Alright tweeps, I have been reading scripts from emerging writers for the past 2 months and I have identified the TOP 10 SCRIPT PROBLEMS I see over and over. These are things I’ve struggled with in the past, and some I still struggle with, so I’m putting this out there to help...

...others learn from my experience. I’ve ranked them in order from new writer problems to the stuff even pros struggle with at the end. Let’s go!

(Note: This is not meant to subtweet anyone who sent me a script. I’m very grateful you gave me the chance to help you improve, and seeing these flaws so many times has improved my own writing. These are problems that occurred on multiple scripts that trip writers up)

1. TYPOS - 1 or 2 per script is ok, 1 or 2 per page is not. Typos = sloppy writing. And if you didn’t do a 2nd read to take them out it, you also didn’t give it a 2nd read to make sure your story is tight, your chars are consistent, the arc is in place etc.

2. ON THE NOSE DIALOGUE/OVER-EXPOSITION - In an attempt to explain things to the audience sometimes we have characters speak too plainly to the point where it loses realism. Every scene is a window into your character’s world but you must realize those characters still exist in..

... the scenes we don’t see. Does your mom say “How’s school going?” Or does she say “How are things at Harvard? You’re a genius to have gotten in. Are you still graduating with your law degree in 6 months?” The key is to break the exposition up over multiple lines of dialogue.

The next problems are where a lot of emerging writers get stuck and give up. It’s where the wheat gets separated from the chaff. The only way through is to keep writing scripts and taking the feedback you get on them to heart.

3. TOO MANY CHARACTERS - Every character must have a purpose in your pilot story, a distinct POV and way of speaking. And you should show it all soon after we meet them so they are memorable. An audience can only remember so many characters before they start to run together.

4. PLOT DRIVES CHARACTER - Say you have an idea for a situation you want to happen to your char. But would your char rationally get in that position in the 1st place? Sometimes you have them make choices their char wouldn’t make to get them there. That is plot driving character.

5. STORY STRUCTURE - Maybe it’s a left brain/right brain thing but half of writers specialize in dialogue and character, the other half in plot and structure (like me). To be the best writer you can be you need to discover which way you lean and work relentlessly at fixing...

your other half. The best way for dialogue writers to shore up their story structure is to analyze pro scripts (almost every pilot and Oscar nom film is available free online) and read books on structure like Save the Cat, Story by McKee or Writing The TV Drama Series by Douglas.

6. ACTIVE CHARACTER - This is the number one problem I come across. We like our leads to be active, we like them to be driving the story, not reacting to supporting chars doing the heavy lifting. It means giving them strong external goals, and having them solve plot problems...

What’s more active, a char going into shops trying to get a job, or one who waits for the phone to ring? What’s more active, a character pining away for a guy she likes, or who makes a plan to get him to go out with her? A char who defuses the bomb or calls the bomb squad?

5. TTFS - Stands for Talk To Friend Scene. Scripts aren’t just about what events happen to a character, it’s how they process it. Some scripts lack these quiet moments where they explain to a friend how an event makes them feel. Say a man’s wife files for divorce, the TTFS...

... reveals his true feelings about it. “I never saw this coming, was she cheating?” or “She had the guts to do what I never could” or “Our marriage was a lie to get my money” or “I’m not giving up on us yet”. These are important char beats and provides a window into their soul.

These last three are things that even pros struggle with, including myself. Like a bass line in a song, it’s the subtle thing in movies and tv show keeping it on track that most audiences don’t even notice.

8. SUBTEXT - What are your characters saying without saying it? Lessons From the Screenplay just dropped a great ep about subtext in Mad Men, my favourite show for using subtext -

9. STORY ENGINE - Mostly for TV, but does your idea have “legs”? What’s the long running conflict that will stretch for 5 seasons? And is it clear from the pilot what that engine is? In a procedural, cops catch the criminal, doctors save the patient. But it could be anything...

...In Homeland - Is Brody a terrorist or a hero? In Arrested Development - Michael must save the family company from the family. In Lost - they have to explore the mysterious island to escape it. The story engine is the inner and external conflict that keeps the show ticking.

10. MEANING - You can write a great script, avoid the other pitfalls but what is your story saying about the world? I’m absolutely not saying your script needs to be issue based, but what’s its philosophy? This vid explains it better than I ever could - http://www.pandemoniuminc.com/endings-video 

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. Writing is a marathon not a sprint. It’s the journey of a lifetime. I hope you use these tips to make your script just that much better. Happy writing!