How To Improve Your Spec Screenplays

by Michele Wallerstein

I’ve read and worked on spec screenplays for about a million years. During these years I’ve discovered that almost all new writers (and some old ones) seem to make the same mistakes in their work.  There are some things that don’t seem to become clear to writers in their screenwriting classes or the books that they read or even the seminars that they listen to.

I’d like to share some hints with you to make your work better.  Perhaps you will even find that this information will help you get your work finished and sold more quickly.

In terms of story, most new writers seem to want to complicate their work to make it stand out and be “different” from the rest of the pack.  They will add flashbacks and flash forwards; they will add dream sequences and throw in lots and lots of small character roles to advance the plot structure.   They will add lots of twists and turns in the plot to make the script seem more unique and interesting.  Indeed many movies you see will have all of the aforementioned and can be wonderful.  They are complicated and busy.  These films may have dozens of extraneous characters that seem to enliven the project.  These screenplays and films have absolutely nothing to do with your spec scripts.

A spec script is a world unto itself.  There are unwritten rules that apply and should be strictly adhered to if you want to get through those Hollywood doors.  Your spec scripts need to do two things:  (1.) They are your calling cards to show your writing prowess, and (2.) They are available for potential option with the possibility of a sale and eventual production.  For the most part the former is more likely then the latter.  Selling a spec that gets produced by a major studio is a one-in-a-zillion chance.  These specs need to get you meetings so that you can make the right connections.  These connections can lead to representation by agents and managers as well as to possible writing assignments.  That’s how you build a writing career.

Here are the most common trouble spots that ring alarm bells for the reader:

1. Too much description.  This, alone, can destroy your chances of the reader going past page 4.  When you write a spec it is not necessary to describe a character’s mood, the basic décor of a room, the size of the building, the color of their clothes, the weather and their facial expressions.  All of this information, if you feel it is important to the script, can and should be told in dialogue.
2. Too many stage directions.  A reader doesn’t need or want to know that the main character poured a cup of coffee, walked across the room, looked out the window, made their bed, opened the door and walked through it or exactly how many punches were thrown in a fight scene.  We don’t need to know the lyrics to the background music or any steadicam shots.  All of this type of information simply stops the reader from a smooth reading flow.  It is deadly to your project.
3. Too much exposition.  We don’t want to know the ages of peripheral characters or what they are wearing or even if they are male or female.  The cashier at the drugstore is simply “the cashier”.  The waiter is simply “the waiter”.  Do not direct the movie.  Leave that to the actual Director.  These small choices are not really yours to make, nor will they enhance the story or get the reader involved in the characters and plot.  Too much explanation of the scene is a bad thing.
4. Watch that dialogue.  It is the most important part of your spec work. To catch the attention of the agents, producers and development people there is only one thing that will make them take notice of you.  That is your dialogue.  Using dialogue simply to advance the story is not enough.  Give those main characters interesting personalities.  Make them into fascinating individuals with fears, foibles, interesting character traits and flaws.  Give them a sense of humor in a dark scene, make them sensitive or overly crude, have them suffer from sinusitis or headaches… and tell all of this in your DIALOGUE.
5. Stop describing the character’s moods and/or attitudes prior to each piece of dialogue.  We want the dialogue to express their feelings.
6. Keep your page count down to 109 or less.  Remember that this is a show piece not a shooting script.

Your script should be simple and fun to read.  You will be remembered and you will get that phone call.  Every script is rewritten along their way to production so lean writing is your key.

– KEEP WRITING –

Michele Wallerstein is a Screenplay & Novel & Career Consultant and author of “MIND YOUR BUSINESS: A Hollywood Literary Agent’s Guide To Your Writing Career“.

Web site: www.novelconsultant.com

Do you have a question that you’d like to have answered by a longtime Hollywood literary agent? Send it in!

questions@scriptwrecked.com

Question: (Susan Bridges)

My writing partner and I have submitted a screenplay and one sheet to a production company. From the communication I’ve had with the assistant thus far, they’re not considering the screenplay itself but instead are considering us to work with them on their own projects.

My question is, how long should I wait to follow up with them, and what should I say when I do? We do not have representation, if that is relevant.

Answer: (Michele Wallerstein)

It sounds as if you have already been following up by checking in with the assistant. Without knowing when you submitted the screenplay I will have to give you a rule of thumb to guide you further. It usually takes 2-3 weeks for a script to be covered by a reader in the company, then there is another wait for the upper echelon of the company to look it over. The producers themselves only look at material that has received very positive coverage from their readers. Apparently you have received good coverage.

It is good to check in again after a total of 3-4 weeks. You need to ask if the producer has seen the script and if the answer is yes, they will either put you through to him or her, or they won’t take the call, nor will they call you back. If people like your work they will want to meet you and will call. If they want you to do work on one of their projects it is fairly easy to call an agent and ask them to negotiate on your behalf. After all… they will get 10% of your fee. Everyone likes a "gimme."

Michele Wallerstein is a Screenplay & Novel & Career Consultant and author of “MIND YOUR BUSINESS: A Hollywood Literary Agent’s Guide To Your Writing Career“.

Web site: www.novelconsultant.com

Do you have a question that you’d like to have answered by a longtime Hollywood literary agent? Send it in!

questions@scriptwrecked.com

Question #1: (from Kevin Banker)
Say I have question. When coming up with a concept for a movie, is there a standard as to how it should look on paper? I have a couple floating around the OL’ gray matter and not sure how to put the ideas correctly on paper.

Question #2: (from Trevor Mayes)
Obviously fleshing out concepts is secondary to having multiple completed scripts, but I’ve heard that having additional movie ideas outlined also helps “sell” a writer. Is that true? And if so, is there a specific format to go for?

Answers: (Michele Wallerstein)
Producers, development executives and agents will often want to read other movie ideas by writers after having read a completed screenplay.  Sometimes the finished script is not what they want but they’ve sparked to the writing style.  It is imperative that writers have short treatments of their pitch ideas as “leave behind” pages or to send out to those people.

There are any number of styles one can use for these treatments.  The best ones are between 1 and 3 pages in length.  They tell the story of the film and define the major characters by showing who they are and what they do in the story.  It is important to tell precisely what the plot will be, including the ending.

I find it helpful if the writer begins their treatment by stating that the film is a “romantic-comedy, set in the year ______, in Boston.”  This information gives the reader a point of reference so that their mind doesn’t wander while trying to figure out what they are reading.

By the way, even treatments should have a cover page with the title, the name of the writer and how the writer can be contacted.

Michele Wallerstein is a Screenplay & Novel & Career Consultant and author of “MIND YOUR BUSINESS: A Hollywood Literary Agent’s Guide To Your Writing Career“.

Web site: www.novelconsultant.com

Do you have a question that you’d like to have answered by a longtime Hollywood literary agent? Send it in!

questions@scriptwrecked.com

Question: (from Anonymous)
What a great opportunity!! I would really love to know how someone unknown with no sales under their belt gets an agent. Is it possible? Wishful thinking?

Answer: (Michele Wallerstein)
Getting a literary agent is not as difficult as everyone seems to think. All agents, managers, producers etc. are always on the lookout for great new writers with lots of sample scripts and new ideas. You simply need to rub elbows with some of those folks at Pitch Fests, Film Festivals, writer’s panels, writer’s conferences and anyplace that you find that has invited agents and producers to attend or to be guest speakers.

Here is an article for you about how to network successfully at these events. If you have the product there will be agents at your door!

The Who, What, When, Where, Why & How of “Networking”

by Michele Wallerstein

There’s that awful term again: Networking. It’s thrown around in every seminar you attend, in every “how-to” book you’ve read and by every writer you know. They all say it’s the way to get in, the way to keep up and keep current. You’re told it’s something you must do or you won’t have a writing career.

I’ve spent over 25 years of my life guiding the careers of writers, directors and producers. As an agent I’ve submitted scripts and novels, negotiated deals, advised clients, worked with projects, edited properties and sold hundreds and hundreds of hours of movies, mini-series and television shows. I’ve also been the one to fan the flames for a client to make sure that they stayed hot. To keep those fires burning it takes both the agent and the client.

You’re probably a solo worker by virtue of being a writer, or you live in Minnesota or Alaska, not Hollywood, California. Perhaps you’ve always been shy or afraid you’ll say the wrong thing. In any event you’re not sure where and who these magical people are with whom you must network. To really network in the most productive way is to find those people who seem impossible to find. You know they must be out there, but how do you get to them? Why will they want to talk to you?

It’s one thing to give your projects to friends or family to critique. You may even join a writers group in person or go on the ubiquitous internet. Perhaps you have used a professional consultant to help with your work. Is this Networking? The simple answer is yes and no.

Those of us who are or have been in the business of finding the best clients, screenplays, novels, etc., really are working hard to reach out to new writers with lots of talent and great ideas. We’ll search near and far to find that project we can sell or the right writer we can represent. Don’t believe that we are not open to you, because we are.

Finding us isn’t difficult. We are everywhere. We are listed with The Writers Guild of America; we are on the Internet and in numerous published information guides like The Hollywood Creative Directories. We speak at seminars and on panels, we go to every film festival in the world. We are right in front of you.

Armed with this information, the next and most important steps are up to you.

Perhaps you’ve looked at this list and asked yourself “What does this have to do with my writing?” The answer is nothing, but it has everything to do with your writing career.

Michele Wallerstein is a Screenplay & Novel & Career Consultant and author of “MIND YOUR BUSINESS: A Hollywood Literary Agent’s Guide To Your Writing Career“.

Web site: www.novelconsultant.com