Screenwriting : Personal format? by Martina Cook

I honestly think that anything you learn will be useful in the long run.

Also I don't think filmakers are willing to hire a screenwriter who doesn't know his/her work well, so keep learning.

IDK...but i will tell you one thing. I suck at typing. LOL. So I'm very Grateful to have my wife go back over my scripts and screenplays and edit mistakes and add stuff so that everyone can understand the story and stage that Losttime comics is told from. Kelly Hallman is a Godsend for Losttime Comics. Doris Chu taught us a lot; one pages, Loglines etc. She even explained that we can write the screenplay, and since we are indy startup type, we can hire a Pro to make it look professional. we are just creating the draft, because our stories are sci-fi and the look is different and strange we would have to draw it out so others would have a visual.

I think a typo or two will be overlooked for a good story, but if a script is littered with bad grammar, spelling etc then I think it's harder for a reader to slog through.... and as Owen said, with so many tools at our disposal these days why would you submit something knowingly riddled with issues?

Yeah, a typo or two is excusable but more than that is just sloppy. I'm good at proofreading but most people aren't, which is why I get clients hiring me to fix their typos and formatting issues. What's the point of having formatting for scripts if it's just going to be ignored?

It is not difficult to get the formatting right. I am amazed that so many people struggle with this or have to attend lengthy courses to get it right. There are free programs, example scripts and advice galore out there so formatting should never be an issue.

As others have said, a typo here and there is fine. I believe the writer of My Beautiful Laundrette said that he spelt "Launderette" incorrectly. Though, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, "Laundrette" is an acceptable term now too. Didn't do him any harm it seems.

And yes, it could be that if you know someone, you can get past the usual barriers which poor formatting, bad spelling and grammar would otherwise get you rejected.

Thanks for all your comments. I agree few mistakes here and there are not a big issue, but his words were "format is a personal choice", defending slug lines in bold, using different fonts, different sizes: proper script anarchy. I stick with the rules as I was always pointed out errors and mistakes in professional feedback I received, it just got me that he was so careless about it when I get caught all the time on even the smallest of mistakes...and yet his work gets optioned. Meh.

Well strictly speaking there are no rules, as there's no rule book... but there are accepted norms, so fonts and font sizes tend to be some variant of Courier 12(?), BOLD sluglines are used by some people and not others, they seem to be gaining in popularity and again are unlikely to stop a reader...

In terms of dialog, grammar should reflect the character speaking the dialog. For action/description, I would imagine that poor grammar would turn off most, if not all readers. I suppose that there may be some room for sentence fragments in action/description. Personally, I try to avoid poor grammar, spelling or word choice whenever I write, even in social media. Some people are probably so connected that they can get away with crappy writing. I doubt that there are many or any like that here on Stage 32 or any other message board. Also, what does it mean that this person gets "optioned"? I doubt he's getting $50,000 option from Paramount. If anything, he may be getting a zero dollar option from Billy-Bob's Basement Studios.

Thanks Anthony, good to know, although they were always pointed out as mistakes when I got feedback.

Even if I would "make it" to Hollywood, I would try to get my format and spelling correct. It just makes it look like either you're in a hurry or really don't know what you're doing. Both are equally bad in my book. But their are sum words that the smell checker won't catch!

Story is king overall, but a well written good story is even better! Just my humble.

If the Writer's agency & Reps don't mind and the scripts sell wide, then the Writer is doing something right on the page.

PM his name. I'll ask around if he is legit. Yes, who you know is more important than format & typos.

How many of you enjoy reading books, stories, etc. where the person didn't care enough to use proper English (I'm not referring to people speaking quotes, thoughts, etc. but actual format)?

Proper knowledge of the English language if writing for an English speaking/reading audience IMHO is just common sense, common courtesy and respect for your self and your actual writing. Do you care enough about what you do to spend the time making it the best version of itself it can be.

So I guess it's time for another painting reference.

The great masters of visual arts like painting and sculpting always, ALWAYS spent a long, long time envisioning what their finished work would look like. They even sketched it, created miniatures, etc. before they ever put a brush or chisel to the finished product and then they worked their art or piece until it was the best version of it it could be.

The Mona Lisa isn't a sketch or crayon drawing.

The Statue of David isn't a G.I. Joe figurine.

If a person doesn't care enough about their work or art to spend the time making it the best it can be, why should I care about it?

My background is in freelance writing and editing, so I tend to be very critical of typos and misused words. If you don't know the difference between "your and you're" or "to and too" or (this one I hate) "than and then" how on earth can you understand the more complex issues of story????

I agree that a typo here and there won't ruin a potential deal, but not taking the time to get the very basics of formatting, spelling and grammar correct is nothing more than laziness. And if you don't care about your work enough to fix those basics, why should any exec care either?

I red somewhars online a guy saids he was Lock Nass Monster! LAL

He's laying.

OMG! I had the same thing happen to me. It was the same storyline he told me. It almost stop me from writing again, cause I was new to the industry. I didn't know right from wrong, but I knew he didn't edited my stuff properly once I started letting other people read it. I gave him the feed back and he was saying it was them and not the writing. Trust me when I say, find a new editor, cause this guy is full of it.

I wonder why ANY writer would say that proper writing isn't important. Even if this guy DID option improperly formatted scripts filled with typos it seems odd to suggest that all writers should follow his "style". I suspect that this guy is full of s...., that he hasn't optioned a single script or is even represented.

However, "who you know" can often be more important than the script itself. If for no other reason than "who you know" allows access. A producer (or agent) is more likely to read a script from someone they know than from a total stranger. But that doesn't mean that if you know a producer presentation doesn't matter.

Thank you all for your comments. The guy is a total idiot. He trolled one of my posts and ended up insulting me. I spoke to the website admin, if he is not kicked out, I'm out there. Shame that because of a bad one, many have to suffer.

Spending months on formatting may be obsessive. But you don't want anything to make a read more difficult.

I know if I was a producer or anyone else that reads scripts to move them on, I wouldn't want to see grammar mistakes and formatting issues...so why would I write like that. Don't listen to the voice of one, they may lead you down the wrong path.

Martina - nobody with even half a brain is going to spout that sort of crap. My advice is to stay away from that pizzle wit.

Martina. The guy's probably lying or he found a crappy agent. He could have optioned a couple of script but I think he is probably lying about that as well. You really must write a screenplay that glows in the dark amongst the competition to have any real chance. I tend to make a lot of spelling and typos errors etc., which is why I have an editor that goes through my scripts before I send them to anyone including my agent. So no you aren't an idiot he is.

Grammar mistakes? Big mistake

now thats great news, congrats, festivals are hard to get tin

Whoever you heard that from should be ashamed and is absolutely wrong. as a former exec i can tell you it Matters!!

*grammars ;)

I agree with all of the above.

As an ex-editor, I can tell you from the perspective of contracting a novel that SOME mistakes can be overlooked IF the story is gripping and the author shows talent. I've met authors who have the same attitude: "I don't need to pay attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation. That's what editors are for." AFTER I counted to ten so I didn't kill the guy, I told him, "The job of an editor is NOT to fix what you're too lazy to do yourself. An editor's job is to fix what you missed. Editors are a second pair of eyes as well as ensuring your story is tight and marketable."

And YES!! The biggest point made above - IMHO - is with ALL the competition out there, WHY decrease your chances of getting read by submitting less than your best??? To answer your rhetorical question, Fiona: Why would a writer ignore the fundamentals? BECAUSE HE'S LAZY! shakes head I'm with you, Fiona!! Why screw up something so simple and easy to fix?

Okay...I'll get off my editor's soap box.

Arial, your comment made me smile because one of the crazy things the guy said it's also that the editor's job is to polish his script, hence why no need to care about it! I guess I've learned my lesson, thanks all!

A.S. Templeton, that's a good story!

We see the world, not as it is, but as we are.

I tend to think that when we hold opinions, such as these, we don't consider the many points of view that exist due to the spectrum of experiences that we'll never know. We tend to hold a perspective which is, in reality a singularity, yet we insist that everyone else's experience is a fractal relation to our own.

My own opinion is ambivalence. I think spelling and format are extremely important, second only to the primarily important points of storytelling and creativity. Any noticeable slip, in any of those aspects, can mean the difference between pass or fail, in any number of potential scenarios.

I will say that spelling, grammar and especially format, are the simple and objective things to get right. If you're going to do the hard work of story telling and creativity, why not also get the simple things right?

Owen, the guy didn't mention who his agent is, I presume he doesn't even have one. After insulting many people in a post, Admin stepped in asking to keep the discussion civil, which I thought was a bit weak, but after he trolled my post I contacted them personally and I have been reassured he has been warned (although I remember months ago in here someone using the same intimidating technique and being kicked out straight away). The website is talentville.com, I must say there are hundreds of good people in there, and only one so far has spoiled it so unless he is coming back for more I'll keep an eye on it because I like their concept (it's "you do review my script I'll review yours" kind of website).