by Glenn Magas

Created on: April 22, 2010

New screenwriters beware! If you aren’t in Screenwriting 101 you better be reading successful, well written screenplays and reading all the beginner screenwriting books you can find. I have to emphasize reading ‘well-written’ screenplays. Yes, it’s a crazy game out there and you’ll find some well-written screenplays that never hit the screen, and great movies with a poorly written (non standard) screenplay.

Why is this? Well, the successful film with a poorly written screenplay is not necessarily a bad script. Sometimes it is not ‘industry standard’ so-to-speak, as the writer is the director, the director is the writer, the writer and director have ‘their way’ of doing things, etc. As a neophyte screenwriter, follow the rules first – then break them! (How to write a movie Script - Break all the rules)

Here are ten mistakes to avoid when writing your screenplay.

1. Too much ‘black’
2. Lack of Structure
3. Characters that sound the same
4. Camera shots
5. Incorrect Font
6. Show don’t tell
7. Page Count
8. Long scenes
9. Voice Overs
10. Writing about a writer

Check the list. If you are a novelist, you are prone to Mistake #1. If you are not an educated screenwriter, you probably lack structure. If you are not a seasoned writer – all your characters probably sound like the main character.

You may not know this all of these little things, but someone else will. And that’s why your scripts need to be read with honest feedback and criticism before getting them in the mail.

1. Too much ‘black’

Prose is not the name of the game. If you look at a page of script and it is filled with ‘black ink’, you are writing too much description – like a book or novel. Cut it down to one or two sentences per action/description, and break it up into shorter descriptions with dialogue! If your first few pages are ‘black’ the chances the reader will put it aside are high! Get into the movie as fast as you can and get your characters talking!

2. Lack of Structure

There are three acts in a screenplay. Some may argue, 5, 7, or whatever act structure they want to adopt – but the bottom line is: a well written screenplay will end up with a strong beginning, a middle, and a great ending. That’s it.

3. Characters that sound the same

Ahh… they all sound like you. And the main character is you. Why is this? Well, we write ourselves into the

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