http://la-screenwriter.com/2012/08/02/50-dead-giveaways-that-youre-an-amateur-writer/

For those who haven't read this.   Can't say I agree with all, but a few caught my eye, especially #10.  In this case, celtix.


Ghost

How about trebly.org ?

And, once saved in pdf, how can you tell?

Don

Quoted from Don How about trebly.org ? And, once saved in pdf, how can you tell? Don

You can't.

Trebly is the best free software out there

Five screenplays now and going on Trelby and I love it.

And you can import / convert Celtix files over.

Shawn.....><

We get a couple new guys every once in a while that remind me of #50....

50.You think you can break all of these aforementioned rules and mistakes and people will still want to read your script and you'll still be able to break in because Tarantino did it.

Quoted Text You think when you finish your 3rd draft, you're done and it's ready to be submitted to agents, producers, actors or contests. It's not.

2 drafts of 'A Slave's Tale' written in a month... Finalist, BBC Writer's Room... Semi-Finalist, Shore Scripts.

Quoted Text Using music � specific songs and artists � in your scenes or writing a scene to a specific song. What do Beatles, Bowie, Beach Boys, Bon Jovi and Bon Iver all have in common? Their songs will add MILLIONS to your budget.

It is not the writer's budget. It's just in the script. A producer is not beholden to obey every word.

Quoted Text All conversations start with �hello� or �how are you� and scenes end with �goodbye, goodnight or talk to you later.� Or if dialogue is full of conversational niceties � thank you, please, your welcome, etc.

What about bad grammar? Knowing the difference between you're and your, for example?

Interesting read. The hate towards Celtx is strange, it's a fine program and it's free, which is only positive. Made me wonder if Mr. Manus had .doc/.txt/.celtx files in mind? Doubtful based on the wording, but once they're in .pdf, who can tell? Odd one. And +1 to the Trelby supporters, it's much more comfortable to use than Celtx, despite lacking a few features that it has.

Quoted Text There's nothing on the line - no STAKES - in the first scene.

This point was the one I was most surprised to see on the list. This certainly can't be a golden rule. You can't just say that the first scene of all screenplays instantly needs to have something on the line. These situations take time to establish, a lot longer than one scene for most. If done right, it'll work, but even if you're a really good screenwriter, it just can't work in all screenplays. Stories are different and establishing the world and characters peacefully and gradually is often a necessity.

I disagreed with a few other points and I thought some of them could have been worded better. "You think when you finish your 3rd draft, you're done and it's ready to be submitted to agents, producers, actors or contests. It's not." could rather work as "You think when you finish your 3rd draft you think there's nothing more that can be improved." Plenty of third drafts could be ready enough.

But this was definitely an interesting read with good points, cheers for the link.

This one I was curious about too:

Quoted Text Not giving us your main characters last names when introducing them.

I wouldn't consider this to be more than a personal choice. It's often easier to remember the character with just one name, especially if many are introduced in a short span of time. I don't know, though. What does everyone think about this one?

Yeah that was another I disagreed with. Shorts or even scripts where it just isn't necessary to know the character's last name do crop up. As the writer, we know when to use a surname and when not to.

I disagreed with the camera directions too. Even if the DP doesn't end up using them, you could still write them in if you feel they are effective.

In regards to conflict. There should be some in every scene... no matter how minor. Not being able to find car keys is conflict... it's something that keeps the viewer's eyes moving and mind thinking. As we are learning from a character's reaction to losing the car keys what sort of person they are. Keep things as dynamic as you can.

I think keeping things dynamic can also be done with dialogue alone though. Two heads talking. One would have to be good at dialogue, but even if poor then it would be good practise. I think making an interesting talking heads script would be just as much, if not more, of a challenge than zero-dialogue.

Yeah, agreed with minor conflict. I saw stakes as a bigger term though, at least in the concept brought out above. Showing someone react to losing their car keys, minor conflict, can show their character, good. But you can't always force a "big meeting" stake that will cost them their job if they can't find their keys and drive to work into every first scene.

And yeah, the camera directions along with some other points were very definitive. The first one has "between every scene", after that there are a few where it looks like you can never go against it, that aren't a problem sparingly.

The article is worth the read imo. It brings out things that are often mistaken against and should be useful, especially to very new writers, maybe it just sounds a little too cocky along with some items/points in the list that could do with a polish on their wording.

The list is valuable to a beginner like me.

Re Celtx: I started with Script Pro for ipad (free) and have just switched to Celtx ($4.99). It's so much better.

Can't imagine what you use makes a difference to anyone, though. And as Don said, who would know once converted?

Trebly is even better, huh?

Somewhere along the line professional writers went from needing a typewriter to needing every bell and whistle Final Draft can charge $100+ for. And if I think that makes no sense what-so-ever, I'm the one who's suspect.

Scripts should be judged on a script by script basis, not by a catch-all set of rules.

The thing with Celtx is to get writers to buy into the whole bullshit market. Only real writers use FINAL DRAFT. So then they pay for that believing it will magically transform them into a screenwriter and, when it inevitably doesn't, they turn to bullshit failed screenwriters that have remodelled themselves as gurus, giving them money to turn them into the great writer they just know they are.

If you need those people... these failed screenwriter gurus that set up websites for $5 a month, IMO, you'll never make it as a writer. What they have to say doesn't count... if it did, they'd be selling their own screenplays. Yet we have to listen to them drone on and on about what makes a screenplay great? Please.

Dustin: I understand your overall point but am unsure what you mean about Celtx. I just paid the one-time 4.99 fee (no subscription, etc.) because it's easier to use than what I had.

What do you use?

Thanks, Henry

$4.99? Celtx is free.. unless I've missed something. The one I downloaded was and the excerpt from the Celtx website FAQ tells me the same: "Yes. Classic Celtx desktop software is distributed under an open source license, so you can download it, use it, and distribute it for free."

Imo there's more than enough adequate information & software for screenwriting out there that any writer won't necessarily have to spend a dime on writing and learning about screenwriting, minus the electricity bill. The only thing I'm currently considering spending money on is a screenwriting competition once I'm good enough to throw a script down that path.

You all have gotten me interested about the fuzz around Final Draft now. Might give the free trial a go and take a look what's so special about it.

DS: The only one I saw -- for ipad -- was 4.99. Maybe I missed something. Anyway, 4.99 is almost free.

I agree about not spending money on info, advice, etc. It's all out there for free.