Screenwriting is a style formatted way of writing a story that is much like a Stage Play. / Scenes start with a SCENE SLUG
A) INT or EXT denotes inside or outside
B) Location ex Smith Living Room
C) Time ex: Day, moments later, 3:14pm, 1965, Dawn
** INT. Corey's Rusted Pinto - Midnight **
Action is written in paragraph form and tells the reader everything that is being shown onscreen. ALL things happening that are not spoken must be written. / Action is like narrating a film to a blind friend
Action is the catchall element of screenwriting. It’s where you tell the reader what happens on the screen. Action lines are also where the tone, pace, visual and visceral experiences of your screenplay are. We want to describe not how something looks but how it should make us feel. **ScriptAngel**
Characters & Dialogue
Character is written above each respective line
Dialogue is in paragraph form and should read as it is intended to sound
The only way an actor gets to communicate with a screenwriter is through the clues left by them. A careful use of punctuation, parenthetical direction, bold, italics, underlines and accented or slang spelling is important to include.
Formatted Screenwriting tools
Sites, Apps & Programs
StudioBinder Screenwriting Software – Free This is a great web and mobile-friendly screenwriting software that’s free to create professionally formatted screenplays.
WriterDuet – Android/iOS – Free & Premium WriterDuet is quickly becoming the new standard for screenwriting It combines natural process and user-friendliness.
Celtx Script – Android/iOS – Free A well-known mobile app complete with a website version too, that includes script writing as well as collaboration options.
Final Draft – iOS – $$ The Longest held Industry Standard software for Screenwriting with a list of tools and specific formats. An investment for the serious writer.
Extended Reading
A layman's guide to aspects of filmmaking. Click the button to an article on crafting a scene.
Another awesome resource. Click to see a screenwriting and film term glossary with definitions
Tons of writing resources. Here's a Dialogue Writing Prompt List that can kick start your scene if stuck,
When “the sky’s the limit is too much” / Creative Fencing
For Me, too many options/choices brings on anxiety. Especially in a creative format. What happens when asked to name something? You freeze because your brain has too wide of a search to pull from. A truth I know is that the absolute best creative work/thinking/ideas come from boundaries. You need a zone to see the billions of things that exist in that tiny corner of the universe.
You can force these boundaries when creating by using prompts or creating rules for yourself.
For example when naming a character, limit yourself to a letter of the alphabet.