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When you’re starting out as a staff writer, everyone says your job is to “just write in your showrunner’s voice!” Like that’s so simple. Great mimicry is actually HARD. I thought I would put together some tips (almost a checklist) that might be helpful in this part of the craft.
STAGE DIRECTION. Make note of detail. So... does the showrunner write like:
Maya’s lip trembles. She grits her teeth, TRYING — but she can’t stop the anguished wail that escapes her. Tears begin to pour out.
Or:
Maya tries to hide her heartbreak — but fails. She shatters.
Maya’s lip trembles. She grits her teeth, TRYING — but she can’t stop the anguished wail that escapes her. Tears begin to pour out.
Or:
Maya tries to hide her heartbreak — but fails. She shatters.
(Advanced level shit: see if you can if this level of detail varies for the actor that the showrunner is writing for. For example, I would def just write “she shatters” for a series regular I trust, whose work I know well. I might break it down more for an unknown actor.)
TEXT SHAPES: Look at how long “paragraphs” tend to be. Whether description, direction, or monologues — some writers are inclined to break up big blocks of text. Some aren’t. If the actual SHAPES of text on your pages look wildly different from your showrunner’s, adjust.
CAPITALIZATION. Does your showrunner put every prop in ALL CAPS? Do they reserve it for particularly important ones? Do they put certain actions in all caps? (Your script coordinator is a great resource to ask about this.)
PUNCTUATION. It seems so minor, but it makes a difference. I worked on a show where the boss was not a fan of exclamation points — if someone was yelling, I’d italicize it instead, because I knew an exclamation point would risk it sounding cheesy in the showrunner’s inner voice.
An example: Ellipses in Liz’s dialogue on Roswell felt off. To me, “...” implies trailing, hesitation, meandering thoughts- stripping the character’s voice of her definitive intelligence and confidence. When I wanted to specify a pause in her dialogue, I’d write “(beat)” instead.
CAMERA moves on the page: there’s a lot of debate about this in the biz. Debate on — what matters to you at work is how your showrunner writes. So...
CLOSE ON a crayon treasure map. PULL BACK to find Joe (35) studying it intensely. RACK FOCUS TO Carrie in the doorway, skeptical.
CLOSE ON a crayon treasure map. PULL BACK to find Joe (35) studying it intensely. RACK FOCUS TO Carrie in the doorway, skeptical.
Vs.
Joe (35) — intense — studies a crayon treasure map. Across the room, Carrie hovers in the doorway, watching him skeptically.
Joe (35) — intense — studies a crayon treasure map. Across the room, Carrie hovers in the doorway, watching him skeptically.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Take note of how your showrunner writes action scenes. Do they choreograph every punch/kick/sword clash on the page? Or maybe they only focus on characters’ emotions, not actual stunts? Do they use onomatopoeia (BAM! THUD! OOF!) or no?
Same for sex scenes. Is every kiss and touch noted, or is your show more like: “The music swells as they make love. FADE OUT.”
SETTING THE STAGE. When introducing a never-before-seen location, does the showrunner describe it in detail (art on the wall, tidiness level, the light from the window), or do they just say “INT. TAYLOR’S LIVING ROOM” and save the description for the art department meetings?
MUSIC CUES. Does your showrunner request specific songs in the script? Note whether there’s a difference between a song that characters actually hear, like if they’re playing a guitar making a jukebox selection, vs one that they can’t.
CHARACTER INTROS. You’re introducing a brand new character in your episode. So how does your show do this?
DANNY (14 but small for his age, white, acne-ridden, never not clutching his emotional support clarinet) approaches.
Vs.
BAND GEEK (14) approaches.
DANNY (14 but small for his age, white, acne-ridden, never not clutching his emotional support clarinet) approaches.
Vs.
BAND GEEK (14) approaches.
(Side note, showrunners: I strongly advocate giving ALL characters names, even if they’re never said out loud. It keeps their IDMBs from looking like a list of insults. Don’t let an actress’ resume be like: GOLD DIGGER / DUMB BLONDE / VICTIM #3 / DRUNK SORORITY GIRL.)
PASSIVE VS. ACTIVE VS. AUDIENCE VOICE — this difference is particularly notable to readers at the very beginning of scenes. (Idk why, it just is.)
Max is searching through his desk drawer.
Max searches through his desk drawer.
We find Max searching through his desk drawer.
Max is searching through his desk drawer.
Max searches through his desk drawer.
We find Max searching through his desk drawer.
COMEDY: this is so important for writing drama. It’s also a math thing. Grab a script and highlight jokes. How many per scene? Per episode? How many one-liners? How many with a setup? Who makes dark jokes? Who makes silly ones? Who makes jokes at other characters’ expense?
And some BASICS: Does your show use a lot of SAT words? Do the characters monologue or not so much? What curse words are allowed by your network? Is it okay for you to drop an F-bomb on the page if it won’t be spoken aloud? (ie “Billy gives MJ a look that screams WHAT THE FUCK.”)
