As an aspiring screenwriter discovering parentheticals can feel like discovering a magical new spice. Sprinkle them on your script as it’s cooking and suddenly the dialogue tastes bolder, richer and more nuanced.

But like any spice, there is a danger of treating it as one of the main ingredients instead of a seasoning.  In this post I’ll walk you through the art of using parentheticals, starting with what exactly a parenthetical is.

What is a parenthetical? Why is it called that?

A parenthetical is a script element used to specify how a character delivers a line of dialogue. It can be an emotion, like (angrily); a commentary, like (sarcastically); a pause, like (pause); who they’re addressing, like (to Charlie); or a small action the character does while speaking, like (shrugs).

They are sometimes derisively referred to as “wrylies” according to legend due to novice writers’ alleged over use of the parenthetical (wryly).

A “parenthetical” means pertaining to the use or parenthesis, which are used to denote information that qualifies or explains what’s being said. It gives you extra information about what’s being said without changing the basic meaning.

How do you format parentheticals in screenwriting?

In a script a parenthetical is placed after the character name and before, or in the middle of, the dialogue that character speaks. It is it’s own unique element that should be on it’s own line or lines, and it’s always enclosed in parenthesis. It looks something like this:

As a word of warning, don’t just use parenthesis in the dialogue line. This is incorrect:

In Arc Studio you can create parentheticals easily by hitting TAB after the end of a character name or line of dialogue, or turn an element into a parenthetical by using the keyboard shortcut CMD + 4 (Ctrl+4 on PC).

How much should you use parentheticals?

Some hardliners believe you should almost never use them, while other screenwriters are more liberal in their approach, but most would agree that they should be used sparingly. If every line of dialogue has a parenthetical, that’s too much. If half the lines of dialogue have parentheticals, that’s probably also too much.

Most likely you’ll have some pages with no parentheticals, some pages with a couple, and maybe a few pages with three or more. I can’t give you an exact answer on this, because writers have their own styles, and it’s your script so really you can do whatever you want.

Why is overusing parentheticals bad?

But if parentheticals add meaning and clarity, why limit their use at all?

For one, overusing parentheticals can demonstrate a lack of confidence in your writing. With most of your dialogue it should be evident how the line should be delivered by the context, actions, and content of the dialogue. Using a parenthetical every time conveys that you’re not confident in those other elements.

Imagine writing a comedy and using the (joking) parenthetical every time a character tells a joke. If you have to tell the reader that the character is being funny every time, it means you don’t think the reader will get that. The reader should know the character is joking because it’s funny.

Loading your script with parentheticals also slows down the read and increases your page count. You don’t want your reader to get frustrated by having to read hundreds of parentheticals.

How do you replace overused parentheticals?

If you’re script is overloaded with parentheticals, you can clear them out by writing sharper action lines and better dialogue. Try to think about how the word choice, actions, and body language of the character can convey the same information as a parenthetical in a more natural manner.