Top 10 Fast & Easy Script Fixes

Take These Steps Before Sending Out Your Script & Maximize Your Chances

Yes, we all want to share our work with the world as soon as possible. But before we do so, let’s take a few final steps to make sure our screenplays are in fighting shape.

Here are ten (relatively) quick and simple things you should review before making any crucial industry submissions.

+++

1. Scan for passive/indirect language.

“Starts to,” “begins to,” “he is running,” etc. Cut all of it. Don’t start, just do. Rewrite everything that ends in “ing.” And bonus points if you never use a boring verb like “run.” And that brings us to…

2. Verb choices.

Are you using the juiciest, voiciest, and most specific verbs possible? “Walk” and “run” are boring and have no flava. Maybe the character “hurtles down the field,” “scampers up the stairs,” or “shimmies across the parquet.”

3. Break it up.

Any paragraph longer than a few lines, chop it in half. Doing so adds white to the page, creating an easier read. The goal should always be white on the page.

4. Get the hatchet.

Scan every page, every paragraph, every sentence, with hatchet in hand and ask, “what can I cut?” Every word needs to earn its inclusion on the page. Pretend each one casts you a thousand bucks. Your writing be as economical as possible and hit like a fist to the face.

5. Check Your Length.

110 is the new 120. Comedies and horror, even less. No one wants to read long scripts anymore. Lean and mean is the order of the day. When you’re a successful creator, you’ll earn the right to go long. But for now, know that a 90-105-page script will likely form a better first impression than a 120-pager.

6. Act Breaks Must Hit on Time.

For features, that means between the 20-30-minute mark for the Act I/Act II turn, and around 75-85 for Act II-III. If you’re outside of those marks, check your structure. If you’re short, this may indicate missing character setup in Act I or lack of proper depth in Act III. If you’re long, that likely means you need to revisit that structure and edit ruthlessly.

7. Cut Intros and Outros.

Get into scenes late and get out early. While there may be times when introductions are necessary of course, but generally speaking, get to the meat of the scene quickly and then get out right after the button – the high point of the scene.

8. The Big Schnozzola.

Scan for on-the-nose dialogue. Do your characters overtly share their feelings? In real life, we seldom do that. We lie, prevaricate, beat around the bush, say the opposite of what we mean, talk about one thing but mean another, or say nothing and let body language convey the message. Look for other ways to get out the same info in a more indirect fashion. Watch our video on this – we’ll link to it below.

9. Lose the CONT’Ds.

Super minor and not even really a mistake, but it’s worth noting. Dialogue continueds (or CONT’Ds) are only needed when dialogue continues over a page break. Just turn off “Automatic Character Continueds” in your writing software. Why do this? Well, they’re not necessary; more and more they’re considered a bit passe; but also removing them creates more white on the page. And yes, we know, many successful creators still use them… because they likely don’t know you can just turn them off.

10. Check Spelling and Grammar.

This one we shouldn’t even need to mention, right? And yet the majority of scripts we see have not been spellchecked. If your writing software has grammar check, make sure to run it as well. Grammarly Free will also catch many syntax and grammatical errors and can be especially of value to non-native English writers.

+++

Don’t give them a reason to pass on your script before they have even properly considered it. None of these points are critical, necessarily. But addressing them will tighten up the read and help create the patina of professionalism we all want.

Now go get ’em.