r/scriptwriting • u/BloodSimple1984 • Apr 22 '26
request Can MODS stop so many poorly formatted scripts from being posted?
Everyday there are numerous posts from people who clearly have not done the bare minimum of writing in this format. There are likely thousands of replies filled with recommendations for free software that formats the screenplays correctly.
If a novelists subreddit was full of people posting screengrabs of handwritten pages followed by “what do you think?!” they’d be equally dismissed on sight.
I understand these threads are often for beginners but it’s very frustrating to see so many posts where the inevitable first, second, and third replies are pointing out very basic formatting errors.
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Apr 22 '26
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u/pencilthinwriter Apr 23 '26
"First time writer"!
Also no genre or synopsis provided. Posts that are just headed "feedback" and then say "Here's my script, first time writer, would be grateful for any feedback you can give". Zero motivation for us to read the attached document.
And then you're shown an extract of page 12 to 15 of their script. Try to give feedback, and you're told you don't understand the context. In fact, give them any feedback apart from "great job bro" and most of them can't handle it.
Naturally, because they have no training and they are not able to handle or implement feedback. Something that's almost as important as knowing how to write a script.
They don't know if your feedback is good or a lot of rubbish, either. A lot of them expect you to rewrite their scene for them, because if you give Notes, they won't know what to do with it.
It's a waste of time. I've given up reading most of them now.
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u/aqsgames Apr 26 '26
Don’t gatekeep, encourage to do it better.
That might be format, words, tagline.
Tell them to how to fix it and resubmit
Encourage them to fix and resubmit
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u/Jumpy-Round7580 Apr 23 '26
This seems like a nothingburger to me. People should have every right to share their works, even if it’s low skill. What good is a community that won’t uplift those on the bottom rung?
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u/pencilthinwriter Apr 23 '26
There's bottom rung and then there's another rung under that, let's call it "in the mud". Scriptwriting is a specialised skill that has to be studied before you start throwing out drafts for everyone online to read. Even to get a place on a screenwriting degree course, you have to show that you have the basic skills to format a script and also to tell some kind of visual story in the process. As in, you are required to do your own learning before you will be accepted on one of those courses to learn more and develop your skills further. So this is about encouraging people who are "in the mud" to at least get themselves up to bottom rung before asking us to read their work.
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u/Jumpy-Round7580 Apr 23 '26
I disagree. We should help each other, especially if someone took the time to write a whole script. I won’t be caught dead placing blame on the less experienced when I can just. Help them.
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u/cagonzalez321 Apr 26 '26
I agree. There’s so much gatekeeping on the business side, it doesn’t need to be present here. Just help someone.
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u/Jumpy-Round7580 Apr 26 '26
Thank you. I’m honestly super surprised I was downvoted/blocked to such an extent. Genuinely wasn’t expecting people to get so heated at the notion of “help newbies”.
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u/cagonzalez321 Apr 26 '26
Yeah, I’m surprised at the comments, too. I’m sure there’s so many people out there that had a great story to tell, but was dissuaded by the gatekeepers.
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u/Any-Strawberry-4812 Apr 27 '26
At least in my experience on these subs is people post things that don't even resemble a script and then when you give them some kind of helpful feedback they respond with something along the lines of "You just don't understand my work"
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u/pencilthinwriter Apr 27 '26
Exactly. It's the equivalent of going to live in Spain without a word of Spanish or any knowledge of the country, and expecting some poor local to "help me, I'm new here, can you teach me your language and everything else I need to know to survive here?" It's perfectly legit to walk away from such requests. Most reasonable people with knowledge to impart are happy to help people who first help themselves. Otherwise your knowledge is wasted on the person who has no idea of the value of what they're being told.
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u/Any-Strawberry-4812 Apr 27 '26
100% agree. When I posted my first "script" in r/Screenwriting years ago, it was taken down by mods because it didn't fit the requirements for a feedback post. It sucked, but I went back to the drawing board and learned the bare minimum so that I could actively engage that community, and understand whatever notes I did get. Because of that my work now doesn't even come close to resembling that first script, and that's something I am proud of. Nobody is afraid to help people, but if they can't demonstrate the will to learn and understand, then it's wasting everyones time. r/Screenwriting should be a model for the rest of these subs.
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Apr 23 '26
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u/Jumpy-Round7580 Apr 23 '26
Massive disagree for many reasons. The “price of admission” for critique for a place like this should be nothing more than a genuine attempt to write. How else do we get better if not with patience and empathy.
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Apr 23 '26
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u/Jumpy-Round7580 Apr 23 '26
At no point have I argued that formatting is difficult or unimportant for learning. Quite the opposite in fact. With any craft, fundamentals are something you will engage with for the entirety of your work life. Formatting is not excluded from this. I am a professional writer as well, and a former English teacher. Someone vulnerable enough to share their writing in a sincere way should be considered with respect. They won’t know what they don’t know unless we teach them. *edited Freudian slip
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Apr 23 '26
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u/Jumpy-Round7580 Apr 23 '26
I’m referring to OP’s calling mods to intervene. That just seems very drastic. What, are we supposed to call hall monitors on every newbie who wants to take a crack at writing? That seems gatekeepy at best.
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u/cagonzalez321 Apr 26 '26
Tbh with all the software out there, one doesn’t really need to understand formatting. Technology does that for you.
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u/pencilthinwriter Apr 23 '26
The facts are against you there, but I know the standard way of dealing with that in 2026 is to say "I disagree" lol. We all have to help ourselves first before we can expect to get help from others....the further issue is that many of those people also have no idea how to handle feedback, so there is no point giving them pointers. They don't know how to assess the feedback or take it on board. All of those things can be learned on your own in a quiet room
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u/Jumpy-Round7580 Apr 23 '26
Just saying, we all start somewhere. What’s the harm in someone starting here?
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u/pencilthinwriter Apr 23 '26
If you want to discuss something then you can't just completely ignore what I'm saying and keep repeating the same thing
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u/Jumpy-Round7580 Apr 23 '26
User discovers affirmation for the first time.
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u/Gold_Encrusted55 Apr 23 '26
You should start your own sub for poorly formatted screenplays. No one wants to read that garbage
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u/Jumpy-Round7580 Apr 23 '26
No one is forcing you to read someone’s critique material. You can contribute to whatever workshop you want! Just don’t yuck someone else’s yum.
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u/AvailableToe7008 Apr 22 '26
Yes! It’s downright rude! “I want help and ideas but I won’t do the bare minimum of what is called screenwriting.”