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Here's how it went for me. I had no training, had never read a screenwriting book when I came here. By that time I had written 2 features. The first was on Microsoft word, I knew it was junk. The second was junk too...but I had no idea.
Bert was kind enough to slog through it and give me advice in a way which didn't cause me to run for the hills.
Then I started trying to learn with shorts. Jeff helped a ton, and I will always be grateful.
As time when by, though, I started questioning on my own, in certain very specific situations, whether the rules made sense. Sometimes they seemed to force awkward writing. As a writer, you almost have to perform mental gymnastics to work within the rules.
All of my life, I listen to all advice...but also question everything. Yeah, one of many annoying anti-social traits. I am what I am. So I was well down the road of questioning how absolute many of these rules should be.
Then I finally started getting recently written pro scripts...including those written on spec. And this confirmed what I had already been thinking about these rules.
And yes, there are examples of poorly written pro scripts that sell because of the concept or some other reason. But those are the exception, not the rule. If you read most of these scripts you can see the incredible difference between how they tell stories and how an amateur does. Even a very good amateur..
So all I am really suggesting is that the forum finds some happy medium of helping newbs, but not perpetuating these false rules that lead, ultimately, to awkward and limited writing.
I agree there should not be hard and fast rules. Here's the three "guidelines" I would suggest to a new screenwriter:
- SHOW, DON'T TELL. This is in CAPS because it's a universal part of storytelling, and has nothing to do with format.
- Read. Read other scripts. Read books on screenwriting. Read novels, feature stories, any well-written prose. It makes you a better writer.
- Know your grammar. We've all seen new screenwriters who may "have an idea" and they want to commit to the screenplay format, however they don't have a firm grasp on grammar and punctuation.
I agree there should not be hard and fast rules. Here's the three "guidelines" I would suggest to a new screenwriter:
- SHOW, DON'T TELL. This is in CAPS because it's a universal part of storytelling, and has nothing to do with format.
- Read. Read other scripts. Read books on screenwriting. Read novels, feature stories, any well-written prose. It makes you a better writer.
- Know your grammar. We've all seen new screenwriters who may "have an idea" and they want to commit to the screenplay format, however they don't have a firm grasp on grammar and punctuation.
All this talk about hard and fast rules is a bit funny to me. I actually decided to pursue screenwritting because of the "rules" , formatting, and structure.
I think I have a little OCD, I like rules and structure. I like to know how things should be and why.
Maybe it does hinder my ability to write a great script, who knows.
So when it comes to reviewing scripts, the way in which it is written definitely affects the read for me. It also makes me think of the amount of books on formatting and scripts I had to read to be able to write a script.
I like the idea of rules atleast until people have some idea of what they are doing.
Does it really matter if this morning your main happened to pick out a nice plaid sweater vest, creased khaki slacks and a black bowler hat to wear to the coffee shop this morning? Or that the love interest has her hair in a neat bun with a pretty blue bow? Of course not. Clothing adds nothing to a character, at least not where the story and your script are concerned. Leave those headaches and decisions to wardrobe if and when your script ever gets made.
So many times I read a script and find the characters described only by the clothes they are wearing and it kills me. Usually this is done when a character is first introduced so this is the writer's first chance to make an impression on the reader and ends up as an opportunity wasted. Remember, that first chance to make an impression is all you're going to get, it's a golden opportunity so make the most of it! Show us the person under the clothes. When we first see them what are they doing? Cheating on a test? Running red lights on the way to work? Getting berated by their boss and passively taking it? Are they shouting back? Breaking down in tears? How they act when we meet them tells us far more than their fashion sense ever will.
Clothing adds nothing to a character, at least not where the story and your script are concerned...
For main characters, I will agree there should be more detail of personae. For all others, sometimes it's all you have to go on, or need.
If a scene has a suave alpha male barking at minions as they arbitrarily turn knobs inside a hollowed out volcano, it gives the perception of a rouge enterprise hell bent on world domination. If the Minions are wearing lycra leotards and helmets carved from watermelons, well... you most likely have a pack of flaming fruitcakes hell bent on world transfiguration. That alone, IMO, is worth a thousand words.
1) learn the basics about constructing a script 2) get your hands on a handful of pro scripts that have been written in the last, say, five years. Get the look and feel of a script. Each of those scripts will have a slightly different feel, but they all will have the look and feel of a pro script. Read some amateur scripts to compare. 3) know what an unfilmable is and don't attempt any until you have completed 5 features. 4) likewise with passive voice, adverbs, "we see" 5) keep your lines of action description to a minimum 6) when in doubt, clarity trumps all rules. Make sure what you want us to see is clear, do whatever it takes to do that in as few words as possible 7) once the reader is bored, you've lost her...avoid anything that bores seek out other screenwriters to compare reads. Review their work. AND MAKE YOUR REVIEWS MEANINGFUL. Dig into to story and just tell them what you honestly like and don't like. This is why I myself don't share reads of features anymore and why I don't post features here. Because I don't want to owe people a lengthy read when they didn't really help me. If I read your feature I am going to TRY HARD to give you useful notes. That will take at least a few hours of my time. Why would I do that if you read my features and say "nice work, really dig the pop sickle scene!" If your notes don't help the reader, why should he invest the time in your script? And TRUST YOURSELF. You might be new, but your opinion on story is as good as anyone else's. So dig in, think about what you are reading, and give REAL feedback. That WILL be valued by the reader, and you'll make lasting and indispensable connections that way.
1) learn the basics about constructing a script 2) get your hands on a handful of pro scripts that have been written in the last, say, five years. Get the look and feel of a script. Each of those scripts will have a slightly different feel, but they all will have the look and feel of a pro script. Read some amateur scripts to compare.
Number one is really what I'm trying most to accomplish. Have an understanding of the construction of a script. With regard to reading pro scripts. That is where we run into trouble as most scripts available are shooting scripts which have camera angles in them.
Ooh, a discussion about "rules" with a definitive end result!
I take note of the word "peeves." With that context, I don't think any of the five can be disputed. I mean, if you have issues with any of them, you're bound to annoy someone. Whether or not that's justified is up for debate, but it's an objective fact that these "peeves" do get on *some* writers' nerves.
Of course, the point is to provide new writers some tips which will guide them on the right path. For the most part, I agree with all of them, but of course, they all contain some nuance (except for spelling, I suppose). Rather than endlessly split hairs to come up with the perfect language that covers every single caveat for each "peeve," why not just include a disclaimer that says in a nutshell what so many writers have said here before: that these "rules" aren't rules so much as guidelines, that there are exceptions, and that with experience, one will learn when it's appropriate to bend/break the "rules," but that they are helpful guidelines to follow when just starting out. Honestly, at some point, you have to grant people some common sense and allow them to make their own mistakes. Besides, if this list is to serve as an entryway for new writers into the site/boards (as I understand it to be) and not some definitive manifesto that represents the site as a whole, they'll have plenty of time to discuss "we see" and passive voice in future threads. Those debates happen all the time around here.
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Top Five New Writer Peeves (and How to Help Them)
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seek out other screenwriters to compare reads. Review their work. AND MAKE YOUR REVIEWS MEANINGFUL. Dig into to story and just tell them what you honestly like and don't like. This is why I myself don't share reads of features anymore and why I don't post features here. Because I don't want to owe people a lengthy read when they didn't really help me. If I read your feature I am going to TRY HARD to give you useful notes. That will take at least a few hours of my time. Why would I do that if you read my features and say "nice work, really dig the pop sickle scene!" If your notes don't help the reader, why should he invest the time in your script? And TRUST YOURSELF. You might be new, but your opinion on story is as good as anyone else's. So dig in, think about what you are reading, and give REAL feedback. That WILL be valued by the reader, and you'll make lasting and indispensable connections that way.
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