Writing Aids: 90 Words for “looks” and 115 Words for “walks”
Movies are primarily a visual medium. Therefore as screenwriters, we need to think visually… and write visually.
Movies are primarily a visual medium. Therefore, as screenwriters, we need to think visually… and write visually.
Take the verb “looks”:
He looks at the body.
She looks at the rainbow.
How about these instead: ogles, gapes, stares, gawks, squints, spies, inspects, surveys, peeks, peers. On and on and on, there are so many better, more descriptive and visual verbs than “looks.”
Go Into The Story reader Alan Donahue was kind enough to put together this 90 Words for “looks” list.
You may download a PDF of the list here.
Take the verb “walks”.
He walks through the crowded office.
She walks up the aisle.
Why not amble, shuffle, staggers, paces, speeds, lurches, leaps, skips, bounds, sprints, stumbles. On and on and on, there are so many better, more active and visual verbs than “walks.”
Go Into The Story reader Alan Donahue was kind enough to put together this 115 Words for “walks” list.
You may download a PDF of the list here.
On your next script, take the advice of screenwriter Larry Ferguson (The Hunt for Red October):
“There was a girl who came to me with her first screenplay. It was a good first shot. I gave her some advice. I told her, ‘I want you to go home and take a yellow Marks-A-Lot and highlight every verb in this 120-page screenplay, and then I want you to read them out loud and ask yourself, Can I find a stronger verb.’ Characters should never enter. They should storm in, they should skulk in, they should tremble in. These are the only chances you have to create visual pictures in people’s brains.”
Again, movies are primarily a visual medium. Strong, active verbs are a great way to accentuate your story’s visuality.