Never use the words, “is, are, we see, we hear.” Not until you have a handle on your flow, word choice and elevation, punctuation, rhythm and cinematic elements. ![]() So here are a couple tips to anyone reading this… If you look like everyone else on the page, why would I remember you? Same can be said of the aspiring writer or even a well-established industry veteran who has simply been taught one way. They’re a great way to get your foundation of the industry, but too many of these scripts felt flat and sophomoric. I don’t mean to undermine the educational institutions. I’ve seen a fair share of writers with MFAs in Screenwriting do little more than carve out a basic template in the physical execution. But knowing the tricks or “rules” of what makes your writing distinct is the first step in honing your voice. When it comes to developing a voice, practice is essential. And often, one that can be conveyed through a character reacting on screen, which subliminally impacts the reader/viewer in the most unique way. But when it comes to making your screenwriting stand out, it’s a wonderful tool to connect the reader to the world and characters. To convey that in a script bucks the conventional teachings of the medium because it’s ethereal. You can practically smell the rot of death. That last one, smell, is often overlooked by screenwriters because it can’t be easily manifested on screen. I would ask, do you have a grasp on the use of simile and metaphor that sharply conveys the tone? Do you clearly establish the character and scene orientation? Do you use an elevation of description to layer your ideas? Do you use the cinematic elements of lighting and sound? Do you have a handle on not just the pacing and structure, but do you efficiently take us up and down the rollercoaster ride of the read? What about engaging the reader’s sense of smell? The question of how do you know when you have a style is a good one. But it’s how you pick and choose the ingredients, along with the sculpting of the presentation, that defines what makes one cake unique over another. ![]() Where a writer separates themselves from others is in the recipe they blend together. The phraseology, the rhythm, the punctuation, the word choice and elevation. So what is a screenwriting voice? Voice is style. To see someone mastering the craft to create a story that’s poetic and captivating in the physical authorship. That’s what really excites me as a rep and a producer. I often tell folks, “I sign off on voice, not concept.” A writer has to be a visionary on the page. To me, a screenwriter’s voice is everything. Creative Screenwriting Magazine asked Alexander Robb, Manager at Insignia Entertainment, to shed some light on a screenwriter’s voice.
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