The Basics Of Scriptwriting

At first glance, scriptwriting can seem like a tricky thing to get into. But fear not; the hard part is not about learning and abiding by strict methods and literary forms, it’s figuring out how you want to write

How you write is a personal thing and it is very much a lawless art. Every individual has unique ways of bringing out the best in their work.

But for those unsure or who are just getting started and feeling a tad overwhelmed, I’d like to share with you a few tips and tricks for getting to grips with the basics of scriptwriting.

1) Figuring out your structure:

It’s very beneficial when starting a new script to first consider structure.

Where do you want to go with your story? What form will it take?

A good starting point that I like to use is The Well Made Play diagram; an oldie but a goodie.

This method was first sighted in Aristotle’s Poetics and was originally used as a cornerstone for the great ancient Greek tragedies.

A clear and concise method of viewing the bare bones of a story arc in as little as a single glance, it’s still a popular method used today. You can use it to specify your main focal points in a story and write notes alongside if you wish. The main focal points usually found on a well-made play diagram are:

• Exposition.

• Inciting incident.

• Rising action.

• Complication.

• Climax.

• Falling action.

• Resolution.

• Denouement.

Here is a simple example of how a diagram might look:

Now, it’s important to note that not all scripts will fit neatly into this diagram - and that’s absolutely fine! This is just to help you get a basic idea of where you want to go with your story.

All story points on the diagram can be omitted and shifted according to your needs.

The structure of a script can also change over time as new ideas and plot points evolve as you delve deeper into your story. This is fine too. Don’t stress, just go with it.

2) Characters.

The second thing you’ll probably want to consider is character. Who is your story about?

A good way of building characters from the ground up is by writing character bios.

A character bio is essentially a sum up of your character's backstory and a list of their traits; the more specific, the better!

Try starting with the basic stats, e.g:

• Name:

• Age:

• Sex:

• Gender:

• Race:

• Ethnicity:

• Culture:

All that fun stuff!

As basic as these things may seem it's still important to think carefully about them as they are all things that play a major role in a person’s life experience.

Once the basic info is established, you can start getting into the nitty-gritty stuff. This might include likes and dislikes when it comes to food, sounds, sights and scent, what makes them smile, what gets under their skin, do they suffer from hayfever in the spring? Un-turn as many stones as you please!

There are many free online resources out there to help you get going, such as question sheets, character quizzes and profile templates. Have a shop around, see what you like!

Remember, just because you're listing a bunch of hyper-specific traits, it doesn’t mean they have to find a way into your story. The purpose of this process is to help you get to know your character so you can best judge how they would react in whatever situation you intend on placing them in.

3) Worldbuilding.

This leads me neatly onto the subject of world-building, which will usually come hand-in-hand with character. Some people like to do their world-building before they develop their characters, while others like to develop the base of their characters first. Either way, one will inevitably influence the other. The world you build will affect how you write your characters; they do have to live there after all.

Here are some key things to consider:

What is the general tone of your setting? E.g: affluent, poverty-stricken, free, repressive.

What are the laws in your world? Do your characters believe in them? Do they obey them?

Research is also an important factor, especially if your script takes place in a pre-existing setting, even more so if that setting is unfamiliar to you, e.g: a foreign country or a different time period.

4) Dialogue.

Final step: dialogue.

I get it, this can be an intimidating one. Let’s break it down a bit.

The first thing to consider before writing a scene is what you want the overall function of the scene to be. Dialogue in itself tends to have three functions:

Exposition. Characterisation. Action.

Figuring out the function of your dialogue will aid you massively in writing stronger scenes, as well as helping a great deal with the writing jitters that come with feeling unsure (yes, we all get them).

Another important thing to consider is why the scene exists. This too links back to the aforementioned three functions. It’s important to remember that dialogue isn’t just a recording of a conversation; it exists to move a scene forward.

While you can add mundane details to make a conversation feel more natural (Quentin Tarantino movies are a great example of this), the overall scene needs to achieve something, whether that be a huge progression point in the story or just a small piece of characterisation.

5) Get hyped!

One final tip: as you go, immerse yourself in movies, plays, books, comics - anything you want. Find your influences, get inspired!

Again, the method of scriptwriting is a very subjective one but hopefully, these little nuggets were able to help point you in the right direction.

Good luck finding your world!