Technique Archives - Arcs and Beats

Managing Time as a Screenwriter

Get to grips with how to manage your time as a writer by setting specific goals, planning out when you are going to write, and how to write efficiently.

Story, Technique

How to Write Exposition

Learn how to write entertaining, seamless, and compact exposition that takes your script to the next level.

wooden typewriter on wooden table with book and phone

Story, Technique

How to End a Story

Learn how to draw your screenplay to a satisfying close and leave your reader with a glowing impression of your storytelling skills.

Story, Technique

Beginner’s Guide to Writing Science Fiction

Nine tips to help you write Science Fiction. Learn about soft and hard sci fi, the space wizard and more.

Productivity, Technique

How to Outline a Script: From Planning to Pantsing

Learn how to navigate the complex world of outlining your screenplay with three key methods ranging from planning through to pantsing.

Character Development, Technique

The Benefits of Pre-Existing Relationships in Your Script

Pre-existing relationships can benefit your script in many ways such as providing natural exposition or the feeling of a lived in world.

Technique

Breaking Down the Monologue

David Wappel analyzes the different kinds of monologues and gives some tips to write your own.

Story, Technique

The Inciting Incident: Definition and Case Studies

In short, the inciting incident is the moment that the protagonist is invited into the story. It is the thing that happens to him, that allows the rest of the story.

Technique

The Present Tense, and when NOT to Use it in Screenwriting

The present tense is the most used in screenwriting. David Wappel explains why and how other tenses can provide storytelling opportunities.