So... I like looking through presented scripts every now and then. Sometimes they give some nice inspiration for something to do that clearly has at least one person who wants to hear something similar. Sometimes it's just nice to read such as a story. The thing I've noticed though, is that uhm... the vast, vast majority of the scripts that get put up on GWA are... not scripts. In fact, they can't even be used as a script even if someone wanted to use it as such.

So... this is a quick little rundown of one of the biggest problems that a surprisingly high number of the scripts have, and how to correct it so that your script can actually be used as, well, a script.

With that out of the way, what is this problem, anyway? What's the big deal? How can the way you write your script make it completely useless as a script?

The answer is that a lot of the scripts I've seen aren't written as an audio script, but rather are written as a story. There's tons of descriptive elements that can't really be translated into audio the way they're written.

See, a script that's going to be read off by a voice actor kiiiinda needs to be like about 90% or so stuff they say out loud, give or take a bit. Everything you write down needs to be with the understanding that the audience can't see any of the notes you put in there. The only thing the audience will ever know, is what's actually said, and occasionally sound effects or background music, which you're probably better off avoiding putting into a script unless it's one you intend to do yourself, or if you're including the sound effect files to be used to go with it.

As such, let's take a look at an example script to see what not to do. I'm just going to make one up on the spot here because it'd be kinda mean to use someone else's work.

The doctor moves around in front of you, thinking and studying your breasts. He pulls out a magnifying glass and looks intently at the nipple before nodding. "Is everything okay?" you ask.

You may notice a tiiiiiny little problem with this example. It's about 85% useless information and doesn't describe what's going on in a way that the audience will ever see it. You could potentially have the doctor's movements described as a sound effect of footsteps with heavy shoes on a tile floor in a small room with a slight reverb effect... but let's face it, most of the people doing recordings here don't have the sound effect, nor the tools, nor the knowledge of how to generate that sound effect, and even if they did, it'd still leave you with the fact that it doesn't really translate any of the extra information to the audience.

The audience can't see the doctor moving around. They can't see him pulling out a magnifying glass, nor looking at the breasts or nipple in particular. Even the sound effect of him walking about the room wouldn't really help much unless you had the capacity to use positional audio to show him moving to the "front" of the woman being inspected, and even then, that's only useful if the person listening has surround sound with good headphones or a full surround sound setup. Which if they do, they're probably not playing porn on it in case someone hears such. =P

The point is, this is a very bad "script" because it doesn't present the information in a way that it can actually be put to use in an audio-only format. Even if someone wanted to use this script, they just couldn't without rewriting pretty much the entire thing from scratch.

Unfortunately, this is how most of the scripts I've read on GWA are written. They're predominately comprised of information that has no method of transference to audio.

So! It's time to learn how to fix this!

First off, think about things from the perspective of the person who's going to be narrating your script. Most of the information has to be stuff they themselves say out loud.

Second, think about how it's actually said, especially if you're not writing the script for you, yourself, to read off. Just text on a page alone doesn't convey much in the way of things like emotion or emphasis. Use basic formatting tools to stress how things are said, and don't be afraid to give directions in parentheses!

Third, read out your script aloud once you're done, and see if there's anything you missed, or if it sounds weird. If it doesn't make sense... uhm, fix it. =P Seriously, the main way to make something awesome in any art format is extensive revisions. A novel usually undergoes about 7 major rewrites on average, so if you really want someone to read your script off, tighten it up to be the highest quality possible, where it's the least amount of work for them to do so! If they have to rewrite almost all of it themselves, they're probably not going to use it!

Alright, so let's try this again, 'kay? Except this time, we're going to use some handy tricks to make it easier to know what's going on.

"Oh, hey, you don't have to circle me like that you know." (Say this a bit terse and upset) "Yes, those are, in fact, my tits. I'm sure you've seen lots of them. ...Uhm. Seriously, that's getting creepy. Stop staring. STOP." (pause for about 3 to 5 seconds here) "Uhm, what's that? A magnifying glass? Is... is something wrong? (add a bit of panic) Oh god, it's not cancer is it!?"

With this revised script, the audience can now actually "see" what's going on the whole time because it's being narrated by the voice actress. In addition to such, the little notes strewn through it, and the italics and bold, capslock and so on, give natural directions to the voice actress so she knows how to actually recite it. Even if italics, bold text and all caps feel cheesy, they do work really well in text to convey additional information readily about how to read the text. "OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Bet you knew exactly how to say that just by looking at it. =P

So yeah, it's nothing too complex or anything, but if you're writing a script, write it in such a way that the audience can "see" what's going on through the narration thereof, and avoid putting in information that can't be seen, unless it's explicitly there to tell your actor/actress how to read what's written in a particular way. Reading a script should be as easy for the voice actor/actress as possible, putting as little effort on their part as possible. If they were going to put that much effort into it, they would've written their own script in the first place rather than using yours.

This goes for any script you want someone else to read off for you, whether it's just a suggestion that hopefully someone will pick up, or a script you're hiring someone to read off for you and are actually paying them. Note that artists, regardless of what kind of art they make, be it drawn, painted, modeled in 3D, audio, writing or whatever, need to know what you want. The more information you give them, and the more clear you make it of what you desire, the easier it is for them to do what you desire! Err on the side of "too much information" rather than "too little". I know, a lot of people say "too long, didn't read" but that doesn't apply here - if you want someone to do something for you, make sure it's absolutely clear what it is you want done. Any time you leave it vague or poorly described, you open up the possibility for mistakes and misunderstandings to occur. Be as specific as possible, and go into as much relevant detail as possible, while avoiding irrelevant details that don't matter to what you're trying to get them to do.

Note that this will also make it easier for people to read your scripts, even if they don't narrate it, because just reading it in their head will come across much closer to what you want it to sound like in the end.

Also, even if you intend it to be read as a story being narrated, still describe things in the way that the narrator (the voice actor or actress) will need to be able to properly say it the way you want it to be said.

So yeah... uhm, so much for this being a "quick little rundown" as it were. Well whatever, the important part is now you know how to make your scripts way more awesome. =P

Oh, and one last, tiny lil thing! If there are multiple characters which are supposed to be talking in a script? Write down who is saying each and every line EVERY SINGLE TIME. It should look like one of those scripts you saw back in high school for like Shakespeare's stuff, with each person's new lines on a separate line so it's obvious who's speaking. If someone cuts the other off mid-senten--

Kizkit: HEY! I was talking! Anyway, yeah, like if you're cut off mid-sentence like that, end it in that manner so it's clear what happens.

And that should be it for now. Have fun writing your scripts, and I look forwards to seeing more of them in the future!