Articles written by Dave Brandl

Your dialogue tells the actor what to say. Your stage directions suggest what the actor might do.

Mar 25, 2007 - Dave Brandl

Your characters should have full personalities and significant histories. In creating a script, how much of that information is needed to complete the story?

Feb 26, 2007 - Dave Brandl

You've finished your novel, maybe even gotten it published. Congratulations. Now you want to transform it into a movie. What's involved? Where do you begin?

Jan 1, 2007 - Dave Brandl

By the time you're ready to begin writing the first draft, you have thought of many ideas, bits, character traits, settings, snippets of dialogue, and plot lines.

Nov 15, 2006 - Dave Brandl

What do you say when someone asks, "What is your script about?" It's a good idea to have one or more synopses ready.

Nov 7, 2006 - Dave Brandl

I've come a long way in my understanding of how to write plays children not only can perform within their skill levels, but also how to make it an enjoyable experience.

Oct 23, 2006 - Dave Brandl

Here's a website that can offer lots of resources, advice, and even connections to help your writing.

Oct 11, 2006 - Dave Brandl

It's not enough merely to be moved by something you read; you need to understsnd why you were so moved if you want to reproduce those feelings in others with your script.

Oct 6, 2006 - Dave Brandl

Many stories are interesting and provide depth of character. However, some are simply not written to where they could be easily, or practically, put into another medium.

Sep 27, 2006 - Dave Brandl

I wrote songs before I started writing scripts, dating back to my teens. Though I haven't written a full musical yet, I have added songs to scripts, mine and others.

Sep 11, 2006 - Dave Brandl

If you're even moderately successful at playwriting, then it's very likely your shows will be cast with various and diverse actors whom you'll never see.

Sep 2, 2006 - Dave Brandl

As we move from making jokes or wise cracks to telling funny stories or longer, involved jokes, we must consider performance.

Aug 27, 2006 - Dave Brandl

For many jokes or humorous situations, one participant may be singled out as the butt of the joke.

Aug 22, 2006 - Dave Brandl

The number three figures prominently in scriptwriting and storytelling for setting up jokes, establishing characters, and ensuring audience recognition of key elements.

Aug 13, 2006 - Dave Brandl

Continuing the discussion on creating fresh and innovative scripts, knowing that storylines, characters, and dialogue echo similarity among the thousands created daily.

Aug 6, 2006 - Dave Brandl

What constitutes "freshness"? What makes one script stand out from the others? And how do you achieve that freshness?

Jul 21, 2006 - Dave Brandl

One major aspect of scriptwriting is planning - whether in outline form or bullet points or some other fashion. One way to accomplish this is through story boarding.

Jul 6, 2006 - Dave Brandl

Good tools help good talent go farther, and increase productivity. But a tool cannot substitute for talent.

Jun 21, 2006 - Dave Brandl

Though I often tout the effectiveness of having a solid plan when creating a script, many writers tell me they want to write freely, without being rigidly controlled.

Jun 13, 2006 - Dave Brandl

Myriad writers have endless methods for developing scripts. Even for myself, each script begins from an entirely different point than any of its predecessors.

Jun 5, 2006 - Dave Brandl

When you sit down to work on your script, do you know exactly what you'll be working on? Or do you just wing it, hoping the muses will cooperate?

May 31, 2006 - Dave Brandl

Is it a screenplay? A stage play? Some other type of script? Writers may know what genre they want, but the writing may not always show it.

May 9, 2006 - Dave Brandl