Proper grammer and speling is important for writers of all
ages and levels if they want to be more better writers. If you aspire to be a professional writer and
didn’t notice the errors in the previous sentence, you’ve got a problem (or you
better have a good copy editor). This
week’s blog entry is not so much a lesson in grammar and dusting off your copy
of Strunk & White; it is more about the importance of proofing your work
before turning it in to someone who can either make or break your script.
I gained some perspective on this topic when I was asked to
help teach the basics of screenwriting to an English class at a local high
school as part of our Young
Filmmakers Program. The students
were required to write a short screenplay for us to review and narrow down to
one script which the kids would later produce.
The goal for the program is not only to help improve the students’
writing skills but to also provide them a real world experience similar to that
of a working screenwriter in the industry (of course on a much smaller scale,
not as ruthless, and without illegal substances). Many of the kids submitted brilliant stories
that were unfortunately marred by distractingly bad grammar, punctuation,
spelling, and not to mention poor use of present progressive. What we asked the kids to think about was:
“Would you feel confident submitting this script to a studio?” We gave the kids another opportunity to proof
and refine their scripts before making our final decision. In the studio system or a screenplay
competition, there are no second chances like this once you’ve submitted a
script.
Even in this age of text messaging and auto-correct, this is
something not unique to today’s youth but to amateur writers in general. I’ve come across many scripts in the
competition with great stories but with poor grammar and spelling. This is not necessarily a deal breaker for a
script to advance in our competition; the quality of the story and writing
always come first but the last thing you want to do is annoy your reader. Your words should flow easily for the reader
as if they’re going to fly off the page.
There is such a thing as spell check but it’s always best to have a new
set of eyes copy edit your work before submitting it somewhere. So just like those kids in class, ask
yourself, “Do I feel confident submitting this script to a studio?”
Bad grammar may or may not make or break your script but, in
an industry where thousands of scripts are passed around, why not make yours
the most polished it can be? The last
thing you want is for your first impression to be the last impression. Even though some Hollywood
producers may still act like they’re in high school, it doesn’t mean you have
to.
--Matt Dy, Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Director
