- Once your first draft is done, set it aside and don't even think about it, let alone read it, for at least a week. When you do read it, it will be awful, but don't worry.
- The Hero Leads: A common first draft mistake is that of the inactive hero. Your hero is dragged through the story, showing up when he needs to, but for no reason. He's unmotivated and his goal is vague.
- Is your hero's goal clearly stated in the set-up? Make sure it's spoken aloud and restated in action throughout the story.
- Do clues of what to do next just come to your hero, or does he seek them out? He must work at every stop.
- Is your hero active or passive? Everything he does must come from his burning desire to achieve his goal.
- Do other characters tell your hero what to do or does he tell them? Your hero knows. He doesn't ask. Avoid too many question marks in your hero's dialogue.
- Talking the plot: Show don't tell.
- Make the Bad Guy Badder: Maybe the hero isn't the problem. Make the bad guy seem just out of reach for our hero's abilities.
- Turn, turn, turn: Plot doesn't just move ahead, it spins and intensifies. It must go faster and more complex. You must show how the plot affects your characters. Show flaws, reveal treacheries, doubts, the hero's fears and threats to them. Expose hidden powers, untapped resources and dark motivations for the bad guys the hero doesn't know about.
- The Emotional Colour Wheel: If your film is one note emotionally, it falls flat. Make sure there are scenes of humour, lust, fear, jealousy, regret, anger, triumph.
- Hi How Are You I'm Fine: Flat dialogue. Dialogue is a chance to reveal character. The best way to make it more interesting is to give every character a unique voice, whether it be a stutter or a strange dialect. Check your character's have unique voices by covering up their names and reading your scene. Can you tell who's talking?
- Take a Step Back: If your character doesn't seem to develop emotionally, maybe he's already developed. Regress him at the beginning in order to give him an emotional journey.
- A Limp and an Eye Patch: Give your minor characters something visual in order to identify them, like a limp or an eyepatch. Or a haircut or bad teeth, or they're fat, thin, short, tall. It doesn't matter. Make them pop.
- Is it primal?: Your film may be complicated on its surface, but at its core, it must be simple. Survival. Hunger. Sex. Protecting loved ones. Fear of death. Even minor characters must be primal.
- Don't ignore mistakes thinking nobody will notice. They will. When in doubt, do it. Have the guts to fix your mistakes.
- Don't take everything so seriously. Your work sucks. But you can always fix it.
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