What a great post. It's dense with information -- I'll be rereading this many times!

I've often wondered how long a reader can afford to spend on a script, and 4 hrs makes perfect sense. What they have to be able to do is trust their instincts about what's working and what's not working with a script. This alone I would think would be something every writer need to learn and then groove endlessly.

Would love to get a shot at reading professionally. I wonder how this particular reader feels their job has affected their ability to write, as well as whether reading 8-12 hrs day has made it harder or easier to read for pleasure -- I guessing harder!

j

Zampana, of all the posts in this series, I have to think that this one is the single most important because it really gives you a sense of how a script reader operates. In turn, that provides you an enormous set of clues about how to approach writing a screenplay, starting with how important it is to write a compelling first page. And on and on and on. Lots to learn from this post.