20 'Do's and 'Don't's When You Are Submitting Your Script

I've read a billion scripts in the last few months for the competition and I've noticed some things...

So, we are nearing announcement time for the Inspired Screenwriting Competition and

tara anaise

and I are eyeballs deep in scripts right now.

So. Many. Scripts.

First, it’s been such an honor that so many people have let us read their work. It’s not easy to put your stuff out there, and boy do we know that.

Second, it’s been incredible to witness how DIFFERENT each one is - voices from all over, telling all kinds of stories.

When you’re reading as much as we are, you start to notice patterns. Common… I’m not going to say ‘mistakes’ because we all make choices but I’m going to call them… ‘barriers’ maybe.

Barriers keeping the reader from falling in love. From getting sucked in. From wanting to tell everyone about it.

Below is a list of some, if you’re curious. But before I get to those, I’m going to start with a bigger, more general piece advice I might offer:

WHY?

The number one thing I would ask so many of the screenwriters whose scripts I’m reading for this competition is: Did you ask yourself 'why’?

• Why does this story need to be told?

• Why does this story need to be told now?

• Why does this story need to be told by me?

• What’s the point? Why should someone read this?

Consequently, those questions are what I teach in my pitch class - once you answer all of those questions, you pretty much have your pitch.

I have a feeling that a lot of people haven’t answered all of these. You can’t just answer one, btw. You gotta have an answer for them all. And it’s gotta be good.

So many great ideas wither on the page, and I’d argue a lot of the time it’s because that’s all that’s there. The idea. It’s got to be more than that. It needs to justify its existence. There are SO MANY SCRIPTS OUT THERE.

WHY YOURS?

I need your script tel tell me that when I read it.

With that out of the way, here’s a bunch of Do’s and Don’ts from a reader’s standpoint. However, as I always say, THERE ARE NO HARD AND FAST RULES. Always, ALWAYS, listen to your heart.

That said…