Screenwriting : Am I The Only One?? by Njabulo Shabangu

It's not just you, sometimes I find it irritating as well. The trick is to keep doing what makes you happy and don't concern yourself with the details, and then you can edit later. Ignore the noise until then.

Hi, @Njabulo. You could write the first draft how you want, then format it correctly when you rewrite the script. And formatting is important, but telling an entertaining story is more important in my opinion. You can use special formatting if it's important to the story/it helps make the script entertaining, like this:

I agree with Maurice. The fact that people get hung up on formatting baffles me. If the story is strong, that's all that matters. As long as the script is easy to follow, in terms of format, who cares. I think it gives producers a reason not to pay attention to a script that doesn't follow the accepted format of the day because, in their minds, this shows that they maybe a rookie writer.

I hear you and I use an excellent screenwriting software, I just feel like the whole formatting kills the magic and authencity but I'll keep at it

Njabulo Shabangu What software are you using? I started out writing in MS Word before becoming a screenwriter and discovered Writer's Duet and Final Draft will automatically format on copy/paste as long as I used the correct capitalization, so I start out in Word to this day to keep my flow.

I find that writing books or articles is a very different skill from screenwriting.

I get your point about the 'Construct', but it mostly works. AND... when you get very familiar with using screenplay format, it enormously reduces the time it takes to write stories, especially complex ones. Like Maurice says, write it however you want, then 'transcribe' it. Eventually, using the format will come naturally and will be your friend.

In a book you could spend fifty or a hundred pages setting up your world and charm your reader into it slowly, like slipping into a warm bath. In a screenplay its probably fifteen pages max of As-Is and even then, you should already have a major hook/inciting incident/trigger.

I think I should go into writing books rather than Screenplays because I prefer the creative freedom to roam and create a world to the T with no restriction of word count.

If its not too much I posted the first Screenplay I wrote on my profile, its a quick read and I'd love to hear criticism on it

With screenwriting, you need to second-guess the supporting story the visualization provides.

Take Lord of the Rings. The visualization had to be done before a word could be written.

So I am not totally sold on the fortunes of selling scripts. Selling film rights to a book feels to have more gravitas.

Njabulo Shabangu If you ever need help publishing a story and getting the ISBN to protect your work, let me know, that is what we do.

I learned screenwriting by creating no-budget movies. For me the standard script format is intuitive. My advice to those who have problems with the format is to contact your local group of no-budget filmmakers. Help them to film. When you are forced to read, and understand what must be in the film, you will find it easier to understand why the standard format looks the way it does.

If you're using screenwriting software, it's probably one of the most efficient ways of presenting a story. The formatting is easy. The real issue might be with focusing. I find it very hard to write creatively and technically at the same time, so I separate those processes by pre-writing all my structure first.

CJ Walley 100% agree