You’ve written a script or two, or more, and a few people have said they’re pretty good. Maybe you’ve even made it through the first-round of a screenwriting contest. But now you realise that there are thousands of other aspiring screenwriters who are also writing fairly good scripts, and to get your writing noticed you know your script is going to have be not just good, but GREAT
So, how do you elevate your screenwriting from “good” to GREAT?
1) Investing Time: It’s going to sound obvious, but you probably need to invest more time in actually writing – and that’s not confined to writing script pages but encompasses all the early stage idea-work, thinking, mulling, planning, concept testing, character developing and story structuring. If you wanted to become a virtuoso violin player you’d be playing your violin for hours every day, not just every few weeks as and when the mood takes you.
The more you write, the faster you’ll get better at it, so make writing a part of your everyday routine. The Coffee Break Screenwriter by Pilar Alessandra shows you step-by-step how you can write your script ten minutes at a time. Developing, writing and rewriting not just occasionally, but intensively will allow you to master your craft more quickly. Alongside regular small chunks of time, why not try to immerse yourself in your writing for whole days at a time? Taking a break from all your chores and responsibilities, on a short holiday or a writing retreat, might give you the time and space to make substantial progress, giving you the momentum you need to push on.
2) Getting Feedback: When you’ve got a finished script that is as good as you can make it, it’s time to get some fresh eyes on it. First stop, try free script-swaps among fellow writers in your screenwriting community, locally, or on screenwriting groups on Facebook (I’d highly recommend Bang2Writers and Script Advice Writers’ Group) or on Twitter or among the London Screenwriters’ Festival delegate community. Some writers are great at giving constructive feedback, but you may find that what you get is advice that is more akin to making it the version they would tell, rather than helping you making it the best version of the story you want to tell. There are also a number of script consultants who offer feedback to writers for a fee, including my own Script Angel. You’ll find a wide range of rates and levels of experience among script consultants so the key is to do your homework and ask around.
Not all notes you get will resonate with you and, since you’re writing on spec and not to commission, you are not obliged to address them. But, I would say that if you’re getting the same note repeatedly then there is probably an underlying problem that you need to address.
3) Rewriting: When it comes to rewriting, and elevating your script from good to great, the key is to make sure that you have made all elements of your script as strong as possible. Take a look at your concept/premise – is it original? Does your script deliver on its genre expectations – if it’s a Thriller, is it thrilling throughout?
Do you have a clear driving story with a causally related beginning, middle and end? Do your opening ten pages get the story going and hook us in? Is your plot (and characters’ own flaws) giving them a hard enough time? Are the stakes high enough; even if it’s not literally the end of the world, it should feel like the end of the world for your characters. Are you raising dramatic questions?
Are all your characters interesting and psychologically rounded (a mix a strengths and flaws), even the secondary ones? Do all your characters have clear essence statements and strong first-meets? Is your theme, the message you want to convey, dramatized by what happens to your protagonist in your story? Is your tone clear and consistent throughout? Is your dialogue succinct and mostly subtextual; are your characters’ thoughts, feelings and intentions mostly implied rather than explicit? Does it read like a film; is there a strong sense of visual storytelling and imagery?
Is your script correctly formatted and proofed? Are scene headers clear, concise and consistent? Are your pages numbered and your character names consistent? Are your action lines only being used to describe what the director can capture with her camera eg. NOT: ‘Joanne gazes into the distance, thinking about her fight with Mark last night’.
A good script has some elements that are strong, but a great script is strong across the board.
Writing a lot, getting feedback, rewriting, then repeating that process, will help you to elevate your script from good to great.
Hayley McKenzie is an experienced script executive and the Founder & CEO of Script Angel; a professional writer development organisation which helps emerging writers to elevate their scripts, develop their voice and advance their screenwriting career.
