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Man, I love this blog. This post hit the spot for me... I've been on a mission lately to read more scripts. I've started with revered amateur ones to see where I need to be, what level my writing needs to be at in order to get noticed or succeed in the business. Today I read an amateur script that everybody loves... and for the life of me I couldn't understand why. It really frustrated me, to be honest. I've spent so much time and energy invested in writing and the craft of telling a good story, then I read this script that was quite bad (in my opinion) and it just kind of shattered my whole view of screenwriting standards. I already struggle with the "two forces" theory mentioned in this post. I truly have no idea what type of writer I can be because I haven't written a script yet, however I've been writing prose for five years now and think I have at least some potential. But reading that amateur script just confused the hell out of me. The goals I have for myself -- I want them as high as possible. If I don't achieve them, fine, but it's REALLY hard to read scripts like I did today and NOT adjust my standards. It's tempting to lower them. It's tempting to do just enough to get by. At the same time I know that's EXACTLY the attitude that will prevent me from writing the type of script that will get me noticed in the first place. So again, here we have an inner battle within an aspiring writer before he's even sat down to write his first full-length script. I'M JUST IN THE BLOG-READING, OCCASIONAL NOTE-TAKING STAGE OF THIS THING AND I'M ALREADY GOING NUTS! Aaah, the life of a writer...

Kalen, sounds like you are smack dab in some challenging questions and concerns. While it's great to read contemporary selling scripts or ones that gain notoriety, at the end of the day you have to be able to write something you are passionate about AND reflects your own unique vision / voice. My advice: Start at the concept level. That is find a story idea that REALLY speaks to you. Assuming it's a strong concept, one with commercial potential, that's a good foundation. Re this unnamed script: Reach out to your writer friends or check some public forums like The Black Board to see WHY the script is considered to be so great. Agree or disagree, at least that will give you some insight as to other peoples' tastes. They don't have to be your own, but you will gain some understanding.

Yeah, I mean, I guess there's a lot that has to do with taste. I've read plenty of esteemed amateur scripts that I really liked. I've also read some I thought were really good and nobody else did. It's just kinda confusing sometimes, trying to figure out what sells and what doesn't and why. Thanks for the advice Scott. And sorry if the above comment came off disrespectful. I really didn't mean it that way. Although I didn't like the script, that doesn't mean others didn't. It sold, so obviously it was a lot better than I initially thought.

Not disrespectful at all, Kalen. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' when it comes to one's creative assessment. I've hated movies others have loved and vice versa. The fact Shawshank and Godfather have only a 9.2 rating on IMDB underscores that fact. Who is that 0.8 who would give either of those movies anything other than a 10?!?! Same with scripts. From time to time, I read things that sell and can only shake my head. The thing is, as I suggested previously, we should always try to understand the pragmatics of WHY something sells, a script's marketable elements, even if we don't like it. We see this going on with the Transformers movie series. Critics basically hate it. Many folks don't even think what goes on qualifies much as 'story', rather a series of action sequences. However the movies must appeal to SOMEBODY, in fact a LOT of somebodies. I can step back and see why those movies succeed at the box office, even if I don't particularly care for them. So keep doing what you're doing. Write every day. See where your creativity and words take you.