I sometimes find that when I transfer a script from rtf to doc or whatever, that I'm left with pages that end in a slugline, or just the character name with the dialogue at the top of the following page.

Normally I'll bump these down since I've read that you shouldn't end a page with a slugline, and to me it doesn't make sense to have a character name with nothing below and subsequently, dialogue with no name above it, but in doing so I leave a space that is slightly larger than what is proper at the bottom.

My question is:

Is what I'm doing the right way to go about it?


Mike

I believe what you're doing is correct, but I'll wait for Mr. Willson to clarify.  I read in the Screenwriter's Bible that you never want to leave just a name and no dialogue and vice versa and it's better to just start it on the next page.  It also avoid the use of CONT'D and MORE, which I've also read is going out of date.

Short answer: yes.

The way I've ALWAYS done this in Word or any other word processor is to manually page break the end of every page. I've found that conversion between file types or between programs tends to create problems, and since I don't use a formatting program, I go through each page, and decide where I want to break it, so when I convert it (say, from doc to pdf), it breaks where I want it to.

This works about 99% of the time. The other 1% is something you'll just have to pick up on and that's when your broken page actually extends to the following page creating a single line on an empty page. It doesn't happen often, but it's something to be aware of.

As for space at the bottom of a page, there is no proper spacing. The only spacing to be observed in regards to margins are the left, right, and top. The bottom should be no LESS than one inch, but it can be as wide as you need it to be. Things you never want to dangle include sluglines, dialogue names, and split dialogue. Some other things I never dangle are split actiopn paragraphs either. It just looks nicer.

Sometimes you run into a long speech at the bottom of a page. This is my unwritten rule of thumb on this one. If the speech is longer than a quarter of a page, use MORE at the end of the page and CONT'D at the beginning of the next page (next to the character name) to break the dialogue at a reasonable spot (preferably the end of a sentence), and then continue it at the top of the next page. If the dialogue is less than a quarter page, break the whole thing to the next page and leave the space. This is acceptable in screenwriting.

Hope that helps.

Formatting can get a little hard sometimes.

I usually have to write it plain first -

Example:

Man
Hi.

Girl
Hi.

And then when I'm done with the script, I just have to format it from the beginning. I just feel like I wanna buy a screenwriting software instead.

My fingers are just used to the way I set up my tabs so when I am typing it all out, I automatically hold down the shift key, or automatically do enter-tab when I've hit the three inch marker on the ruler. I've done it so much, that I can eyeball dialogue into the right width. Practice makes perfect there too. The more you use a WP for screenwriting, the more you never want to use anything else.

Do you use Wordpad or Microsoft or some software?

I usually use wordpad, but now I just found this software I'm getting used too.

I primarily use Microsoft Works or Word. Any WP that you can set margins and tabs on will work. Big bonus if there's a ruler going across the top of the typing portionof the screen so you can spot your three-to-three and a half inch width for the dialogue.

Yeah I was using Wordpad before I got my new computer but now I use Word.  The ruler up top is a lifesaver.

Dialogue can be pretty annoying when you aren't using Screenwriting software.  Especially the right margin.  I just try and feel out how long it should be and then I hit enter and tab again to line up with the ruler.  

I always preset the tabs, so one tap to tab lines it right up. Two taps for wrylies (in the rare instance that I actually use one), and three taps for dialogue headers. Don't really need any more.

Script Wizard is a very good piece of software to get. It's an add on for microsoft word and is fairly cheap for screenwriting stuff ($80) on writersstore.com. It runs in word and just adds extra tabs when you run the script writing template. You click on the tab you want and it goes to the right point on the page. Extremely easy to use and does the job perfectly and I use it and recommend it to anyone else.