minutes: 3

# Tellie Script Secrets

## Section One: a plain section
The two "##" marks make this a section. Your Word and Pages headings, and a PDF's larger fonts, import as sections on their own. Every section shows up in the navigator at the bottom of Tellie's prompter.

## ! Section Two: a must-cover section
The "!" after the hashes means this section matters: do not let me skip it. Its text is tinted so you can see it counts, and as you read, the text greens while an amber ring at the bottom fills into a solid green circle to confirm you covered it.

## Section Three: another plain section
Add as many as you like. Tab moves to the next section, Shift-Tab goes back, or press a number to jump: press 5 for section five, 3 to come back here. Plain sections are not tracked, so there is no pressure to cover them if you are running behind.

## Section Four: a key point, in your own words
> key: theory of relativity
A plain "##" with a "> key:" line under it is a key point, not a must-cover. You never have to read it. The moment you say the phrase (here, "theory of relativity"), anywhere in your take, even while improvising, it checks off: the grey ring at the bottom becomes a green checkmark.

## ! Section Five: must-cover, said your way
> key: silent partner
A "> key:" under a "## !" gives you both at once. You plan to read this section, but if you cover it in your own words instead, saying the phrase still counts it. Best for the lines that matter most, where a missed delivery would be worse than an unscripted one.

## Section Six: the timer
Put "minutes:" on its own line near the top of your script (this one says minutes: 3) and Tellie shows a finish clock, pacing you against your real slot. Leave it out and Tellie sets its own deadline from your opening pace. Either way, it warns you if a must-cover section ahead will not fit, while there is still time to act.

## That's a wrap
That is the whole convention: "##" for a section, "## !" for one you must cover, "> key:" under a plain "##" for a point you say in any words, "> key:" under a "## !" for a must-cover you can also ad-lib, and "minutes:" near the top for a time budget. A plain script with none of these marks works exactly as it always has, just without Stagehand.