How Not to Write a Screenplay: 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make 
asked by john316 on November 18, 2006 5:37 PM
How Not to Write a Screenplay is an invaluable addition to any aspiring screenwriter's shelf--and you'd best make the shelf within arm's reach of the computer. Author Dean Martin Flinn, an experienced script reader, details the common rookie mistakes that drive script readers crazy. Flinn makes no pretense of being able to teach anyone how to write the next Great American Film--or for that matter the next Stupid Summer Blockbuster. Instead he offers information that will help keep the novice screenwriter's opus from being immediately tossed on the trash pile (arguably a more valuable service). As Flinn says in his introduction, if you follow the advice in this book, "you may not write a particularly good screenplay, but you won't write a bad one." Flinn offers practical advice on formatting, such as the proper form for a slugline and where to set your margins, and more general rules of thumb on giving the actors room to interpret their roles and avoiding dictating camera angles to the director (who will ignore them anyway). The second half of the book deals with content, also in a remarkably pragmatic way--structure, pacing, plot resolution, and dialogue that really stink are all handily dealt with. Flinn illustrates almost all his points with excerpts from screenplays both good and bad (names have been changed to protect the guilty), giving the reader concrete examples of the difference between poorly and well-structured scenes. Not sucking is an unusual goal for a screenwriting manual, but any script reader will agree it is a noble one. --Ali Davis
Reviews
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Flinn has a sense of humor. That is the first thing one notices while reading his book, and that's the one thing that makes it stand out.
"How NOT to Write a Screenplay" is a witty and entertaining tool for learning the DOs and DON'Ts of the screenwriting craft. Packed full of examples drawn from real and make-believe scripts, it can be a definite help to a writer new to the industry. Anyone who has ever read another of the many available books on script formatting will find his commentary amusing. For example:
"Don't use (CONTINUED) at the top and bottom of each page. You're wasting four lines. Anyone reading your screenplay who doesn't know he's supposed to turn the page is a numskull."
Or his comments regarding music suggestions:
"Leave the music track alone: 'THIS SHOULD BE AN UPBEAT SCENE WITH A GOOD MUSIC TRACK.' (Darn. The studio really wanted to use a bad music track.)"
The second half of the book, covering content and story development, provides similar information to that of books by more well-known authors such as Linda Seger or Syd Field, but offers that information encapsulated in smaller sections that make everything quite easy to relate to...sections such as "Suspense", "Believability", "Twists" and "Whammies".
While the book doesn't teach you how to write the perfect screenplay, it does cover many of the practical details. Its strength isn't in storycraft but rather in addressing all the little details screenwriters tend to forget or abuse. Though some of the information is repetitive, there are plenty of examples and excerpts from screenplays -- some good, most bad, and some you may even recognize. Flinn's advice coupled with the many examples can help you avoid the pitfalls so many screenwriters encounter.
"How NOT to Write a Screenplay" is a witty and entertaining tool for learning the DOs and DON'Ts of the screenwriting craft. Packed full of examples drawn from real and make-believe scripts, it can be a definite help to a writer new to the industry. Anyone who has ever read another of the many available books on script formatting will find his commentary amusing. For example:
"Don't use (CONTINUED) at the top and bottom of each page. You're wasting four lines. Anyone reading your screenplay who doesn't know he's supposed to turn the page is a numskull."
Or his comments regarding music suggestions:
"Leave the music track alone: 'THIS SHOULD BE AN UPBEAT SCENE WITH A GOOD MUSIC TRACK.' (Darn. The studio really wanted to use a bad music track.)"
The second half of the book, covering content and story development, provides similar information to that of books by more well-known authors such as Linda Seger or Syd Field, but offers that information encapsulated in smaller sections that make everything quite easy to relate to...sections such as "Suspense", "Believability", "Twists" and "Whammies".
While the book doesn't teach you how to write the perfect screenplay, it does cover many of the practical details. Its strength isn't in storycraft but rather in addressing all the little details screenwriters tend to forget or abuse. Though some of the information is repetitive, there are plenty of examples and excerpts from screenplays -- some good, most bad, and some you may even recognize. Flinn's advice coupled with the many examples can help you avoid the pitfalls so many screenwriters encounter.
reviewed by dataworld on November 26, 2006 5:02 PM
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So happy I purchased this before starting my screenplay so I didn't have to do endless edits.
As a reader of many bad screenplays Mr. Flinn certainly knows the pitfalls that will keep a screenplay from even being finished. excellent workbook.
Barbara Gilmer
As a reader of many bad screenplays Mr. Flinn certainly knows the pitfalls that will keep a screenplay from even being finished. excellent workbook.
Barbara Gilmer
reviewed by john316 on November 29, 2006 3:29 PM
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This is a book that could have been a long article, or two. But those article would have been interesting. I found the book getting very repetitive in the last half, when we started getting the same material over and over again. But the notions is good: that you need short scenes, with a whammy.
reviewed by ragtop on November 29, 2006 4:01 PM
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I was amazed at the wealth of information in this how "not to" book! I decided to read it before investing in expensive software or reading a "how to" book I ordered at the same time. I was so glad I did. One of the tips in the book is to take the time and format your screenplay rather than relying on a "fill-in-the-blanks" software program. I finished it in one weekend and am inspired to turn my short story plot into a pilot for a TV show.
reviewed by ozone on November 29, 2006 7:03 PM
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This book does, indeed, tell you a great many things you'll want to avoid when writing a screenplay, but the author comes across as a bit of a snob. I'm not sure what he's so snobby about considering that his one and only production credit is on Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and he's written a bunch of fiction that no one seems to have read. Why isn't he writing great screenplays by now?
Don't get me wrong, though. The man definitely seems to know what he's talking about, having been employed as a script reader. His advice is great; his encouragement is not. If, like me, you are working on your first script, you will find the author condescending on occasion and find yourself disheartened by his "this is how Hollywood works" attitude.
He indicates that we're supposed to get everything down properly, yet he thinks Alec Baldwin was in "Sliver" when it was really Alec's brother, William Baldwin, who starred in the movie.
Flinn also refers to two characters in M*A*S*H (which he thinks is a good movie) as Hawkeye and Pierce. How about Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John? Come on, Flinn. You're supposed to know this stuff, man!
The one thing that really irritated me was when he suggested that the screenwriter NOT pick a song that a character is listening to, implying that the producer or director would pick they're own music. Does the guy want details or doesn't he?
Despite all this, it's still a very informative read.
Love ya, Denny; mean it.
Don't get me wrong, though. The man definitely seems to know what he's talking about, having been employed as a script reader. His advice is great; his encouragement is not. If, like me, you are working on your first script, you will find the author condescending on occasion and find yourself disheartened by his "this is how Hollywood works" attitude.
He indicates that we're supposed to get everything down properly, yet he thinks Alec Baldwin was in "Sliver" when it was really Alec's brother, William Baldwin, who starred in the movie.
Flinn also refers to two characters in M*A*S*H (which he thinks is a good movie) as Hawkeye and Pierce. How about Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John? Come on, Flinn. You're supposed to know this stuff, man!
The one thing that really irritated me was when he suggested that the screenwriter NOT pick a song that a character is listening to, implying that the producer or director would pick they're own music. Does the guy want details or doesn't he?
Despite all this, it's still a very informative read.
Love ya, Denny; mean it.
reviewed by potato on November 29, 2006 7:09 PM