5 Reasons Reading Screenplays Can Make You a Better Writer
Writers do a lot to stay sharp: watch movies and TV shows, take writing classes, go to writers groups…but what about reading screenplays?
Reading other people’s scripts (whether they are successful or not) can do a lot for your technique and creativity, and when almost any screenplay you can think of can be found online or at the WGA library. It’s a fantastic resource! Open to anyone, not just WGA members, there’s more than 40,000 items, and it’s FREE - there’s no reason not to take advantage.
Here are 5 reasons reading screenplays can make you a better writer:
1. The Art of Subtext
A lot of early-career writers tend to receive the note, ‘you need less exposition, more subtext.’ Sounds straightforward enough, but solving this note is easier said than done. It’s hard to learn how to write subtext from watching movies or TV alone: on screen great subtext just looks like an actor filling a moment with emotion even though he or she is saying simple or sparse dialogue. Read screenplays to see how subtext actually looks on the page. For example the screenplay, ‘A Quiet Place’ is full of subtext. The movie has almost no dialogue. Take a read if you want to see a great example of how action - not dialogue - can tell a compelling story.
2. How to be Creatively Concise
A great script usually has a lot of white space - writing giant paragraphs to describe what’s happening in a scene is typically a sign of an amateur writer. Read screenplays to help you learn the art of brevity - how much (or how little) information you actually need in your character descriptions and scene transitions to tell your story. This doesn’t just mean ‘write less’, it means figuring out how to pack a punch in the few words you do use.
3. Structure, Structure, Structure
Look at screenplays to see how writers have dealt with structure within your specific genre - most scripts have act breaks generally around the same page number, but each genre has its own considerations. For example, thriller’s have ‘thriller beats’ of action to consider, romantic comedies usually have a ‘meet-cute’ early in the first act. If you’re hitting a roadblock with your own script, the problem may be easily solved by moving certain events around within the structure - comparing your work to others might help you find the solution you’re looking for.
4. From Script to Screen
If you’re a screenwriter your ultimate goal is for someone to take the story you wrote and bring it to life on screen. Which is why it can be incredibly useful to take a finished screenplay and compare the words on the page to how it was ultimately translated on screen - pick a screenplay you love (or that’s in the genre you write in) and read the script while you watch the movie/TV show at the same time. It can teach you how to deal with pacing (especially in comedy), clear story beats, and how to create a story that flows easily. Sometimes you’ll notice scenes or lines of dialogue that are still in the screenplay that didn’t make it into the movie/TV show (and chances are you’ll be able to tell why). It’s an enlightening exercise.
5. The Lessons Good (and Bad) Screenplays Can Teach You
Reading a good screenplay can inspire you - it can expand your idea of what’s possible on screen, fill you with fresh ideas, and show you how you can play with structure. But, that being said, you can learn just as much (sometimes more) from bad screenplays. Reading a bad script will quickly show you examples of what NOT to do - ill constructed plots, lack of character development, too much scene description, one dimensional characters (unfortunately the list goes on and on). When you identify a problem in a bad script, ask yourself what notes you would give that writer to try and make their screenplay more dynamic. It will teach you to think critically about your own work, and help you identify your own ‘bad script problems’ (and fix them before anyone else sees your latest draft).
Happy reading!
What screenplays inspire you as a writer? Let me know @CaroleKirsch!