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The Three C’s – The Writer’s Trinity

By Michael Schilf · April 8, 2010

Religion has its trinities; you have The Three C’s.

Always be CLEAR and CONCISE, yet still CREATIVE. Both in description and dialogue, simple creative brevity is your steadfast ally and most powerful weapon.

You don’t have time to explore the story through long-winded, soul-searching monologues, and the script can’t be bogged down with the subtle intricacies of every little detail. Doing so is like grabbing the shovel and digging yourself six feet under.

Your primary concern is to write an engaging and economical story; therefore, you must be concerned with time – ALWAYS! When writing a script, you only have between 90 and 120 minutes to tell your story. That’s not a lot of pages – not a lot of time – so exciting script economy becomes something you must strive for, but you can’t sacrifice one part for the other two.

Clear and creative, but not succinct? Try Again. Creative and concise, but not coherent. Strike Two. Concise and clear, but no voice? You’re out!