Scene Description Spotlight: “Basic Instinct”
Let’s say you’re writing a sexy thriller. Per the concept of narrative voice, you should write scene description that is… well… sexy and…
Let’s say you’re writing a sexy thriller. Per the concept of narrative voice, you should write scene description that is… well… sexy and thrilling. This approach paid off handsomely for screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, who in 1992 wrote a spec script called “Basic Instinct” that sold for $3M, the highest amount paid for a spec script up to that time. Here is P. 1 of that script — all of it scene description:
One could argue that it’s almost soft porn. But one damn thing is for sure: It’s effective writing. In a mere 301 words, the reader is already hooked and into the plot. You’ve got sex. You’ve got murder. One page and the reader gets the movie right away: sexy thriller.
This is yet another example of why it’s so important to understand the concept of Narrative Voice. The attitude you take to writing your scene description should reflect the ‘voice’ of your story’s invisible narrator, and that style needs to underscore the genre you’re writing.
By the way, the movie Basic Instinct went on to gross $350M worldwide.
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