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My POV
Brian A. Wilson
ELEMENTS OF STYLE
If you've been a writer longer than about 45 minutes, you've heard of the book "The Elements of Style," by William Strunk and E.B. White.
Do your screenwriting career a favor: don't forget this valuable little book, a staple on every writer's bookshelf since its debut in 1935.
Its 92 pages contain most, if not all, of what you need to know to construct a grammatically correct screenplay.
Some will say, "But there's no need for "real" grammar in a screenplay. A screenplay has its own rules."
True enough. But if you are to violate the rules of the English language, it's best to do it from a position of knowledge, not ignorance. If you choose the latter, you run the risk of coming across as a poor writer.
Beyond the concerns of mere grammar, a screenwriter, especially a first-timer, must be exact in spelling and word choice. Failing to do so can mean the end of getting your script read.
Think I'm exaggerating? Justen Dardis, a top agent in town, has one rule of thumb when reading a script. "I read to the first typo," Dardis says.
That would have meant big trouble for a script I read recently where the writer misspelled "Los Angeles" in his address on the front cover. Or another script I saw recently that had "EXIT." in the very first slug line instead of "EXT."
Spell check won't solve all your ills, however. It did no good for the writer who proclaimed that a character threw an egg at a car's windshield and watched as "the yoke splattered across the glass." No word on what became of the oxen previously attached to said yoke.
Dardis' rule may seem harsh, but I believe it's fair. After all, if you'd like to be paid a relatively modest (by Hollywood standards) $100,000 for your script, you're expecting to receive one thousand dollars per page. Shouldn't you put a thousand dollars worth of effort into that page? Doesn't the buyer have a right to a professionally prepared, professionally written document if he or she is shelling out a grand a page?
If you're expecting a million, that's ten thousand smackers PER PAGE.
Are you sure your script is ready to send out? Does it look like ten thousand per page? Be sure.
Part of the reason to be so careful with grammar, spelling, punctuation and all the "little things" of writing is that you owe it to your buyer. Part of being a stickler means you'll stay with a script until you've polished it to the point of glowing. And part of it is, that's what being a writer means. You care about your craft, you care about your work more than anyone else, you care about the product to which your name is attached.
Pay attention to the smallest details of style. They may just be the key to making you a big writer.
Keep writing.
BW
LA
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