By Michael Schilf · April 9, 2010
The art of the white space is less art and more artifice.
White space is a clever and practical way to get the reader to turn pages: fast and furious. The fewer words used to accomplish each scene without losing the voice of the writer, the better.
It’s simple: fewer words amounts to a faster read, which almost always equates to a better script. There are, of course, a lot of keys to locking up an awesome screenplay – it must have engaging and interesting characters, a solid story concept, a clear and structured plot, and original voice in the writing – but creating white space is one important key.
A good screenwriter writes concise action paragraphs (limited to 3 or 4 lines) that are broken up with short dialogue because he’s conscious of the white space on the page and works hard at manifest it – lots of it.
Michael Schilf · April 8, 2010
