Script writing examples

Writing a screenplay that will impress readers and have the best chance of making it onscreen isn’t just about your story, characters and dialogue – you also need to make it easy and enjoyable to read.

In this extract from his book Screenwriting: The Craft and The Career, experienced script-editor, consultant and producer Philip Shelley shares advice on how to get your words to jump off the page, and keep your reader engaged from your first scene through to your last…

As (screen)writers, all we have are words.

Because screenwriting and film stories are so overwhelmingly visual, this essential and obvious fact is rarely discussed.

Screenplay format

But the difficulties of the medium – conveying through words how a story will play out on film – mean that the way screenwriters use words and language is of critical importance.

The way you present your script on the page is an important aspect of screenwriting.

What we write must be capable of imaginative translation into three-dimensional, physical, on-screen action. Like all stories, screenplays sh

how to write a script properly

how to know if your script is good