20 of the Most Common Screenwriting Mistakes You MUST Avoid

What are the most common screenwriting mistakes that a screenwriter will likely make? What mistakes will be all too familiar to screenplay readers and development executives? Some mistakes are forgivable and some less so. But either way, there are screenplay mistakes that will make readers roll their eyes with their familiarity.

So what are these crucial screenwriting mistakes to avoid both for new and experienced screenwriters? And what are the mistakes that will only get in your way? We take a look.

1. Being Unprepared

The very first common screenwriting mistake is not having a plan. A writer who writes unprepared will likely have a frustrating experience.

Being unprepared is, for example, starting to write the script for an idea without knowing what the inciting incident will be. Or it could be not knowing how many characters you will need. Not knowing these elements are going to complicate the process enormously, leaving you fumbling in the dark for each piece of your story.

Being prepared allows one to write more fluently. With a more solid roadmap, there is more room for experimentation. Give yourself a solid structure and you can play with the rules and see where your writing might take you within that structure.

Whilst some writers might like to extol the virtues of free writing, such a skill is incredibly hard to master. And it’s likely that those who succeed with this method will have a structure embedded in their brain somewhere. So to avoid writing a screenplay that feels unfocused or will need a lot of rewriting, try and give yourself as much of a plan as you can.