Scott,

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question, and I agree that the use of images should be curtailed especially when trying to sell on spec. I didn't even notice the dates on the draft, I guess that probably had something to do with the inclusion. Thanks again..

Chris

I have a couple of reader questions:

First, you said it's generally the mark of an amateur if a script includes an opening credit sequence. With my script, there's an entire montage-y scene at the beginning that begins introducing the numerous characters and plot lines. The scene takes place in the course of one day to establish "normal" life before everything is disrupted. I can only see this working as a credit sequence. I haven't included the credits themselves. Do I need to re-work this scene?

Secondly, I am wondering if protagonist character arcs (in which they learn something and grow in a positive way) apply to protagonists of comedy. I can see where the personal growth of the character would be important in drama, but what about in comedy or horror? If the comedy is a farce, for example, it seems like all the characters stay the same or even regress in the course of the story. Do some of these rules change depending on genre? (Fyi, the protagonist of my comedy does grow and learn things about herself, but I wondered if this has to be the case all of the time.)

Thanks!

'Tis the season and everyone is ready to enjoy turkey... football... and naps. Which will soon lead to that jolly man in the red suit. A large percentage of folks throttle down during the holiday season which spawns the question... is submitting a script during the holidays a deathblow... because in my mind most folks are in cruise control until January one. Or... is it time to strike while everyone else is knee-deep in eggnog?

My question is, what is your exact definition of "story-conceit"?

Is it the premise, how the plot plays out, what the story is all about or a special, unique approach to tell the story?

Gregaria, Courtney, and Marc: I'll respond to your questions in individual posts next week.

The image shown here is...kind of insulting. It presupposes that the reader doesn't know Dante's Inferno or the idea of different levels of sin. If I were the reader, I'd be insulted.
On the other hand, a professional reader saw the word 'ennui' in my script, and, not knowing the word, decided it was...'envy', and THEN BASED HIS PROBLEMS WITH THE SCRIPT AND HIS ULTIMATE REJECTION OF THE SCRIPT ON his misreading.
So...we're not talking about English majors who are particulary well-read. Oh well, c'est la vie.
"Silly vee? Now what could THAT mean??? I don't know...this must be a bad script!"