Fix This - 8.18.24

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

One dead giveaway that a writer is inexperienced is formatting mistakes. Can you spot the one in the excerpt below…

The problem with this scene is that it has what we call a “naked slugline.” A naked slugline is a slugline without any scene description following it.

At the beginning of every scene, you have to give the reader a brief description of the location and tell them which characters are present. This helps the reader understand what’s happening. Without this description, you risk confusion. Confusion in a screenplay is never a good thing.

See how much easier it is to understand the scene when you fix the naked slugline?

To learn how to write memorable scenes that readers will love, sign up for our online Screenwriting Essentials course. In ten lessons, we’ll teach you our proven method for developing and writing a professional-grade script.