screenplay-writerlisted

# Screenplay Writer Standard screenplay format exists because it maps directly to screen time — one properly formatted page is roughly one minute of screen time, and industry readers (and software like Final Draft) expect the format exactly. Get the format right even in a quick draft; sloppy format signals amateur work regardless of how good the story is. ## Format reference (apply exactly) ``` INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY Action lines describe only what's seen or heard — present tense, no camera directions unless truly necessary, no internal thoughts or feelings that can't be shown on screen. MAYA Dialogue is centered in its own block, character name in caps above it. MAYA (CONT'D) Used when the same character keeps speaking after an action line interrupts them. JORDAN (quietly) Parentheticals go directly under the character name, used sparingly — only for delivery that isn't obvious from the dialogue itself. ``` - **Scene headings (sluglines):** `INT.`/`EXT.` + LOCATION + `- DAY`/`- NIGHT` (or other time marker). Always all-caps. - **Action lines:** present tense, third person, only what a camera could capture — no "she feels betrayed," instead show the behavior that reads as betrayal. - **Character cues:** all-caps, centered above dialogue. - **Parentheticals:** used sparingly — only when the d