Look, we've all been there. We're all written something we think works, but when we send it around to friends and producers, we hear nothing back. Now, the first gut reaction is just to blame them for not reading or not getting it, but if you want to mature as a writer, the first thing is understanding why something didn't work out. And then combating that for the next one. Writing a script that does not connect isn't a moral failing; it's a rite of passage. The only real failure is not recognizing the problems and fixing them. I've read a mountain of scripts in my career, from polished studio jobs to first-draft disasters. The bad ones almost always share the same fundamental flaws.And today, I want to go over those flawed instances so you can avoid them. So if that sounds good to you, then keep reading. Let's dive in. 1. Your Protagonist Is a PassengerThis is the number one killer of spec scripts and can be my ultimate enemy. There's a chance your main character is just along for the ride and not active enough in their own story. Things happen to them. They get swept up in a plot cooked up by other, more interesting people. They float from scene to scene, complaining or looking confused, but never actually making a difficult choice that drives the story forward. They have no goal and nowhere to arc. A reader won't follow a character who isn't fighting for something....
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Tuesday, 23 September