Life of Wrylie: Mark's Resource Roundup

The dreaded, oft-abused (wryly) parenthetical. Hated by actors and readers alike. As an actor, we were always told to cross them out and readers (exasperated) want us to (sarcastically) “show not tell”. Nobody in a creative industry wants to be told how to do their job and parentheticals are often used to do just that. However, a parenthetical or “wrylie” as they are commonly known can be a writer’s friend if used judiciously when something is not clear in the dialogue or action.

Best practice though is to (suddenly serious) drop them entirely unless you’re Tarantino or Spike Jones. Try to (preachy) always be clear in your descriptions and your dialogue and you won’t ever need to use a parenthetical. If you feel you absolutely must use a parenthetical (extended beat) use it wisely.

Keep writing,

Mark

Resource Links:

Scriptmag: Wrylie Parenthetical

Screenwriting Info: Parentheticals

Writing Parentheticals and Wrylies in Your Screenplay

Parting Thought:

“Not a wasted word. This has been a main point to my literary thinking all my life.” ― Hunter S. Thompson