THREAD: Was going to do a quick thread on misc. writing tips when I realized that a number of them shared the same overall theme: SPECIFICITY. And, honestly, that's often a key aspect that separates a good script from being a great one. 1/

Specificity can be as simple as avoiding generic names like COP 1 & COP 2 and instead making them CHUBBY COP & NOSY CHOP. Those descriptions tell us something about their character. They also (and this is just as crucial) are more memorable and easier for a reader to track. 2/

One thing I'm obsessed with is location and prop specificity. A character shouldn't fire a gun, they should fire a Glock 17. A character shouldn't drink a beer, they should drink an Amstel Light. A character shouldn't drive a car, they should drive a red 1989 Ford Mustang. 3/

Ideally, these details TELL us about who a character is. What the tone and vibe of the scene is. Who they are in the world and how they view it. For example, if they go to dinner in LA, there's a big difference between going to Musso & Franks and Night+Market Song. 4/

A perfect example of this is the scene in TRAINING DAY where Alonzo meets up with LAPD brass at the Pacific Dining Car. Those LAPD captains being there told you exactly who they were and how they operated. 5/

That's a brilliant detail by @DavidAyerMovies, who's the king of specificity. When people read TRAINING DAY, they felt assured that the events were realistic and true because of the accumulation of authentic detail Ayer put in. From the car Alonzo drove to where Jake lived. 6/

Good news is -- the internet is your friend here! You can do all the research you need online and put it in your script. Ideally, if you write a script set in rural Montana, readers should 100% think that you grew up there. Even if you've never even been to Montana. 7/

When @ElyseHollander wrote BLONDE AMBITION, she was incredibly scrupulous about trying to get all the details of 1983 New York City right. From what clubs they went to, to their clothing and the music they listened to. She did an immense amount of research and notes. 8/

After her script was #1 on the annual Black List, Elyse went on her "water bottle tour" of general meetings with executives around town and a lot of execs were shocked that she was only 26. They expected someone much older because of how much authentic detail there was. 9/

And specificity should be a rule even beyond those details. One of the first things I ask clients to do in the development process is a backstory document for all the major characters. A page for each of the leads, half a page or so for the supporting cast. 10/

All the information in these may not make it into the feature or pilot, but it'll be SO helpful down the road. Did the lead go to Harvard or not graduate high school? How do they feel about that? When they're in a scene with a bragging Ivy Leaguer, you know how they'll react. 11/

I can tell you, from experience, it can be painful to have to "retcon" a character's backstory late in the process. Because it can affect every single scene, every single relationship. Better to work it out as early as possible. Or at least try to. 12/

It makes your job easier down the road to do the work upfront. And it's also a great sign that you're invested in the world of your script. Readers can always tell when someone is rushing through writing a script and when someone has thought through every beat. 13/

Like the tortoise and the hare, it's often the more meditative writers who end up winning the race. Because a script built on a solid, specific foundation will almost always outpace something that feels generic and churned out. 14/

And who knows? Sometimes when you're going down an internet rabbit hole on the most popular nightclubs in 1930s Chicago, you'll discover the true story that'll be the inspiration for your next project! END