That's a great passage. I notice a lot of readers get bat-shit crazy over things like "begins to suffocate him." They say to just write "suffocates him." I trace it back to one screenwriting professor who is anal about such minutiae and infects his students with the same attitude.

Any teacher or reader or consultant or whatever...complains about 'BEGINS TO SUFFOCATE HIM", in my opinion isn't a screenwriter. Or a writer. Period. The whole process of choosing specific visual action words,and direction on page -- WITHOUT BEING THE DIRECTOR -- would be far easier...if these other non -writers were not involved. I just don't know how such readres, such experts got so much power these past 10 to 20 years in Hollywood. To be in a creative business...and not have a spark of creativity...still freaks me out. Simply why I'm getting my own start up going as director-writer-producer...make my own trailer pitch pack and reels...and assortment of specs for different genres and budgets. Hit the festival circuit...get the website going on YOUTUBE to show my vision...and stay as far away from non creatives as much as possible. You don't have to be a good screenwriter to understand a good screenplay when you see it. Just stop being anal retentive about this small crap.

Yes...you can snark about my typoes. I'm in a fever pitch now with 2 rewrites. Scouting locales for my trailer.

Michael Arndt uses "A beat." in Little Miss Sunshine: http://fyfilmscripts.tumblr.com/post/28647943376

Good luck with your start-up, Mark.