Frenzy is underfunded: Here’s how you can help (even if you have no money)
Hillary DePiano is a playwright, fiction and non-fiction writer who loves writing of all kinds except for writing bios like this.
