Hi all, I've only just joined and as I don't particularly want to offend anyone, I was wondering what the unspoken rules of the board are? For example, I have read and commented on a couple of scripts posted here, but I have yet to post any of my own work - is this considered incredibly bad form? How long can I get away without posting my work, and thereby revealing my inepititude at screenwriting, whilst still joining in discussions?

I'm English, good manners are everything!

Reading other people's work and not posting your own is fine.  It's a lot better than the many who post work but don't read others.

You'll get more out of it if you do both.


Phil

There aren't any unspoken rules to be honest, you can basically do what you want when it comes to reading/posting screenplays. Just do the best thing for you

Oh, I beg to differ.

There are TONS of unspoken rules, so I'll type a few of them:

1.  BANANA CHAN is the best virtual series, AMERICAN ANIME is the second best, and THE LUNCHROOM is the third best.  Anything Wesley writes is the next best.  And out of all the virtual serials on the internet, the worst virtual series is STAR TREK: RENAISSANCE.  

2.  Horror screenplays almost always suck.

3.  Religious speculation is okay, but conversion attempts are not.

4.  Film Noir is rarely scripted correctly by an amateur.

5.  Write what you know, and defend what you know.

6.  I am your hero.

7.  Don is God.

8.  If you must complain about a company that screwed you over, you can't mention the company's name on these boards, because that somehow affiliates the webmaster with the complainer, even though it doesn't.  I hate this rule.

and reading the rules can't hurt.

Don

I think there should be an unspoken spoken rule because I'm about to say it that you have to read two scripts before you can cry and compalin about your own work. Now that I know more what it's like to be looked over I am done reading scripts by people who just lounge around pissing away there membership for there own selfish gain.

I'd much rather help good people like Balt, Alan, Ian, Ziggy and so on and so forth, people who actually read the scripts on the web site when they can. There are more, you know who you are.

And maybe scripts with no or a very short synopsis should be denied because a short synopsis for a full length script is if nothing else a uneeded distraction to a potential reader.

Anyways, that's my piece.

I find it strange that anyone who was serious about being a writer wouldn't want to read other peoples work? Otherwise how are you gonna learn?

That's the question that i asked myself and after a long discussion with myself I didn't go anywhere because I'm only one person, you know? But if I were talking to other people about it I'd come to the conclusion that there selfish big headed egomaniacs that want all the glory for themselves

But even if someone was convinced of their own infallible genius, wouldn't there be a certain amount of pleasure in reading other peoples scripts just to look down their noses at them! Although I suppose the illusion might be shattered if everything they read was quite obviously as good as or better than the script they thought was a masterpiece.

Maybe there just lazy, like me but i take the time to read stuff. I stayed up till 6am reading a couple scripts, I didn't have to but I did it because I promised the writer that i'd read it as quick as I could. It's mostly a thankless job giving reviews and reading screenplays even when they beg you to read it.

guess I can see both sides of the coin

I am also lazy - I'd rather be reading something someone else has written and commenting on it that actually getting round to working on my own stuff.

Here's a great unwritten rule:  Don't get pissed off if people write bad reviews of your script!  It's not their fault if they don't like it.


Phil

Really, just use common sense when it comes down to it. If you want people to read your stuff, read other peoples and post feedback (I read a lot more scripts than people think, I'm just not big on posting feedback, which is a pretty bad habit). If someone posts a line saying your script sucks, ask why. If someone posts a page with details about how it sucks, thank them. It will help you make your script better.

And always, ALWAYS bow down to the mighty Holman and Don should they bless your thread with a visit.  

*blush* Oh you.

Oh, another unwritten rule:  "Virgins shouldn't write erotica."


Phil