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Screenwriting for Authors – Avoid These Newbie Mistakes Part 2

by Manuel Marino | Movies, Writings

Photo by uniondocs

Hopefully, you have read my initial post on errors that authors make in their early attempts, and often in later ones, at adapting their books into screenplays. If you haven’t, that’s alright. Each of these articles can be understood on its own. So, let’s get started.

FAILURE TO CAPITALIZE CHARACTER NAMES – When introducing a character for the first time, their name should be ENTIRELY IN CAPITAL LETTERS, like JOHN SMITH. After that, use standard capitalization.

OVERLY SPECIFIC CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS – Many novice screenwriters try to envision their characters as specific individuals, like a George Clooney or Salma Hayek type. This can make casting particularly challenging, especially if you cannot secure those stars for your film. Instead, keep character descriptions more general, such as “athletic, in their early 30s.”

ATTEMPTING TO DIRECT THE SCRIPT – Some modern writers include camera angles and background music in their scripts. AVOID DOING THIS. It can label you as an amateur.

LONG, COMPLEX SENTENCES – Use simple sentences in your descriptive passages so that the producer does not have to pause and decipher your meaning. It’s a great way to avoid having them discard your script and move on to the …

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