Most agents, producers and writing consultants see the same writing mistakes in screenplays over and over. Avoid these common problems from the beginning and you’ll likely have fewer obstacles to your success.
Get to the point. Your screenplay has to draw in the reader right away. The general rule of thumb is to introduce the main conflict within the first ten pages but some say within the first four pages. That means you can’t dawdle. Jump right into the action.
Keep it simple. This is particularly important if you have a background in fiction. You’re used to complex sentences and lots of description. When writing a screenplay, you want short, simple sentences and short paragraphs. White space is good! A dense script is a turn off. Make it easy for someone to quickly skim your screenplay. You don’t want to describe costumes and surroundings. Those are the responsibility of costume and prop designers. You should only describe those outfits or items that are essential to the storyline.
Avoid clichés. These pop up in characterizations, dialogue, actions and reactions. Do something new and interesting. Your writing must be fresh to attract positive reactions. You can always replace phrases such as “at the end of the day,” “the bitter end,” and “best and brightest” with less clichéd language. These overused terms practically announce in bright lights that you are an amateur.
Avoid too much dialogue. Don’t give your characters too many lines. Think about what you enjoy when you go to the movies. You want to see characters doing things, not saying things. If you have too much dialogue, none of the lines will be memorable. Don’t have characters explaining their thoughts and concerns and actions. Show it. Be ruthless with your dialogue. Your characters don’t need to state their every thought. Don’t insult the audience.
Avoid typos. Use your computer’s spell check function but also read through your text for mistakes like using the wrong form on there/their/they’re and its/it’s. Spell check won’t find those errors for you so have someone else proofread the screenplay, if necessary.
Avoid pulling your scenes and characters from other movies. Producers are looking for original material. That means something fresher than some slight variations to the scenes in recent, popular movies. You might think you’re creating a marketable screenplay. You’re not—you’re stealing.
Avoid passive and vague language. Almost every single passive phrase can be rewritten into an active voice. Rather than saying Alison’s space was invaded by the geek, say The geek invaded Alison’s space. And rather than saying Alison was happy, use a more specific phrase to convey Alison’s happiness: Alison danced with joy.
Remember transitions. Each scene should flow into the next, logically, or be hinted at in a previous scene. Lead the audience into a scene. Your hints can be subtle but the audience should never wonder where the characters are.
Consider your screenplay a blueprint. Don’t think of it as a literary document. Think of it as a plan. Unlike your college essays, you don’t want too much text. White space is good. It’s easier for the reader to skim and it helps your script appear as more of a blueprint for the final product—a movie.