“Unlocking the Secret: How Narrative Voice Can Make or Break Your Screenplay”
Ever start a story and realize you’ve got to nail the tone right from the get-go? That’s the crux of crafting a compelling narrative voice—it’s like selecting the perfect wine for your meal; it just complements everything else. But here’s the kicker: what if I told you that the voice in your script is actually an invisible character, guiding the reader through every twist and turn of your tale? Let’s dive into the significance of Narrative Voice—the unseen force that shapes your storytelling style. With a powerful equation—Genre + Style = Narrative Voice—you’re not just writing; you’re inviting your audience into a unique experience right from Page 1, Line 1. So, what does your story sound like? LEARN MORE.
From Page 1, Line 1, you have to convey your story’s tone and voice.
Let’s talk Narrative Voice. It is the invisible character in your script, the one present in scene description, pace, transitions from scene to scene, how you handle the writing of each scene, and so on.
I have a formula for Narrative Voice. It’s this:
Genre + Style = Narrative Voice
At a bare minimum, the style you use must be in concert with the genre. If you’re writing a comedy, the style must be funny. If you’re writing a thriller, the style must be thrilling. If you’re writing a drama, the style must be dramatic.
But Narrative Voice goes beyond that. If you fully embrace the idea of it, you will find yourself approaching your stylistic choices with a specific character in mind: the person who is ‘telling’ the story. Again even if you have no narrator, there is this invisible character — your Narrative Voice — who is handling the disposition of scene description and all the rest (as noted above), and they have their own voice.
And here’s the thing: You need not only to be proactive in aligning your style with your story’s genre, you also need to establish your script’s Narrative Voice from Page 1, Line 1.
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