Module 3 · Lesson 3 of 6
Write every line so a voice can say it right.
An AI voice reads exactly what you type. Write numbers and names the way they sound, so it says them right.
The steps
The voice reads your words exactly as typed. It can’t guess what you meant.
Numbers
Write numbers the way they’re spoken: “twenty-five,” not “25.”
Money and times too: “five hundred dollars,” not “500 dollars”; “seven thirty,” not “7:30.”
Names
Spell hard names the way they sound. “Siobhan” becomes “Shiv-awn.”
Not sure if a name is hard? Picture a stranger reading it out loud. If they might get it wrong, spell it out.
Directions go above the line
Keep directions out of the line itself.
Put a short direction in brackets on its own line, under the character’s name and above what they say: (angry), (quietly), (laughing).
Never put it inside the line. The voice may read the word “angry” out loud.
Right: ROSE, then (quietly), then “Sit down.” Wrong: “Sit down (quietly).”
Your film
My FilmsFill it in here. It saves as you type, and later lessons use it.
Do this now
Fix every number and name in your script.
Check yourself
- Is every number written out in words?
- Are hard names spelled the way they sound?
- Are all your directions above the line, not inside it?
If any answer is no, go back over the steps, or look below.
Stuck?
- The spelled-out name looks strange on the page.
- That’s fine. The script is for the voice, not for readers. You can spell it properly in the captions later.
- I don’t know how a number should be said.
- Say it the way your character would, then type exactly what you said. “Nineteen eighty-two” and “one nine eight two” are both right, for different people.
- My direction is more than a few words.
- Keep it to one or two words, like (tired) or (near tears). If it needs more, it belongs in the action lines, with what we see.
Still stuck? Email info@bookwriter.vip and say which lesson you’re on. A person reads every message and writes back.