Lessons learned from the Cut to Black writing challenges
by Arran Crawley
This list is based on things I instinctively think about when I write a single-page horror screenplay. It grew out of my experience writing for and giving feedback on Killer Shorts Discord‘s weekly Cut to Black Challenges. For me, screenwriting is the land of ‘it depends’, rather than any absolute rules, so if your one-pager is not working or needs a boost, I hope this is helpful.
Mr. Crawley’s Creepy One-Pager Checklist
- It ‘feels’ like horror, doesn’t it? Anxiety, terror, disgust, dread, weird – you know the drill. If you don’t make the reader feel something emotional and horror-related on a one-pager, then you’re probably not in a good spot to begin with.
- Paid tribute to the subgenre. Have you respected and delivered some expectations that a horror reader would have for this specific type of story?
- Goldilocks formatting. Big blocks of text or too much white space can also be risks, not just inconsistent or poor formatting. It’s a balance. You have to know when to rein in your style. My current weaknesses are death by ellipses and the odd flurry of italics… we all have our vices.
- Ground the reader so you can run later? Here’s a simple example of two drafts.
First Draft
Later Draft
The later draft is three words shorter. Three ellipses become two. Two ‘ing’ words become zero. Double dash ending gone. I made the later draft simpler (and duller) so I can place the ‘flash’ elsewhere. I prioritised grounding the reader in the redraft. Is it the right call? I really don’t know. However, if you start wild and stay wild, you could make the reader tune out before the end. Grounding the reader is STORY RISK MANAGEMENT 101.
- Words that slow the read. Those words – like ones that end in ‘ly’ or ‘ing’. There are lists of doomed ‘slow’ words for writers. Look them up. However, you can get away with it sparing(ly) as long as you are be(ing) artful about it.
- Too clever or ambitious? Smart can slow the read too. If a reader has to go back and re-read. You’re probably toast no matter how brilliant the writing. Write for a reader who skims.
- Is my voice overpowering? Flare matters, but there’s no space for excessive showboating here. Poetry over clarity is a problem when you only have one-page.
- It flows. An easy-breezy read. I struggle with this one. All page crammers do.
- Has the ‘feel’ of a beginning, middle and end.
- Say it with me now…a fascinating character in an intriguing world with a nasty problem.
- Establish the politics. What’s important here, what’s normal here and who holds the power.
- Is there a creative complication or new information within the first quarter/third of the page? This ends the setup, and now you are in the meaty middle.
- An original visual. Do not underestimate the power of this; it sets you apart.
- Ideally, two main characters in conflict, or someone experiencing a scene unfold in real time (at one main location). Anything more ambitious might dilute a story’s intensity and tension. I say MIGHT in big capital letters for this one.
- Give a character a secret that gets revealed.
- You are writing parts for actors and you have no space. If actors want variety in the relationships they play, you really don’t have the luxury to do that here. You could sacrifice space to attract talent through a punchy character introduction – one physical feature and one behavioural (can be metaphorical) e.g. stunning, but mad as a box of frogs. Most likely, you will focus on what your characters do rather than what they say, as dialogue eats up space.
- Do you have a single-use secret weapon? A turn of phrase or description that signals you can write with style and confidence. You only really have space to do ‘poetry’ effectively once, and you’ll be very lucky, if you get space to do it twice. The most common places I have seen are in:
The opening lines of the story – the first thing we experience
A character intro
Describing a location
Last line of the story
- No character names start with the same letter. It will confuse you, even a single page.
- Three evil cheats: pick one – three-letter character name / pushing page margins / a title that does some heavy narrative lifting, e.g. ‘There’s a Killer Monkey at the End of My Garden’. I avoid the last type, so it’s Bob or push page margins.
- Misdirection is your friend.
- Keep dialogue tight. Blocks of three lines max, with no cringe or cliché.
- Search for echoes. Used ‘door’ three times in a paragraph, anyone? Watch for the same words close together and only do this deliberately when it’s a stylistic choice, e.g. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.
- Did your breathing change while reading this? Choppy rhythms can create fear. Longer sentences can create suspense. Held your breath and nearly passed out. Gold star!
- Land the plane. Readers like a strong final image – rather than just a line of dialogue by itself. Whatever it is, the last sentence should feel like the cherry on top.
- Ambiguity is your enemy. Lovers of the open-ended, subtle storytelling beware of the one-pager! Hinting at things is cool, but there’s a good chance that half the readers will miss your intentions. Therefore, is everything on this page crystal clear?
Your Ego
Two thoughts outside of the practical techniques:
- I didn’t let my confidence level kill the script? A one-pager is where the vomit draft shines. Get it down before your crippling doubt or absolute narcissism sets in. You’re a writer. Sorry, you fluctuate between these two poles. Screenwriting can be unhealthy; it can feel like you are either doubting or defending yourself.
- Get feedback. It’s too easy to kill the flow on the page by editing yourself to death. Try to establish some sort of feedback via a social group or coverage. People are happier to read a single page than 10 plus. Remember to check out CTBC (in the Killer Shorts Discord) and maybe take part in a challenge. It’s by far the most supportive writing group I have been a part of.
Wrapping Up
Sometimes it’s a dangerous thing to tell someone how to write their screenplay, even if it’s just a one-pager. There are always exceptions, and things work that shouldn’t. Your taste as a writer is developing too. I never considered myself a horror fan, but here I am writing dark genre screenplays.
This isn’t a how-to. I put together the above list to pass on what I have learned about the horror one-pager. Was it helpful? I guess ‘it depends’.
About the Author, Arran Crawley
I am one of Killer Shorts’ 10 Killer Canadian Screenwriters to Watch in 2025 (I’m not actually Canadian; I just live in Vancouver, so don’t tell them, OK?)
My highlights include wins at the Vancouver Horror Show and Ethereal Horror Fest for short screenplays. Also, placements at FilmQuest, Nightmares Film Festival, and PAGE quarterfinalist with both a horror short and feature.
My ‘first page’ skills have featured on YouTube’s ‘Spot the Pro’ Season 2, Episode 1. If you like my article style, I have also written screenwriting essays on horror structure at WhatSleepsBeneath.com.
