Common Script Writing Mistakes

For a novice scriptwriter, it is very easy to make mistakes while formulating the script. This typically begins with the script having a lot of words, wherein the characters have a lot of dialogues to spout out. Like I mentioned earlier, seeing is better than speaking. In the second place, s/he will be most likely to introduce many additional characters in his story. If any of those persons are not necessary to the development of the plot or to the action of the drama, let them be sacrificed at once. It is the main characters that are of importance to the play. While scripting the play, stick to one plot. The main plot needs to be well developed, beware of interrupting the interest by a sub-plot.

1. Spelling mistakes, typos, grammatical mistakes, and incomplete sentences.
2. Dull, confusing beginning. By the time you reach page four or five, you should have a decent sense of what the story is going to be about, the plot, and the sequence of events in the story. If it doesn’t, chances are, the readers won’t either.
3. Indistinguishable and cliched characters. The characters are not memorable if they speak in the same voice, fail to have clear and distinct agendas, and if the reader has to keep flipping back to remind himself of who is who. They are cliched if the writer writes to established “type” rather than creating unique individuals with specific needs and clearly defined distinguishing characteristics.
4. Too many or unnecessary characters or a dramatic problem that isn’t sufficiently focused or brought out in the script. Trying to insert too many ideas or plots in a script will only confuse the audience and the script will lose its focus.
5. An imbalanced script with a very long first act, a confusing second act, and a very short and rushed climax.
6. Too much exposure. While it is important for the scriptwriter to introduce the character to the audience, no one wants to sit and listen to the character talk about him through one whole act.
7. Scriptwriting is the opposite of essay writing. It should not contain too many words or flowery language. The description should not be more than a few lines long and If a dialogue is becoming too long, break it up with some action.