Tweetstorm: Bryan Edward Hill on Keys to Writing Scene Description

Advice on writing efficient, entertaining scene description in genre scripts from author, screenwriter, musician, comic book writer, and graphic designer.

Bryan Edward Hill’s writing credits include TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead, Cannon Busters, and Titans, and the comic book series Batman and the Outsiders. Recently, he posted a series of tweets about writing scene description which I thought was quite helpful. Reprinted here by permission.

And make sure you’re clear about how the characters are GROWING and CHANGING through the action. If it’s just WHIZ-BAM with no arc progression, you’re in B-movie territory. Always be telling story. Make everything integral. Sometimes, you won’t know what needs to happen —

— so I know that the character arcs are being addressed properly, but I can also move a little faster through it because I’m not getting hung up on details that don’t matter at that stage. And that’s basically it, I guess? I hope that’s been helpful. / END

Lots of takeaways:

• …even the biggest genre story is usually made of two-three character scenes: You will notice a theme running through Bryan’s comments.
• You’re writing. Not directing. Not doing production design: This echoes my screenwriting mantra: “Minimum words. Maximum impact.”
• Just describe what MUST be described, the detail in the action should be the moments where CHARACTER IS REVEALED: Do you see a thematic pattern emerging in Bryan’s observations?
• Character design, tech design, fantasy description, you don’t need to drown in that. I use what I call “Vague but emotional” description: Just enough to give the reader a visual sense of the scene, but focus on what’s transpiring in the emotional lives of the characters.
• What’s the STORY of the fight? How are they CHANGING during the fight? Show me that: It’s not just a fight. It’s a story.
• And make sure you’re clear about how the characters are GROWING and CHANGING through the action: There’s that theme again.

Yes, the action may be cool, but make damn sure you focus on the CHARACTERS and their emotional and psychological lives. In other words, what does the action mean?

One more comment: I like the approach Bryan lays out about jamming through that first draft. Don’t get hung up on the scene description, instead provide a one-line take and spend more energy on how the scene taps into the overall narrative and moves the story forward.

Good stuff!

Twitter: @bryanedwardhill

Batman and the Outsiders

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