Advice for the Newbie Screenwriter

I've completed a couple of screenplay and submitted one for competition at the Toronto International Film Festival. I suppose it was because of those two things that I got an email this morning asking if I had any advice for a newbie screenwriter.

I have to admit that I still feel like a newbie because I haven't had a feature length script made into a movie yet. Regardless, I wanted to share my thoughts with anyone else who finds this post through the wonder of the interwebs.

First, I recommend picking up a copy of Story by Robert McGee. It's an amazing book that will tell an aspiring writer most of what he or she needs to know.

Second, I recommend downloading a copy of Celtx, which is available at www.celtx.com. This program will help to format your screenplay and do a lot to help make the process go smoother.

Celtx is not as good as Final Draft, which is by far the most popular writing software on the market. However, Final Draft is expensive and Celtx has a full version that is available for free. If you can afford to get a copy of Final Draft, by all means get it. However, most newbies can't afford it so I recommend Celtx.