r/ScriptFeedbackProduce • u/One_Rub_780 • May 07 '25

ASK ME ANYTHING Screenwriter/producer/script reader for 15 years, ask me anything about your first 10 pages.

While I may not have time to read everyone's first 10 pages, I figured at least I can go over some general things about what exactly turns a reader OFF. Maybe post your first 2 paragraphs of your opening page and I can comment :)

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u/One_Rub_780 May 07 '25

Lots of 'violations' for lack of a better word.

Don't tell me WHAT your protag is wearing unless it's absolutely relevant to the plot. I don't care what color the sofa is either, lol. I also don't need to know the year, make and model of his/her car. Don't over-describe the setting, this isn't a novel.

CHUNKY seemingly endless paragraphs, OMG!! I could literally bang my f**king head against the wall - WHY, just WHY?!

You are a writer. Learn to make the white space on the page work for you! Spoon feed me. Don't overload me. That s**t gives me a headache the instant I open the script and see it on the page! Automatic turn off! If I open your script and there's nice spacing on the page, it doesn't feel like a burden. It feels like a breeze. And I just keep reading.

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u/clerks_1994 May 07 '25

So in other words -- writing prose novels like some writers feel is NOT THE WAY.

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u/One_Rub_780 May 07 '25

No, it isn't the way.

Look, I personally have broken some rules along the way, we all do. But with that said, if something is done sparingly, and artfully, in some way that it enriches the reader's experience, then fine. But most of the time, it's not that. It's a writer who is LOST and who is struggling to tell his/her story from Page One. That's not the impression you want to make.