Script Writing

1. Clear Setting - When and Where - INT. SEC Cafe - Day
2. Describe Setting - Short and snappy, 2 sentences max - 'Bustling, busy, fully of fashionably dressed teenagers. Chrome and glass surfaces, gossip fills the air as students talk and eat'.
3. Introducing Characters - Throw in a couple of vivid details - 'Kayla Frost 19 - Stick-thin, looks like she might snap at any moment. Her Levi's might be faded, but her eyes burn fiercely from under a gothic mop of hair.
4. Naming your characters - Make sure each character's name is different, and looks different. - Give each character a surname. Comes across as incomplete without it.
5. Conflict - Be based on a wider conflict of some kind, each character should have independent conflicts that they are dealing with. - Doubts, insecurities, unfinished business. Characters should just easily glide through the script.
6. Secrets - Enables you to pick away layers and keep your viewers interested.
7. Keep it consistent - Keep your character consistent in background and behaviour - Dave is an ex-con with a violent past, make sure he acts that way when confronted by trouble.
8. Dialogue: Sentences - People don't speak in complete sentences or alike. - Let you character dictate where the punctuation goes, gaps pauses and unfinished sentences.
9. Stay away from the nose - The phrase 'on the nose' refers to dialogue that states too clearly what a character is thinking without filtering it through their personality and agenda. - If Dave tells his closest friend "I want to be a policeman", it won't play as well as an application form falling out of his bag.
10. Keep it unpredictable - Have dialogue to flow but have some surprise bits in. Throw away the first response you think of. Throw away the second and maybe use the third.
11. Keep it varied - Does the character need to respond verbally? If someone says 'goodbye', do they need to speak in return. Could they wink instead? - Predictability is your enemy.
12. First line - The first line should sum up an aspect of their personality. You're character only has one chance to make an impression so make sure it packs a punch.
13. Language=Life - Make sure your characters' language reflects their life experiences. A 70 year old english teacher would speak differently to a 25 year old football player. Make their dialogue reflect this.
14. Double Hyphen - Has one character cut another character off before they finished speaking? The traditional way to show this is with a double hyphen. -- 
15. Fresh Slang - Use latest words, phrases and cultural references. An audience won't know the difference between a slang phrase and one they've never heard of before but they'll notice a dated one.
16. Mixed Dialogue and Action - Stuff happens all at once, people don't stop talking because a bus is about to explode; the bus explodes when they are in mid sentence. Have action and dialogue crash into each other as in reality, thing don't happen in a neat order.
17. Don't Tell Me What I've Seen - If Debbie's head just exploded, the viewer doesn't need James to tell them. They have already noticed. Eliminate dialogue that narrates the action.
18. No Place for Closed Questions - If you've got a question that leads to a 'yes' or 'no' response, get rid of it. They stop the dialogue dead and the audience can anticipate the response. Replace them with open questions.
19. Misunderstandings - Characters should misunderstand and misinterpret as people do in real life. It gives you great opportunities for conflict and comedies, plus it makes the dialogue read as more authentic.
20. Style Stuff: Present Tense - Keep action descriptions in the present. I.e. 'Fred chases' not 'Fred chased'. Have the action unfold in the present as it does in the script.
21. What Not to Include - Don't include thoughts, hopes, back stories (characters history), anything that can't be shown visually. Show them through events/dialogue.
22. Keep it Clear - Make the wording clear. "The brides father runs a pizza shop."
23. OH MY GOD - Using ALL CAPITALS in your action script signifies something important. It's a way of making the important elements pop when someone reads the script. - The whole building EXPLODES. - Don't get carried away and use it a lot, use it sparingly.
24. Keep it Punchy - Break long sentences and keep your descriptions as vividly as you can. I.e. 'Jennie trying to keep her breather under control as she walks across a tightrope.' - 'Inhale. Exhale. Jennie steps out.'
25. Write it first, then Edit - This script won't be as punchy, exciting and engaging as possible on the first draft. Your mission on the first draft is just to get the thing written. Second, third, fourth, fifth drafts are the opportunity to make your screenplay everything it can be.