| A FEW NON-NEGOTIABLES 1. No matter what stage of the game you are at, always BE PROFESSIONAL. 2. Always keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy and use them. 3. Buy some good books on grammar, writing and screenwriting. If you want to write, learn to do it well. 4. Invest in a good screenwriting program, and make sure your screenplay is properly formatted. Try using a nice font, e.g., Times Roman 12 pt., it's easier to read than courier 10 pt. and looks much better as well. 5. Spell check everything at least three times, and remember that spell check won't catch every mistake, especially if you have accidentally typed a real word. 6. Proofread, proofread and proofread! Try to do a little bit at a time. Remember, your eyes will often "see" what they want to see, so, you can't be too careful. 7. Write a terrific cover letter, and pay attention to the formatting and sentence structure. Make it concise and easy to read; it's best to keep it to one page. (Fact: One can usually guage the quality of a screenplay by the cover letter.) 8. Comparisons are fine, as long as they are within reason and not delusional. Be careful to avoid excessive bragging and making grand comparisons of your writing, story and/or characters to great writers and classics. You might say your story bears similarities to the story or characters of the material, but avoid bragging that yours is so much better. Be confident, but realistic. 9. Don't over-indicate every action, nuance and gesture. One of the most common mistakes that new screenwriters often make is to write every millisecond of action into the exposition. Please keep in mind that most professionals have read hundreds, if not, thousands of screenplays, and can picture the natural succession of events. 10. Always include a title page with your draft date on it. This is very important, as you may not think you are going to rewrite your screenplay, but, more than likely, you will -- especially if it gets optioned or purchased. In addition to the title and your name, don't forget to list contact and/or representation information. 11. Never send out unsolicited material. Always get permission from the person or company to whom you are submitting your materials, or it will probably end up in the trash or be returned. 12. Always be polite when trying to get your material read. Remember, these people are very busy, and no doubt, are inundated with requests from other writers and everyone else who wants to be in showbiz. Of course, many of them have "attitudes," but they are probably stressed and dealing with a lot of pressures as well, so keep your c-o-o-l! Keep in mind, that today's assistants are tomorrow's agents, producers and executives -- often, much sooner than one would imagine. 13. Knowledge is power: be informed. Read the trade papers, e.g., The Hollywood Reporter and Variety (you can scan them online), and take a look at other Entertainment Industry websites and magazines. Go to the movies, and checkout the box office reports tosee what is selling and making money. This is not to say that you should only be motivated by money and what, at the moment (in a very fickle business), is commercially viable. However, you should know what is going on in the Industry, so you can more intelligently make a case for why your project should be made, e.g., whether it may fill a void in the marketplace, or perhaps, cash-in on what is already popular. Read, read read!! Books, screenplays, books on writing and filmmaking, newspapers, biographies, fiction and classics. 14. WRITE! Just DO IT. Even if you don't feel inspired or in the mood, even if it's not perfect, just write it! As you hone your skills and rewrite what you have written, it will develop into what you want. Writing is about rewriting. One should constantly be learning and trying to improve oneself. |
| Smoke 'n' Mirrors Entertainment, Etc. Pamela Leeds Producer, Story Analyst, Editor & Consultant [email protected] |
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