--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The way you write a screenplay is that…" description: "\"The way you write a screenplay is that you close your eyes and run the movie in your head and then you write it down.\" — Salman Rushdie" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/salman-rushdie-153_close-your-eyes_the-way-you-write-a-screenplay-is-that-y_823618.jpg" --- # The way you write a screenplay is that you close your eyes… ![“The way you write a screenplay is that you close your eyes and run the movie in your head and then you write it down.” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/salman-rushdie-153_close-your-eyes_the-way-you-write-a-screenplay-is-that-y_823618.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/salman-rushdie-153_close-your-eyes_the-way-you-write-a-screenplay-is-that-y_823618.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/salman-rushdie-153_close-your-eyes_the-way-you-write-a-screenplay-is-that-y_823618.jpg) > “The way you write a screenplay is that you close your eyes and run the movie in your head and then you write it down.” [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing a screenplay involves visualizing the entire film mentally before committing words to paper. **In simple terms:** Picture the film first, then write it. Key Takeaway Visualize before writing. Themes creativity process visualization Mood focused inspired Type instructional creative When to use this quote - film planning - novel writing - storyboarding - creative blocks Key Concepts screenwriting mental rehearsal Questions to Reflect On - How does mental rehearsal affect script pacing? - What visual details are hardest to translate into text? A Different Perspective May overlook practical constraints of production. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Screenplay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplay/) [Screenplays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplays/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It's really hard to write a screenplay, it's nauseating. All those great writers that tried to write screenplays, they couldn't do it, most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hampton-fancher/it-s-really-hard-to-write-a-screenplay-it-s-nauseating-all-those/) [Hampton Fancher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hampton-fancher/) > [You cannot live in Los Angeles for any period of time without eventually trying to write a screenplay. It's like a flu bug that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilda-radner/you-cannot-live-in-los-angeles-for-any-period-of-time-without/) [Gilda Radner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilda-radner/) > [If you're going to have someone win because of their story, go write a screenplay about your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/if-you-re-going-to-have-someone-win-because-of-their-story-go-write-a/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [ I don't write \[screenplay character\] biographies beforehand. I usually go in knowing some sequences: this is where I want to start, this is where… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sayles/i-don-t-write-screenplay-character-biographies-beforehand-i-usually/) [John Sayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sayles/) > [If I want to write a movie, I'll write a screenplay, but if I have an idea for a book, it's something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/if-i-want-to-write-a-movie-i-ll-write-a-screenplay-but-if-i-have-an/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [I love making movies and hope to write my own screenplay someday and do some producing and be behind-the-scenes as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-justice/i-love-making-movies-and-hope-to-write-my-own-screenplay-someday-and/) [Victoria Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-justice/) > [Anyone living in Los Angeles who has opposable thumbs is required to write a screenplay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-scott-bell/anyone-living-in-los-angeles-who-has-opposable-thumbs-is-required-to/) [James Scott Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-scott-bell/) > [ It's my story \["Selling Isobel"\].I chose to write a screenplay about it because I think film is the quickest medium to get a story… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-farrell/it-s-my-story-selling-isobel-i-chose-to-write-a-screenplay-about-it/) [Frida Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-farrell/) > [I'm probably, if I might, if I stray I might write, go into screenplay or do something in film. Something like that but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-m-probably-if-i-might-if-i-stray-i-might-write-go-into-screenplay/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I set out to write a screenplay but, since my early 20s, had dreamed of writing a novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-simsion/i-set-out-to-write-a-screenplay-but-since-my-early-20s-had-dreamed-of/) [Graeme Simsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-simsion/) > [When I write a screenplay - and I think this is true for a lot of people - you direct the movie. Thats what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-patrick-shanley/when-i-write-a-screenplay-and-i-think-this-is-true-for-a-lot-of/) [John Patrick Shanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-patrick-shanley/) > [You write a screenplay and then everybody is going to want to get in on it and we have to figure that out. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-brewer/you-write-a-screenplay-and-then-everybody-is-going-to-want-to-get-in/) [Craig Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-brewer/) > [The time it would take me to write a screenplay it would take me the time to make two films. I would rather make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/the-time-it-would-take-me-to-write-a-screenplay-it-would-take-me-the/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [By the time I was doing "Kill Bill," it was so much filled with prose that, you know, I start seeing why people write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/by-the-time-i-was-doing-kill-bill-it-was-so-much-filled-with-prose/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [In a novel, language is your principal tool, you try to build pictures in the mind of the reader. When you write a screenplay,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-claudel/in-a-novel-language-is-your-principal-tool-you-try-to-build-pictures/) [Philippe Claudel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-claudel/) ## More by Salman Rushdie > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“...proving once again that there was no escape from recurrence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/proving-once-again-that-there-was-no-escape-from-recurrence/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-little-bit-of-one-story-joins-onto-an-idea-from-another-and-hey/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) [Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More Close your eyes quotes > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/) [Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/) > [“Here, in the garden at night, it is another world, strange and yet friendly and familiar, never frightening. There is such quietness, such sweetness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hill/here-in-the-garden-at-night-it-is-another-world-strange-and-yet/) [Susan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hill/) > [Why don't you just imagine it never happened..??](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/effy-stonem/why-don-t-you-just-imagine-it-never-happened/) [Effy Stonem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/effy-stonem/) > [Sit down, hold your back up, close your eyes and think about nothing' - that's not on the table for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-povitsky/sit-down-hold-your-back-up-close-your-eyes-and-think-about-nothing/) [Esther Povitsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-povitsky/) > [“With a quiet pause, he let his hand come to rest just below the triangle of blond curls that concealed her most tender flesh.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-anne-warren/with-a-quiet-pause-he-let-his-hand-come-to-rest-just-below-the/) [Tracy Anne Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-anne-warren/) > [“Instead they dream of furniture Of buying a new hat Of owning matching silverware Could you imagine that? Yes there are places in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-clayton/instead-they-dream-of-furniture-of-buying-a-new-hat-of-owning/) [Dallas Clayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-clayton/) > [“Imagine, Bishop, that you have a beloved cat, but that your cat is not with you. If you close your eyes and further imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/imagine-bishop-that-you-have-a-beloved-cat-but-that-your-cat-is-not/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [Just close your eyes, the sun is going down, you'll be alright, no one can hurt you now, come morning light, you and I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/just-close-your-eyes-the-sun-is-going-down-you-ll-be-alright-no-one/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [I can't be with you today, but if you close your eyes and think; I'll be beside you in the kitchen wearing your shirt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharlene05/i-can-t-be-with-you-today-but-if-you-close-your-eyes-and-think-i-ll/) Sharlene05 > [When you put a halo on concepts - gender roles, religion, nationality or pride - or you put a halo on any topic -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/when-you-put-a-halo-on-concepts-gender-roles-religion-nationality-or/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [No matter what you do I'll be there for you And every time you close your eyes I will be by your side 'Cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proudlesbian/no-matter-what-you-do-i-ll-be-there-for-you-and-every-time-you-close/) ProudLesbian > [“When you're scared, when you close your eyes ... just know there is nothing left to fear!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/when-you-re-scared-when-you-close-your-eyes-just-know-there-is/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [“Try a little experiment. Close your eyes and say to yourself: “I wonder what my next thought is going to be.” Then become very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/try-a-little-experiment-close-your-eyes-and-say-to-yourself-i-wonder/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [The sea answers all questions, and always in the same way; for when you read in the papers the interminable discussions and the bickering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/the-sea-answers-all-questions-and-always-in-the-same-way-for-when-you/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) Browse all 728 Close your eyes quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The way you write a screenplay is that you close your eyes and run the movie in your head and then you write it down.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Salman Rushdie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-way-you-write-a-screenplay-is-that-you-close-your-eyes-and-run/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Close your eyes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-way-you-write-a-screenplay-is-that-you-close-your-eyes-and-run/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/salman-rushdie-153_close-your-eyes_the-way-you-write-a-screenplay-is-that-y_823618.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/salman-rushdie-153_close-your-eyes_the-way-you-write-a-screenplay-is-that-y_823618.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/salman-rushdie-153_close-your-eyes_the-way-you-write-a-screenplay-is-that-y_823618.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The way you write a screenplay is that you close your eyes and run the movie in your head and then you write…” — Salman Rushdie", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Salman Rushdie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The way you write a screenplay...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-way-you-write-a-screenplay-is-that-you-close-your-eyes-and-run/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-way-you-write-a-screenplay-is-that-you-close-your-eyes-and-run/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```