{"id":11587,"date":"2014-10-07T03:00:35","date_gmt":"2014-10-07T10:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=11587"},"modified":"2014-10-02T08:40:40","modified_gmt":"2014-10-02T15:40:40","slug":"why-in-the-world-a-screenwriter-would-worry-about-description-by-jackie-blain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2014\/10\/07\/why-in-the-world-a-screenwriter-would-worry-about-description-by-jackie-blain\/","title":{"rendered":"Why In The World a Screenwriter Worries About Description by Jackie Blain"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How<\/a>

How we feel changes how we see. –Jackie Blain<\/p><\/div>\n

Join me as we welcome back columnist\u00a0Jackie Blain as she shares with us why in the world a screenwriter would worry about description.\u00a0Enjoy!<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

You\u2019re probably wondering why in the world a screenwriter would worry about description. <\/strong>After all, don\u2019t we just write dialogue and action?<\/p>\n

Well, no. Not entirely. We have to think in visuals, just like any creative writer does. But we have to pare down those visuals into a few words, to create tone and setting in a way that\u2019s almost like poetry.<\/p>\n

And that means we really have to feel<\/em> that setting.<\/strong> Get into our characters\u2019 and story\u2019s heads, if you will, so we can convey see their world through their emotions.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an exercise I use all the time with my screenwriting students to help them \u201cfeel\u201d a place.<\/p>\n

Part One<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. You\u2019re having the best day ever! The person you care about most has just done something to remind you of that. The weather is perfect. Your writing is going brilliantly. All\u2019s right with the world.<\/li>\n
  2. Close your eyes. Feel that feeling. Picture what happened to get you there. Who did what? What does perfect weather look like? What brilliant idea or bit of writing has been happening?<\/li>\n
  3. Now\u2026 filled with that sense of wonderfulness, walk into your kitchen. Look around. What do you see? What color are the walls? The counter? Is there light coming in the window? What textures? Smells? Memories? How do you feel?<\/li>\n
  4. Open your eyes and write a paragraph about being in the kitchen.<\/li>\n
  5. Get up and stretch\u2026 and get ready for the next part.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Part Two<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. You\u2019re having the worst<\/em> day ever! The person you care most about has been horrible to you. Your writing sucks. You have writer\u2019s block. The weather is awful. You don\u2019t have any clean clothes\u2026<\/li>\n
    2. Close your eyes. Feel that feeling. Who did what? What\u2019s awful about the weather? How high is the mountain of dirty clothes?<\/li>\n
    3. Now\u2026 filled with the worst mood ever, walk into your kitchen. Look around. What do you see? What color are the walls? What\u2019s the quality of the light? What textures? Smells? Memories? How do you feel?<\/li>\n
    4. Open your eyes and write a paragraph about being in the kitchen.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Part Three<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      Compare the two paragraphs. I\u2019ll bet you the descriptions are VERY different.<\/p>\n