The Professional Screenwriter: Common Screenwriting Mistakes

As a story analyst at a boutique agency, I covered more than my share of bad scripts, and most of them were bad for all the same reasons. We're not talking about improper formatting or typos (although I saw plenty of both), but rather, the same fundamental story errors that kept otherwise good writers from moving on to the next level. Here is a list of common mistakes that separate the professional screenwriter from the amateur.

Nothing to Lose
In most scripts that receive a pass, the hero is not risking anything. The audience must know what the costs the hero is willing to endure to do the right thing - and whatever they are, they must be valuable to the hero. This holds true for all the characters in the script, but especially the protagonist.

Clichéd Characters
This is another one of those seemingly contradictory rules in screenwriting. The characters must be familiar, but they must not be too familiar. It's up to you as the screenwriter to give your familiar characters some sort of twist. Familiar character types provide a base for you to sculpt a unique character. Without the base, the character falls down. The twist also provides an unexpected surprise, leaving the audience thinking - 'hmm... I thought I knew this person. Isn't that interesting.'

Dramatic Tension
Most screenwriters realize the need for conflict, but what separates the pros from the rest of the pack is the concept of building tension. As we move through the screenplay the stakes must get higher and higher, until ultimately the hero's core values are at stake. Don't think that putting the main character's life on the line is necessarily the ultimate stake. If we don't care about the main character, or if we think the main character is willing to die for any cause - this stake is effectively rendered useless.