Fix This - 7.28.24

Pretty much all screenwriting books talk about structure, character, dialogue, etc. but very few focus on what we call “physical writing”, which means the words on the page.

When a Hollywood reader picks up your script, they don’t know you have an amazing midpoint. But they can tell right away if you’re a good writer.

Take a look at the lines below. Can you spot the mistake?  

The mistake here is using numbers in dialogue. Any time you have a number in a script, it needs to be written in words. The correct way to write this line looks like this…

This is because you need to give the actor the words you want them to say.

If a line of dialogue says, “There are 1,200 soldiers camped out on the other side of the river”, the actor could say “one thousand two hundred soldiers” or “twelve hundred soldiers.” It’s up to you to tell them which one is correct.

Here’s another way you could rewrite the dialogue from the excerpt above…

Words matter!

To learn more about correct screenplay format, sign up for our online Screenwriting Essentials course. In ten lessons, we’ll teach you how to develop and write a professional-grade script.

Start the course today, and you’ll a better writer by tonight.