Hi everyone! I'm a 19-yr old budding screenwriter and I've recently discovered my passion for writing and telling stories that inspire, but I'm not from an English-speaking country. Although we were taught English as a subject in school, but expressing emotions and building worlds using words sometimes gets frustrating when I search for the PERFECT word for a specific emotion or a situation while writing a script.
If any of you could give me any suggestions on how I can improve my English vocabulary, it would be of great help. Also, is it beneficial to READ other people's screenplays to learn screenwriting or should I concentrate more on WATCHING films? Thank You:)
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Some of us natives cannot do it very well, so don't fret. It takes work and practice. Try to communicate what your character is feeling right there in the scene. You really need to be in the scene yourself. Communicate what they desire or what "motivates" them. Get in there with them and you'll be okay.
Thanks a lot Eric. :) Could you also suggest me whether I should watch more films or read more scripts to improve my writing and storytelling?
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Vanshdeep, I feel more comfortable reading other people's screenplays to improve my own craft. (Maybe it'll work for you, too.)
Wishing you all the VERY BEST...and welcome to Stage 32!
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Thank You so much Jim :)
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You need to do both. I love movies so I watch.I'm sure the more data (movies) input, the better output (new screenplays) I can write. Reading screenplays will help with the formatting of the script. There's lots of books on formatting. Good luck.
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Find scripts of films that are similar to what you want to write, then watch the film while following along with the script. See how the written word translates into dialogue.
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Vanshdeep, here are some simple resources and some on a more collegiate level. Mpt.org and PBS.org (Education Section), Educationjagat.com, Rocknlearn.com (see free resources for fun stuff), Side by Side (English and your language), Google Education, Grammarpolis, and Libraries online. For writing autocrat.com .
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Thank You so much Eric, Jim, John and Tasha :) Your advice has really improved my writing. And Thank You Tasha Lewis for the resources :D
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If you have Final Draft or screenwriting software, use the thesaurus or online thesaurus, which will help you look at word variations. I use it all the time to repeat myself less.
Thanks Phillip :D
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Agreed, the thesaurus is my best friend. Next to my husband and dogs of course. Oh and I guess, the kids sometimes when they do their chores.
In your case, you can always find a nice person here on Stage32 or even a paid service who will be willing to read your script to polish up the dialogue. If the story's there, the dialogue should be an easy fix. Good luck, Vanshdeep!
Emotional index
https://www.drchloe.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Emotion-List-3.jpg