by Trevor Mayes | Jun 11, 2019 | Writing
Yes, they do. Very much. For about 25% of you, this may be the most important article you’ll read this week. Writers tend to break down into four types: Those who are fastidious about their writing and take great pains to make sure everything is written...
by Trevor Mayes | Jun 3, 2019 | Action Lines, Writing
What do we see and hear? Fundamentally, your job as a screenwriter is to convey to the reader what they should be seeing and hearing, without bogging them down with unnecessary details. Sometimes the desire for efficiency, however, causes screenwriters to become too...
by Trevor Mayes | May 22, 2019 | Punctuation, Writing
Direct Address When it comes to proofreading, there’s one mistake I encounter more than any other — the failure to use a comma with a direct address. What’s a direct address? A direct address occurs exclusively in dialogue when a character is speaking to someone and...
by Trevor Mayes | May 7, 2019 | Formatting, Modern Craft, Writing
What’s a naked slugline? Actually, even before that — what’s a slugline? A slugline is just another word for a scene heading. A naked slugline is a scene heading that has no action line(s) after it. It just sits there, exposed… then goes...
by Trevor Mayes | Apr 18, 2019 | Quick Screenwriting Tips, Style, Words, Writing
Use the more active (simple present) form of a verb Here’s a way you can immediately improve the quality of your writing. Don’t do this: Jeremy is sprinting down the street. Do this: Jeremy sprints down the street. Not only does using the simple present...
by Trevor Mayes | Apr 10, 2019 | Dialogue, Modern Craft, Writing
What and When? For some reason, the different initials that can appear after dialogue cues trip up a lot of screenwriters. Let’s have a look at what each one means and when the appropriate time is to use them. O.S. (Off Screen) O.S. is used when a character is...
