Wednesday 28 July 2010

Visual Writing - help from Eddie

Listening to songs and hearing poetry read aloud has always helped me visualise a scene, which is what, as screenwriters, we really need to do. We can't show the reader what's happening; all we have are words on the page to explain what's being seen.

I find these two Pearl Jam songs particularly useful. Apart from being amazingly moving [insert essay on love of Pearl Jam here], they also paint a very visual picture. Might be worth giving something like this a shot? Take one of your scenes and simply write it in prose, as if someone is describing it to another person. Might help?

I'm Still Here


"I picture a sober awakening, a re-entry into this little bar scene. Sip my drink till the ice hits my lip. Order another round."


I'm Open


"A man lies in his bed in a room with no door. He waits, hoping for a presence, something, anything, to enter."

"Lying sideways atop crumpled sheets and no covers, he decides to dream. Dream up a new self. For himself."

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