The “Am I A Good Screenwriter?” Quiz

Hey screenwriters and screenwriter wannabes!  Think you got what it takes to be a screenwriter in this Chew-’Em-Up-Spit-’Em-Out Hollywood Town?

Take my easy 5-question screenwriter quiz to see if you’ve got the good when it comes to turning your screenplay into a lean, mean, agent-wooing machine.

Answers are at the bottom.

1) Which character description is better?

A) PETER JENKINS (40) – plump in a polo shirt, blond, Nextel on his belt.

B) PETER JENKINS, late thirties/early 40′s, slightly overweight, sandy blond hair and innocent blue eyes, carries his Nextel on his belt loop in an outdated leather case.

C) PETER JENKINS is in his late thirties but doesn’t look like it. He has an innocent expression on his face and wears a Nextel cell phone on his belt, and his polo shirt is tucked in.

2) Which action line is better?

A) Joey slams on the brakes and the car screeches to a halt just an inch away from the propane tank.

B) Joey slams the brakes. The car screeches to a halt, inches from the propane tank.

C) SCREEEEECH!  Joey slams on the brakes. The car screeches to a halt, skidding its tires, and stops just inches away from the propane tank.

3) Which slugline is better?

A) INT. FRITO LAY PLANT – PETER JENKIN’S CORNER OFFICE – DAY

B) INT. FRITO LAY PLANT – OFFICE – DAY

C) EXT. FRITO LAY PLANT – OFFICE – DAY

4) Which action is better?

A) Larry leans up against the bar. He looks down at his drink, thinking about Meg.

B) Larry leans up against the bar, looking down at his drink, thinking about Meg.

C) Larry looks at his drink, then looks at a photo of Meg in his wallet. He takes a drink.

5) Which dialogue/action combo is better?

A)

PETER
(excitedly)
I can’t wait to try my new AK-47!

B)

Peter bounces and smiles.

PETER
I can’t wait to try out my new AK-47!

C)

PETER
(jumping up and down, smiling like an excited kid)
I can’t wait to try out my new AK-47!

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE ANSWERS, GRASSHOPPER.

Correct answers: A, B, B, C, B

1) Brevity, brevity, brevity!  Maximum impact, minimum amount of words!

2) Just the essentials. The reader is perfectly able to imagine her own “screech” if you include the verb, instead of the sound effect.

3) Chances are, the scene will unfold with Peter Jenkins IN the office, so we’ll know right away it’s HIS office. Don’t be redundant!

4) We can’t see or hear Larry THINKING. So SHOW him thinking. When he looks at the pic, we know what he’s thinking about.

5) Keep your action and descriptions in the action lines, and only use parentheticals if, without them, there’s absolutely no way the reader will understand the way the line is supposed to be delivered.

Naturally, these 5 questions aren’t the end-all-be-all of whether or not you’re a good screenwriter.  Even the pro’s still make these mistakes, so no worries if you got some wrong! 

Just remember – the idea is to say MORE with FEWER WORDS, and KEEP THAT READER READING. If the reader gets bogged down in too much text, she could put down your script, and it may never get to the next rung on the ladder.

Show, don’t tell!  Whatever we can’t SEE or HEAR needs to be DELETED from your script. That is, no thinking, wondering, or other internal processes that we can’t see.  If you can’t SHOW IT, don’t include it!

That’s all for today, but I’ll be back with another quiz soon. Stay frosty!

Brian