3 Insanely Easy Ways to Cure the Script Slush Pile Blues!

by Marla White

It's always been hard for anyone who doesn't have an agent or manager to get their scripts read.  Sometimes even with an agent it's tough!  So give yourself the best shot possible by avoiding these three writing crutches.  They don't make your script better, I promise!   All they do is give even an assistant a good excuse to put the fruits of your hard labor on the stack of scripts to be read by somebody else at some unspecified time in the future known as "The Slush Pile." â€‹

​Stop with the dot-dot-dots!
 
Use the ellipsis - the official name for "..." sparingly.  As with any writing tool there's a time and a place for it, but less is plenty.  I've seen pages full of them as the writer tries to convey tension or suspense in dialog.  Let the actors act and the directors direct - that's not your job!  Limit yourself to no more than one per page.

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Omit camera direction
 
What I mean by camera direction is CU, XCU, CROSSFADE TO, PAN TO, etc.  There's some discussion about whether directors' want you to give them your vision, but the biggest reason to leave these helpful nuggets out is that your first responsibility as the writer is to engage the reader.  Agents, producers, studios, networks and ultimately actors have to read your script and love it to get it made.  â€‹

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These clunky directions, especially if overused, pull a reader out of a script rather than pulling them in.  If it is imperative that there's an XCU of a daisy for your story, go for it.  But if that's just how you see the scene in your head, wait until later to make that point.

Peter Conlan

Keep it active!
 
It's very easy to get sucked into using phrases like, "Bob was walking the dog when shots rang out."  The problem is that's a passive sentence and reading page after page of them makes the script feel sluggish and slow.  It's much more engaging if you describe the scene actively in motion. "Bob stepped out of his house to take Bowser for a walk when shots rang out." Or if you want to open the scene mid action, "Bob and Bowser were out for a walk when shots rang out." â€‹

Go through your script and carefully look at every "was ______ing" or "is ________ing" to see if there isn't a better way to write it.  â€‹

What writing quirks drive you crazy?  Let me know so we can help writers avoid them!