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JillSoloway'stipsonscriptwriting
March 21, 2014 | Mark Caro | Tribune reporter

Here are some of the script-writing

tips that Jill Soloway offered to her
"Transparent" writing team:
"Onlywritewhatyoucansee."

"Don'tput'50s,white,tall,'any
of those things (when describing a
character). Always make it cute and
interesting and fun for the casting
director to figure out. 'Willowy and
wise.' Just make it interesting." (http://www.trbimg.com/img-
532c521e/turbine/la-1786292-ct-0228-jill-
Jill Soloway (with sister Faith Soloway) created the most popular o
soloway-kdm-03-jpg-

"Youneverhavetosay,'Soandsowalkstothewindow,pulls open the

shade, looks outside, turns and comes back.' If there is ever anything breaking up
the dialogue, it better be absolutely necessary. Actors like to decide where they
walk and when they walk, how they walk and what they do. Just hear the people
talk and write it down."
"Donotmakepeopleenteraroomunlessthereisastorypoint.Keep in
mind you're asking a crew to come and light that room."
"Parentheticalsarenotaction.Actionisaction.A parenthetical is how
somebody says something, and it's usually one word. Sometimes it's two words.
But never is it a description. Never is it a sentence. Never is it action. It's only
emotion and it's only emotion when it's unexpected."
"Youshouldnotbesittingatyourcomputerlookingatanemptypage.
Take your protagonist, think about a playable action. It's an emotion; it's
something they're doing to get what they want. Locate that feeling in your body. If
I don't know what to write, I lay in the bed, I get in the bath, I go for a walk, and I
meditate on the feeling that is bringing them into the room, and (I) write from that
feeling."
 "Actionisn'tplotitrevealsplot.The thing they're doing reveals what they
want, which is story."
"Allowroomfortheviewerto come and try and figure out what's going on by
watching something interesting happen, watching the protagonist do something to
get what they want."

"Thebeatalwayschangesforeveryonein the room at the same time."

"Twodashesalways.Always two dashes. One space after periods."
MarkCaro(http://bio.tribune.com/MarkCaro)

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