Actions Speak Louder: Fixing a common mistake new screenwriters make.

I read a lot of screenplays. I love them. Although my first love will always be writing action novels, there is a certain intimacy when it comes to writing a screenplay. As someone that has read a good amount I cringe when I see the same mistakes over and over again that are so very fixable! I’m gonna give you just a few of the mistakes I see and let you know how you can avoid them.

Write only what can be seen or heard not felt or thought. This has got to be the single most annoying thing a new writer can do. I get it, you want me to know what this person is thinking. It’s important that I FEEL it, right? WRONG. In a screenplay you can only put on the page what we can see or hear. This is how that looks:

INT - KELS APARTMENT - NIGHT

KEL

So you think Angela will notice?

MISSY

Missy look at the dress nervously, hoping Kel is distracted by her body as she bends over. She covers the stain with her hand.

I doubt it.

Actions should be doing the talking for you in this regard. You are not the director or the actor so its not up to you to tell them what a person should be feeling. On top of that, the audience can’t see what a person is feeling or thinking But don’t worry, there is a way around this and its super simple. Let’s take the same scene with a tweak:

INT - KELS APARTMENT - NIGHT

KEL

So you think Angela will notice?

MISSY

Missy looks at the dress, and slowly bends over in front of Kel while placing her hand on the stain.

I doubt it.

Notice anything different? Of course you do! Certain actions can be implied and the same thing you were going for can still be implemented. You have to trust that the director knows what they are doing when they read what you’ve written. Remember, only the things that we can see or hear need to be in your screenplay.

Keep this in mind when you’re writing your screenplay. If you can correct this behavior it will help get your work in front of a director. Of course, anyone that writes needs to read more and there are a lot of screenplays that you can read online for free to help you. I found a nice site that has a slew of screenplays that you can read by clicking on this link right here. Check it out and get to writing!