Courtney Chambers at 2011-08-29 17:48:03:

I'm just a writer on the "outside" trying to break in so what I'm doing here is taking a stab at what a "professional quality script" actually is because I've yet to sell one -- so I'm no professional... yet.

However there are a few things that come to mind.

If you want to be treated like a professional and taken seriously... write like one.

I don't want to harp on formatting techniques but a sloppy screenplay could likely earn a pass -- strictly because it's distracting and quite frankly a pain-in-the-ass to read.

I've read a few specs (from Amazon) and found --

Character's names on the last line of the page and orphaned dialog on the next -- throughout the entire screenplay.

Sentences ending with two periods.

COMMON grammatical errors that easily slip through the cracks but SHOULD NEVER slip through the cracks --

It's -- Its
To -- Too -- Two
Their -- There

You get the picture.

We're asking these folks to take time away from their busy schedules to read our labors of love. Do them and yourself a favor by taking an extra day or two and polish the script.

There are so many resources out there including this blog... so there's just no excuse.

Our hope is for that sale -- thousands if not millions for our words so once again... If you want to be treated like a professional and taken seriously... write like one.

My final point...

Think seriously about what you want to write -- then take a step back and ask yourself if it's legitimitly sellable?

You may write professionally but that story about the unicorn that wins the Kentucy Derby during the Great Depression saving the family from ruin... may just not make the cut.

(I say that and the story will sell next week!)

Pitch to your friends -- sometimes their initial reaction tells it all. If your friends wouldn't go see that movie... who would?

Don't try to reinvent the wheel -- write what works. Write what sells!

So there ya go -- two cents from a man trying to work his way down the ladder to a new career... screenwriting.

Nick Oleksiw at 2011-08-29 17:54:00:

Malkovich made a great point by saying something along the lines of "How are people able to write a script if they haven't even READ one?"

That really stuck with me. I've learned SO MUCH from reading scripts through Scriptshadow and even through my internships out here.

I really love the advice of "Watch, Read, Write" ... people should be doing this everyday. Every day!

Mike at 2011-08-29 19:35:24:

The distinction of "professional script" is too narrow for this topic.

There is a HUGE difference between professional and even marginally acceptable. Even to earn the marginally acceptable label requires a strong story first and foremost. Most of the examples given fall obviously short of that to begin with.

There are a huge amount of good stories that are simply not told well on the page. The professional is the writer that can make the leap--and it is often a leap--between a good story and a saleable or produceable screenplay.

CJ at 2011-08-29 19:54:22:

This came up on another site last week and I'd thought about it myself after reading several scripts and watching a lot of films: sub-plots. Professionals are able to seamlessly sustain a story by weaving sub-plots into the main plot and working it so the sub-plot(s) eventually converge with the plot or the overall theme in a compelling, meaningful way.
Many pre-professionals lock onto the main plot and flog it until doing so, paradoxically, actually becomes kind of boring and possibly exhausting, without adding the "texturing" or layers that come from some well-chosen sub-plots. I say paradoxically because in this case, a deviation from the main plot actually ends up giving the plot more punch in the end.

Steve Choy at 2011-08-29 20:05:48:

I took Scott's advice to read as many scripts as I could get my hands on.

This summer, I made it a goal to read 50 screenplays by the end of the year. I've read 10 so far, from ANNIE HALL to PRECIOUS.

I've noticed that format remains consistent yet voice is truly distinct. Some writers seem to take a more organic, natural approach to writing descriptions while others seem very technical.

My take away is focus on structure. Think of yourself as a composer, orchestrating a symphony of dialog and description. Move your audience in exactly the way you had intended, but follow the structure that will hold up your vision.

Third World Girl at 2011-08-29 20:57:50:

Hey Scott,
I think it also ties into your post on concept re "Inception." It's amazing how many times you can tell the difference between a script built on an amateur concept and a script built on a pro's concept...a concept that allows for major conflict, maybe includes some irony, has a fascinating protagonist and the possibility of a character arc.

And then a pro quality script is one that delivers on that concept/ premise in a tidy number of pages, 120 max, with scenes that have a beginning, middle and end and move the story along. Proper format, good grammar, etc. would also be a given.

But the real sophisticated thing I think that elevates a good script to a professional quality script is the ability to handle imagery and theme. That's when all the craft comes together to create something coherent: a big idea the story's about.

januaryfire at 2011-08-29 22:09:56:

I think one of the big take-aways I got from "Malkovich's Mail" was not just a professional-quality script (formatting, story, copy edit) but professional-quality presentation. Your query and logline need to be flawless as well as the way you pitch your story. The old fake-it-till-you-make-it approach. If you want to be a professional, act like it until you are. You have to approach writing as your passion but also your profession, not just a hobby.

James at 2011-08-29 23:51:57:

Voice

Voice. Voice. Voice. And voice.

A cyborg travels back in time to kill the mother of the unborn savior of the future (whose initials happen to be JC).

Sounds stupid when put like that. But it's Terminator. And the movie is all kinds of badass.

It's all about the writer.

Not the story. Not the character. Not the theme. Not the premise.

It's how you convey all those things in an exciting and engaging manner on the page.

Story, character, theme, premise are all variables. You, the writer, are not.

debbiemoon at 2011-08-30 01:15:15:

Yes to all of the comments so far, of course - but increasingly, I'm starting to think a professional quality script is one that makes the person reading it *feel stuff*.

That means taking account of the fact that some harassed reader is reading this on their lunch break or while the kids are in bed, and doing whatever you need to get your emotional through-line across. Slipping the character's thought processes into an action line. Over-writing the dialogue a tiny bit. Making absolutely sure the stakes are obvious. Sell the emotion of your story, and the rest will sell itself.

ascribe at 2011-08-30 09:35:59:

One of my creative writing teachers, a novelist, once said, "When people say they want to write a book, what they usually mean is that they want to be published. Most people don't want to put in the hard work of writing something in a form that others want to read."

In my opinion, writing a professional quality screen play takes even more work than writing a novel.

In that vein, a fellow technical writer once asked me about writing a screen play and I gave him a list of resources including books on formatting, scene structure and story structure in addition to recommended classes(including Scott's), workshops and pitch fests. He was totally shocked by the amount of work it takes to really learn the craft.

Why people think that writing professionally should be easier than say becoming a master carpenter is beyond me.

I always encourage people who say they want to write their stories. Every person alive has a story that is worth telling. We all benefit from the effort.