screenplays. So do readers for agents, pro-
ducers and directors. In fact, probably
90% of the screenplays out there suffer at
least one basic problem that keeps them
out of serious consideration. Although
learning to avoid all possible problems is a
life-long pursuit, the truth is simple: Avoid
these mistakes and you could get your
script past that all-important first cut.
even stick to industry standards. These
are just basic screenwriting craft -- e.g.,
showing instead of telling, following
standard formatting, writing with clar-
ity and brevity, and at least attempting
a three-act structure. If you fail on any
of these points, you're telling the reader
that you either don't know enough or
don't care enough to stick to the rules.
Few readers forgive that mistake.
fore you send the script off. Why? Because
scenes that seem great in the script sud-
denly stick out when condensed into a
synopsis. "Rick and Kara decide to go back
to Sam's apartment... why?" If a scene, nar-
rative arc or character doesn't fit logically
into a 300-500 word synopsis, than it's
"off the spine," a narrative dead end that
will put your script in the 90% of rejects.
Not On Your Story
ings that go with those ideas are harder.
Powerful, satisfying second acts that ad-
vance the story, raise the stakes and de-
velop compelling characters in exciting
can nail that, you've hit solid gold.
people really want to see: a great story.
good script, they absolutely must not.
Instead, they need to say things that re-
veal what they think and feel.
missed my birthday party," and "thanks
for ruining my birthday, you selfish
jerk." The first tells us what Sandra feels,
but nothing else; the second shows us
what Sandra feels and does so in a way
that also shows us her character, her re-
lationship with Clifford and more. If
your dialogue sounds like a boring fam-
ily therapy session ("I miss you when
you spend so much time at the office"),
re-write it until it doesn't ("You're hav-
ing an affair with your job!"). Your read-
ers will thank you.
different characters by the final page if
your reader is going to care about them.
Heroes and villains are defined by the
decisions they make. Weak scripts don't
force characters to make decisions. Weak
scripts don't "burn down the hero's
house" -- that is, force them out of their
known world through some kind of ir-
reversible turning point. Weak scripts
don't feature characters who endure re-
peated setbacks and mishaps.
stakes constantly rising? Are the char-
acters forced to commit more deeply to
their goals? Do the obstacles keep get-
ting harder to overcome? Does the third
act play out a final, desperate struggle
for all the marbles? Answer "yes" and
you improve your odds of making it
into the top 10%.
Storytelling
If you avoided mistake #2, you know
why. Stories thrive on cause-and-effect
and cause-and-effect sounds like, "And
because of that..."
the line. Scenes that have been properly
set up happen because of something
that happened earlier. Each domino
falls, each scene plays out with the irre-
sistible logic of, "...and because of that,
and because of that, and because of
that..." If that's how your screenplay
sounds, your reader won't want to put
it down.
mistakes. When you find one, re-write
until it's gone. Then repeat the process.
When you're done -- really done --
your script will stand an excellent
chance of getting past that first gate-
keeper.
play competition. He also writes coverage for
the Austin Film Festival as well as for indi-
viduals through his own business, Script-
Teacher.arjet.net. In addition, he writes
screenplays and teaches screenwriting and
other courses at Syracuse University, Austin
Community College and Emory University.
on the Reject Pile