Please give me tips on script writing and story telling

[ruuTan]

I have a huge dilemma with script writing. It's like.. um , like when you have an idea in your head. You can watch the scene like a movie in your mind. I can replay it, fast forward, like any other movie. You know what's happening your aware of the thoughts that the characters are saying to each other, but the problem is you can;t hear any dialogue. You can't hear them speaking but you know they are saying something and you understand that something, but you don't hear the exact words they're saying, you just know the gist. Am I making sense? I'm sorry, I'm confused myself.
Do you have any exercises, tips or miracles to recommend to me ?
Thank you for your time ^^

[Down_the_Rabbithole]

Well, you don't really need a script if it's too restricting for you. If you have an idea of what a character is going to say, just wait for them to say it.

I don't write a script at all. I have a flow-chart to keep my plot straight and a notebook to keep my characters and world straight. Scripts didn't work for me.

[ruuTan]

I've never thought of a flowchart before! I'll try it, thank you

[garrenn]

I don't know if it'll help, but here's my method so take of it what you will.
Say you're planning out a chapter. I'll do a basic flowchart of events. Something like...

Bus pulls up to bus stop
Felix gets off and spots March
they have a talk or whatever
blah blah blah

This gives me a basic idea of what happens and when.
Once I have that figured out I start scripting. I try not to think of it in terms of panels, but rather scenes. It's more in depth than the flowchart, but still very basic. I tend to add and take away lines of dialogue as I go.

after I do that I plan out my panels and sketches on small paper and go from there, tweaking my dialogue mostly based on how the characters end up looking when they speak.

[SynergyEclipse]

I experience that a lot. When the idea comes before the script itself for the scenes, what I usually do is write a detailed description of the scenes and how I imagined them, with every action, character detail and plot points that are relevant. I refine it, then break it down by action, and start to write the dialogue that corresponds to each panel.

The dialogue in the script isn't always final to me, and my script is more of a guide. I write the script for a corresponding page before sketching the layout. During the sketching process I may change the dialogue, but the dialogue in the finished page usually is close to what I had written in the script.

[shazzbaa]

Agree that your dialogue doesn't have to be worked out perfectly in the first draft! Like, when I've got a scene I'm working on, and I know what's going to happen and I'm jotting down all the basics of it, the notion of dialogue is just "Tareth yells at him that this is a bad idea" or "Sev apologises for being a jerk."

For me, I don't ever get to a point where I "hear" what characters are saying -- I have to sit down and figure it out. I know what they want to get across, and so I take what they're trying to say (trying to apologise, for example) and think about what I know about the characters and how they word things, and I figure out from that how they might say it. A lot of times I'll write a piece of dialogue and go "this doesn't feel right" and I'll rework it or change it as I figure out the details of the scene.

Going straight from "visualising the scene in my head" to "writing down panels and dialogue" would be extremely overwhelming for me. I write down a loose idea of what I've been imagining first, then make it more detailed little by little. After all, there's going to be some scenes I DON'T see in my head, where I write down "and then somehow they get to the temple, and then this happens" -- and writing it down loosely like that helps me see where those holes are so I can think about what should happen in that space.

[kyupol]

Internalize character. What does he/she like? Most important is their default expression. Are they happy? sad? numb and emotionless? angry? Try acting them out with either yourself or someone else.

[Gaspode12]

Already some great tips here. Only thing I can really add is that when it comes to trying to finalise the words people speak say them out load to yourself. Do they sound natural? Does it sound like something someone would actually say? Then check that the sentence fits with the character you are trying to portray. Sometimes it can be easy to let characterization slip in order to make a scene go the way you want. If this happens try to re think it. How would this character react? Would they be embarrassed? Angry? Violent? Change things to suit. Hope that helps!

[digitalvalium1]

I can only tell you what works for me. I'm used to taking notes while studying so I use that method when writing/plotting/story boarding. Look up the Cornell Method for note taking. It's just basic bullet points, as has been suggested, but I tag points for setting, action, key points, and dialogue. Thusly:

The breakup
-setting-coffee bar inside a book store
-action- Yolanda is holding up a book inches from Howie's face
-key-Yolanda is distraught and angry, which is the only reason she can speak up
-key-Howie's aghast, like he can't believe she's speaking ill of his favorite books
-dialogue- Yolanda "It's because you won't stop reading these!!"
-dialogue- Howie "But.. but you said..."

Kind of like that, but, you know, with tabs. From that you can start building your story boards and make decisions about panel layout, etc. to add or subtract impact.

You can also try Celtx, which is a screenwriting software that's cloud based. Their old standalone is better, and I like it very much. That software and a few sample scripts will get you creating your own from your stories in no time.