Many of you have been asking about software/apps for scriptwriting. So, I thought I'd pop a quick little guide in here for you. Let me know if I've missed anything out! You can write a basic script using any word processor - Word, Google Docs, Pages etc. But if you want to get serious about scriptwriting, and if you want to share your work with actors at your local theatre, or agents, or film producers, at some point you’re going to want to use an app or software package to create scripts in industry-recognised formats. (and you’re also probably going to get a bit fed up of using the tab button/spending ages formatting each part of your document at some point). And yep, you did read that correctly - formats. Plural. Because each branch of the industry has its own specific format(s) - radio, TV, film, theatre - and there are even some regional variations. But, honestly, until you’re in production with something where there are very specific formatting needs, for now, you just need something to do the most common types - screen and stage. The word you’re going to see me use a lot here is ‘elements’. By this, I mean the different parts of a script. Not scenes or acts. I mean what each bit of a script within each scene tells us. These are basically the following: - Scene heading - in theatre, usually the scene number, sometimes a title for each scene.  - Character - the name of the character who is speaking, or performing some kind of action (‘MARK walks into a room’, for instance) - Dialogue - the words a character says, either out loud within the actual scene, off camera/offstage, or as a voiceover (like a narrator in a film) - Action - anything that can be seen or heard in a scene, other than the dialogue. - (Parentheticals) - usually within dialogue to explain how something is delivered - shouting, whispered, to another specific character -  or a pause.  - Transition - at the end of a scene, how it ends - e.g. blackout in theatre, fade or ‘cut to’ on screen 

Hi everyone, hope you've had a great week. We're still experimenting with features and events here, and I've had a few messages from people saying they they can't make the events scheduled so far. So, let me know what days/times work best for you...

Think of the last bit of random conversation you overheard, however short. Now think about the person who was saying it (far better if you don’t know them). Create some answers to these questions: What’s their name? How old are they? What was their first job? Who first broke their heart? What is the first thought they had when they woke up this morning? How would they describe themself on a dating app? Who would be the first person to notice if they disappeared? What is the one secret they can’t tell anyone? Do they prefer tea or coffee? And then, if you want to, write the scene of what happened just before or just after that overheard snippet of conversation. Happy writing! Mark 😀

Hey! I'm so pleased you're here. I'm on a mission to create a community of aspiring writers, writers for fun, and award-winners-to-be, where we can all share our ideas, work and inspiration, and I can share my knowledge and passion for creating worlds, people and work that moves people - to laughter, tears, action, and everything in between. If you haven't already, please take a moment to introduce yourself (using our 10 interview questions, if you like) in a new post (Community tab>>Write Something) And then, what better time to start writing than right now, with the free Scene One 7-day 'get writing' challenge. But first, a quick question What are you hoping to see and do and learn here? (There are no wrong answers to this!) Please do reach out and say hello. Happy Writing! Mark :-)

>>> Edit - I've had a few messages about times/days for live sessions - I'm going to postpone this whilst I work out times that work best for most people.<<< We had a brilliant first live social yesterday evening - it was lovely to see/meet you all. One of the things we spoke about was what people want to learn about/explore... and the thing that cam eout top of the list was scripts, and how they work. So, this coming Sunday at 6pm London time, join us live as we take a deep dive into the elements of a script (stage and screen). How they work, how they're formatted, common things to avoid, how to help your cast and ceatives realise your vision. We'll be looking at some real examples, which I'll share on the day. https://www.skool.com/live/RkbR2g5Gw2n (This session will be recorded and made available in the classroom after the event). (Please be aware that this live session and recording is only available to members on the premium subscription tier. Whilst I want to keep as much of WYS as possible available to everybody, I do need to cover my costs and time, and hope you understand!) Hope to see you there! Mark :-)