TRY SOMETHING NEW

You’ve read hardcovers, softcovers, books right off your laptop. Why not pick up a printed screenplay and read it like you would a book? It can be interesting to see how it works on the printed page.

You can buy readable screenplays from bookstores. Most are around 105 pages. Printed on one side of a page. If there is any difficulty it may be getting your head around the format.

A screenplay or script is comprised of characters, action and dialogue.

Let’s start with the action. It moves the story along and will look like this:

‘In jeans, scruffy shirt and #13 bib, Mike hops along

hauling on his second cowboy boot. He’s trailed by

frazzled nurses, doctors. His limping father has trouble

keep up.

(Then comes the character and dialogue.)

MIKE

Promise me we haven’t missed the Calgary

Stampede’

FARNSWORTH

Two days away. And you, good as dead one

moment and eager as hell the next to break my

ropin’ record.’

This is how a screenplay or script works out. The writer becomes involved when writing it, gets involved with the back and forth dialogue while letting the action move the story along.

Author’s comment: You've seen movies you’ve enjoyed, so why not track down the original screenplay and enjoy it. More next time.