The Thinking Writer

Is it fair that typos count against you? Is it a good thing that ideas are placed second to punctuation, grammar and spelling?

I don’t know and I don’t care. Neither should you. If you have typos in your scripts (or your letters, emails and notes to industry contacts)…you are damaging your career. Typos are that important.

Why?

Because you are a writer and, like it or not, you are held to a higher standard. Every reader, agent, and development exec in town knows he or she is safe to pass on a script that includes typos, bad spelling and usage errors. “Poorly written, derivative work riddled with typos.” That could be the coverage analysis of your script.

So, then, why in the hell are there so many typos in your work? Most of the emails I receive have glaring errors. Today, I got one mistaking “right” for “write”. You’re a writer; you should know the difference. And the problem is getting worse, with emails and text messaging seducing us into relaxing proper spelling and grammar. Just remember, your screenplay is not a casual communication. One script sale can launch your career and permanently change your financial status. In addition, you are asking a studio to invest $50 million or more into producing your writing. That’s not play money to a studio any more than it is play money to you. The jobs and careers of the people making these decisions are on the line. Do you think it’s easier for them to say “yes” to a script with spelling errors and typos or one without?

It is very hard to rid your work of typos, spelling errors, improper usage, and grammar problems. I am not impervious to these errors; no one is. But you must set a zero tolerance standard. If you can’t do it by yourself, enroll the help of a well-read friend. Just get it done.

Enough. Go write.

NOTE: I am not suggesting all sentences in a script be grammatically correct. Screenwriters are notorious for the liberties we take. I am suggesting, however, that while a liberty you decide to take for dramatic effect is acceptable, a sloppy grammatical mistake is not.

11 Comments »

Have a point of view. Please….

I’m begging you. For God sakes, say something with your screenplay. Anything. But have a strong point of view. It’s what separates you from everyone else writing for a living or writing in the hopes of making a living. What you think, how you see the world, what matters to you – that is what you really have to sell. Stringing together a vapid narrative is not enough – certainly not enough to build a career. Usually not enough even to get a lucky break. And never enough to give you any satisfaction in the writing of it.

Guess what Hollywood wants from you? Your point of view. They don’t want Scott Frank’s point of view from you. If they want his point of view, they’ll hire him. They don’t want a neutral point of view (even if the notes they give you tell you they do). No, they want your unique point of view. It’s what they can’t get from anyone else.

Who has made a living having a point of view? Oliver Stone (“Midnight Express”, “Platoon”, “JFK”), Gary Ross (“Big”, “Pleasantville”, “Dave”), M. Night Shyamalan (“Sixth Sense”, “Signs”), Julius and Philip Epstein (“Casablanca”), Robert Towne (“Chinatown”), Herman Mankiewicz (“Citizen Kane”), Aaron Sorkin (“A Few Good Men”, “The American President”), Woody Allen (too many to list) – in fact, all of the greats.

You, too, have a point of view. Develop it. Think about it. Use it to your advantage. Don’t worry that it won’t fly.

It’s

all

you’ve

got.

If they don’t want your unique point of view, you lose. If they do, you win. It’s that simple. If you don’t have one at all, you still lose.

Better to lose hanging your ass out then to lose because you are run-of-the-mill with nothing interesting to offer. Hollywood could care less about run-of-the-mill. Art houses could care less about run-of-the-mill, too. That’s because audiences could care less about run-of-the-mill.

Be something. Don’t be nothing. Please….

Enough. Now go write.

17 Comments »

This is a followup to my previous question about obtaining short story screen rights…

I recently contacted a publisher to get motion picture rights for a 40-year-old short story. The publisher wrote back requesting a financial and creative proposal for the rights.

What exactly needs to be addressed in this proposal? Or should it be two separate proposals? Or does this look like a job for a legal professional?

I’m very excited (and completely nervous) about this, especially since it’s a story I’ve thought about adapting for the screen for the past 9 years.

Alan from Norfolk VA

Thanks for following up with your progress since last time and congratulations on getting someone’s attention. There is no standard proposal and you should not need a legal professional to prepare it. There is also no right answer to what you should include in your proposal. I imagine the agent wants to know how much money you are proposing or, if you want some rights without money, why you should have them and how the agent’s client will eventually get paid.

In the past when I have sought rights to material, I have sold myself rather than offering a lot of money (mostly because I didn’t have the money and I had some interesting industry credentials). I have, over the years, secured some quality material that way. However, when I was required to deal strictly with an agent, I was not as effective because agents usually focus on the money. Nevertheless, if you have some special credentials that make you the right person to exploit the property, share that with the agent. Continue Reading »

1 Comment »

I’ve been working hard lately, so I missed the beginning of a great debate at The Artful Writer. For those who haven’t been following, in this column and the one that follows it, the Artful Writer provides nice insight into the experience of being an established, working writer in Hollywood and the issues you will face.

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For anyone feeling rejected, Nikki Finke posts this terrific essay (originally published in the Village Voice) from screenwriter Josh Olson (”A History Of Violence”). Don’t just read the essay; look at the comments, too. Some important viewpoints.

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