When writing a screenplay, a screenwriter must remember that she has two audiences. First, she has the reader of the screenplay. This reader may be her friend, writing coach, producer, actor, director, distributor, development exec, someone working in product placement, contest judge, or anyone else in the chain of people that read a screenplay before it magically gets transformed into a movie. For this audience, the writing must be good. What I mean by that is:  there must be both style and substance. Substance is a good story with well-developed characters, great pacing, interesting plot twists, excellent dialog and a tightly woven theme. Style is the way all of that good stuff is presented on the page and includes visually interesting descriptions, proper formatting, correct spelling, and a unique voice that supports the content and engages the reader. [Read more…]