Writers usually work alone, lost for months on end in the twists and turns of their stories and easily prone to being spun around by the constant thinking and rethinking any creative activity requires. Writing is, by its very nature, a solitary endeavor. Given that these are talented, capable people, how can this be? The question then is, if writers know how important it is to present an excellent script, why do so many send out scripts that aren't? The answer, I think, is that these writers don't know their scripts are lacking. (Rarely will a script be given a second look if it has been found wanting on the first.) For a script to make an excellent first impression, everything about it has to be tip top, yet from experience I can tell you that most of the scripts that get submitted are not - either the plots are unclear or full of holes, the characters are poorly developed, the dialogue is fuzzy, or the presentation slipshod. If not, then the script will die on the spot. If the initial reader likes it, the script will move on up the food chain. The first read is the key moment in the life of a script. "You only get once chance to make a first impression," the saying goes and nowhere is this truer than in the world of screenwriting. You print that sucker out, run off a dozen copies at Kinko's, and blanket the town, right? So, what do you do now? The answer is obvious. The hero triumphs, the villain is vanquished, dangling plot strands are resolved and the principals ride off into the sunset. And now, here you are, typing out the last scene. Practically causing you to break the sound barrier is the fact that two movies in the same genre as your script have recently opened huge, creating a demand for similar product that you are certain you can ride to fame, fortune, and a great career. Spurring you on even more is the steady stream of articles in the daily trades talking about how the spec market has never been hotter. Spurring you on is the fact you've already informally pitched your story to a few industry contacts, all of whom have told you they can't wait to read it. You came up with a great idea, worked it out to perfection and have been burning the midnight oil to get it down on paper. You've been working furiously on your script for months.
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