Action lines commonly describe only what the audience can see and hear, in present tense and short paragraphs. Use that approach when learning how to write action lines.
Describe a roommate hiding a broken mug, rather than explaining their guilt. For the surrounding page layout, see the screenplay format guide.
What are action lines?
- Action lines
- Also called Action description
- An action line is a description of the movement, setting, or sound an audience sees or hears. Action lines commonly use present tense and short paragraphs.
A mug breaking belongs in action, as does the sound of a key turning. Include the details that help the reader follow the moment. For the line above the action, see how to show where and when a scene takes place.
How do you write screenplay action lines?
Build the action around what changes on screen. In the mug scene, focus on the break, the approaching roommate, and the attempt to hide the pieces.
Write action the audience can follow
- Choose the visible event
Write what happens to the mug before explaining anyone's feelings. Let the break start the moment.
- Introduce the person briefly
Names commonly appear in capitals on their first appearance, followed by a brief description. Choose a detail the audience can see.
- Use present-tense verbs
Follow the common present-tense convention: write “sweeps” rather than “was sweeping.” Name the action directly.
- Write private thoughts as behavior
Show the character covering the pieces when a key turns. Let that choice suggest what they fear.
- Start a new paragraph when attention shifts
Separate the broken mug from the sound at the door. Keep each paragraph focused on the moment the reader should picture.
How long should action paragraphs be?
Action commonly uses short paragraphs, often no more than three or four lines, so readers can scan the page. Give the key turning its own paragraph if it interrupts the cleanup. Check length in your screenplay layout, using the guide to screenplay margins, font, and page size.
How do you cut bloated action?
Cut explanations that the character's behavior can carry. In this original example, hiding the pieces lets the reader infer the worry.
INT. SHARED KITCHEN - MORNING
NELL, wearing a bathrobe, was standing beside the kitchen counter when she accidentally knocked her roommate's favorite mug onto the floor, where it broke into pieces. She felt guilty because she knew her roommate would be upset about what had happened. She heard a key turning in the front door and decided she needed to hide the evidence before her roommate came into the kitchen.
- Past-tense verbs put the event behind us. The guilt and decision explain what the rewrite can show through behavior.
INT. SHARED KITCHEN - MORNING
NELL, in a bathrobe, catches a mug with her sleeve. It falls from the counter and shatters.
A key turns in the front door.
Nell sweeps the pieces under the fridge with her slipper.
- The introduction gives a visible detail. Present-tense verbs describe the accident as it happens.
- The paragraph break gives the sound room to interrupt.
- Hiding the pieces suggests worry without naming a private thought.
The rewrite leaves out who owns the mug and whether it is a favorite. Keep those facts elsewhere if the story needs them. Here, the accident and concealment give the reader a clear event to follow.