Is your scene description helping or hurting your screenplay?

If there’s one thing I know after reading thousands of scripts, it’s this:

A well-written screenplay actually reads faster.

But most writers don’t realize when their scene description is slowing the story down, and losing readers in the process.

Here are 3 signs your scene description is hurting the script:

1. Readers start skimming.

Your job is to keep readers completely engaged, yet utterly passive – absorbing the story exactly as you want them to.

But if you overwrite, the reader decides what to take in and what to skip. Once they start skimming, you’ve lost control of the narrative and of the experience the reader is getting from your story.

2. You’re describing things, not moments.

It’s tempting to focus only on the objects, details about the setting, or micro-managing character movements. But that kind of scene description can end up sounding more like dry reporting than telling the story.

The goal is to evoke the moments the audience will feel in the theater.

Your screenplay isn’t just a “blueprint for a movie.” It’s an experience. And scene description is one of the main tools you get to use to create a cinematic, emotional ride for the reader.

3. Pages feel padded.

Bloated description doesn’t just run the risk of boring readers, it increases your page count. Suddenly, a tight 100-page script looks like 120, and that alone can mean starting on the wrong foot.

The solution is to find the right balance: enough scene description to create movement, tone, and emotion, but not so much that you're drowning your readers in unnecessary words.

And that's what we're covering in this month's workshop!

🎬 Bingeworthy Scene Description: How to make scene description a delight to read

📅 Sunday, October 12 at 9am PT / 12pm ET
⏱ 90 minutes + live Q&A
🎥 Replay included

​Get all the details and grab your spot here. (Just $27 through October 6th!)

It's going to be a packed 90 minutes, because there's A LOT to talk about:

• What to include (and what to cut) so your scene description spotlights only what matters.
• How to create a cinematic reading experience where every line pulls the reader deeper into the story.
• Writing action lines that flow – carrying the reader through the scene instead of slowing them down.
• How to evoke mood and emotion on the page, so the reader doesn’t just see the movie, they feel it.
• And how to inject voice and style into your prose without sacrificing clarity, readability, or pace.

👀 You’ll even see me do a live edit demo – turning flat description into binge-worthy prose right in front of you.

By the end, you’ll know how to keep readers hooked and make your scripts a joy to read.

($27 through October 6th)

Until next time,

Naomi

P.S. Fair warning: after this workshop, you may never look at a wall of description the same way again. 😂

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