by Trevor Mayes | Nov 4, 2026 | Formatting, Grammar, Industry Advice, Modern Craft, Proofreading, Punctuation, Script Notes, Writing |
What brands you as an amateur on page one? I’m often asked how I can tell I’m reading an amateur writer’s script by the end of page one. Sometimes I get a pretty good idea before anyone even says a word. Take a line like “We see two diamonds in an open till.” Try it...
by Trevor Mayes | Jul 17, 2019 | Punctuation, Scene Headings, Writing |
CUCKOO FOR COLONS I’m seeing things like this a lot lately: MONTAGE: — Gail washes dishes. — Gail does laundry. — Gail collapses on her bed. Why is there a colon after MONTAGE? NEVER put a colon after a scene heading like MONTAGE or SEQUENCE OF...
by Trevor Mayes | May 22, 2019 | Punctuation, Writing |
Direct Address When it comes to proofreading, there’s one mistake I encounter more than any other — the failure to use a comma with a direct address. What’s a direct address? A direct address occurs exclusively in dialogue when a character is speaking to someone and...
