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your story will allow you to educate yourself and your
audience at the same time.
Also, before you start writing, it is essential to un-
derstand that screenplays follow a specific and estab-
lished format. Doing some research and knowing the
proper format will help when you are ready to turn your
screenplay over to producers and directors.Techniques
Make it personal
When you are looking for a story to tell, why not
start with your own experiences? You can choose to
base the main plot of your screenplay on your life
event. Alternatively, you could use your experiences
as a subplot or to add depth and characterization to
your protagonists.
Telling a personal story will ensure that the plot is
very genuine. Incorporating elements from your own
life will help you relate to your screenplay. It is impor-
tant to be aware that if you can relate to your story, you
can rest assured that your audience will.
The authenticity that comes when writing from
personal experience will add depth and an emotional
punch to your screenplay plot. It will add a level of
humanity and nuance that comes from having that
real-life feeling.Show don’t tell
When writing a screenplay, you should always keep in
mind that film is a visual medium. Remember the adage
“show don’t tell.” A common flaw in scripts is to have
the protagonists describe a situation or event through
dialogue when it could be more simply conveyed to the
audience with visual images. Never have your charac-
ters speak what can be shown.
The more visual a film is, the more universal it will
be to all viewers. Also, by trusting your audience to
follow the plot by interpreting what they see, they will
become more engaged and invested in your story.
Once you have finished the first draft of your
screenplay, an essential part of the writing process is
rewriting. You should review what you have written
and seek to remove any unnecessary dialogue. Also,
leave out any unnecessary action and stage direc-tions, as these will be determined by the directors
and the actors.Use suspense
We have already seen that a screenplay is usually
divided into three acts. However, those acts will be
further divided into shorter scenes. With books, au-
thors frequently end each chapter with a cliff-hanger
moment, which makes the reader excited to turn the
page to see what happens next. It’s no different when
writing a screenplay.
By using suspense, you will keep your audience
wanting to see what comes next. This doesn’t need
to be the level of intrigue from a film like The Da-
Vinci Code! It could be as simple as your protagonist
suddenly checking their watch and realizing they are
late for a necessary appointment. Will they make it on
time? Try to end every scene in a way that creates a
“what will happen next” moment. Your audience will
want to find out more and will be hooked.Don’t overcomplicate things
Incorporating a subplot to your main story will add
more interest to your screenplay. It will also give
you the means to introduce more depth to your
characters, for instance, by including a backstory
that will make them more realistic and intriguing.
Some stories will naturally be more complicated
than others, especially if they have a larger cast and
more characters.
Try not to over-complicate your plot, however.
Adding unnecessary layers could just end up confus-
ing your audience or taking them out of the story if it
starts to become unrealistic.Conclusion
Good storytelling will have a strong message that
comes from emotional truth. Whether a film is fic-
tion or non-fiction, if it conveys real emotion, the
audience will relate to it. When you have crafted
a screenplay that moves your audience, they will
continue to discuss your story long after the final
credits have rolled.
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