How Not to Write a Screenplay: 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make

Having read tons of screenplays as an executive, Denny Martin Flinn has come to understand that while all good screenplays are unique, all bad screenplays are the same. Flinn's book will teach the reader how to avoid the pitfalls of bad screenwriting, and arrive at one's own destination intact. Every example used was gleaned from a legitimate screenplay. Flinn's advice is a no-nonsense analysis of the latest techniques for creating first-rate screenplays that sell.

DON'T list a cast of charaters...DON'T used (CONTINUED) at the top and bottom of each page...DON'T number your scenes...DON'T use CUT TO unless it's a new scene...DON'T tell the actors which word to punch...DON'T interpret everything...DON'T put acting notes into your script unless they are unavoidable...DON'T coach an actor on how to say his lines...DON'T put in a lot of gratuitous camera instruction...DON'T lecture...DON'T write current fads...DON'T put in visual effects...DON'T use special printed covers...DON'T divide your screenplay into acts...DON'T write prose...DON'T direct when you write...