{"id":11722,"date":"2026-09-08T05:02:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T03:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/2026\/09\/08\/these-are-the-mistakes-new-writers-tend-to-make\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T05:02:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T03:02:57","slug":"these-are-the-mistakes-new-writers-tend-to-make","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/2026\/09\/08\/these-are-the-mistakes-new-writers-tend-to-make\/","title":{"rendered":"These Are the Mistakes New Writers Tend to Make"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

Screenwriter Corey Mandell recently sat down for a conversation at Film Courage, where he talked about the mistakes that he most consistently sees new writers make. It\u2019s a fascinating conversation with a lot of great points. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about a few of them, and also one or two of my own points that I\u2019ll try to articulate as well as him.<\/p>\n

Writing Without Individuality<\/h2>\n

This is a great one, but it\u2019s also a tough pill for writers to swallow depending on when in their journey they first hear it. You can be the most talented writer in the world<\/u><\/a>. A master of structure, character growth, naturalistic dialogue, building of suspense, the whole nine yards. However, what separates the good scripts like these from the great ones is the sense that the writer is writing a story in a way that only they could do. We\u2019ve always heard that writing needs to feel personal to you. That\u2019s absolutely true, and you\u2019d be surprised how much heavy lifting this does when it comes to someone wanting to get to know you and to get familiar with your work. <\/p>\n

Writing Only With the Intent to Sell<\/h2>\n

\"Saorise \u2018Lady Bird\u2019<\/small>Credit: A24<\/small><\/p>\n

This one kind of goes hand in hand with writing with individuality. A lot of really great writers will start to seek out what\u2019s trending, or what\u2019s selling like hot cakes right now as a way to get their foot in the door. It may seem like a smart advance on the \u201cone for them, one for me\u201d sort of mentality that many artists have adopted over their career.<\/p>\n

The secret trap that this creates is sometimes the loss of that individuality we already talked about. The relationship that a writer has with reps, or producers, or anyone that can make their career happen in the industry depends so heavily on timing. You could have the most sellable script in the world, but if the timing isn\u2019t right, you\u2019re still going to get passed on. This is why it\u2019s still important to remain true to your own interests while working. Even if it\u2019s the most unsellable script known to man, if it\u2019s something truly substantive that the right people read, the more interested they will be in your future career, and being proactive about following up with you if the time is right for something else. <\/p>\n

\u2018Tools, Not Rules\u2019<\/h2>\n

This one might be my personal favorite. I\u2019ve been a script reader for a long time, and in my experience, there are two really common types of scripts. There\u2019s the type that relies so aggressively on formula, tried-and-true structures, and general instructions on \u201chow to write the best script\u201d that you find in something like Save the Cat<\/em><\/u><\/em><\/a>. Then, there\u2019s the type of script that rejects everything I just laid out entirely, and makes a point of not following any sort of through-line, and throws everything at the wall just to see what sticks. Don\u2019t do either of these things. <\/p>\n

Instead, understand that a lot of these \u201crules\u201d that you\u2019ve read about in books, or been taught in film school, are actually \u201ctools\u201d. Use them as building blocks to get your story told, but you can bend, warp, and reconstruct them as you please. Obviously, there\u2019s a psychological element to how you can keep people engaged through structure. No one is denying that. But who says you have to do it a certain way? Have the humility to understand that these \u201cguidelines\u201d are around for a reason, and use them in ways that would best fit your work. But don\u2019t be so married to them that you turn your script into a recipe anyone can re-recreate with step-by-step instructions. <\/p>\n

Accept Notes and Suggestions With Your Head Held High<\/h2>\n

\"Jonah \u2018Superbad\u2019<\/small>Credit: Sony Pictures<\/small><\/p>\n

Asking for feedback can be a bit of an ego trap for some writers. Finishing a readable draft of your script is an insane accomplishment; there is no denying that. But far too many people let that go to their head in a couple of different ways. The first is sending the script off for feedback, but when you actually get feedback, you reject it entirely with the thought, \u201cthey just didn\u2019t get it.\u201d The other is sending a script off for feedback and getting far more actionable criticism than you expected, which kills your motivation to fix these things, and then you give up. Once again, don\u2019t do either of these things.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re lucky enough to have a circle of people that you trust that can give you real, tangible notes on your work, utilize them like crazy. You can\u2019t fix a mistake about your writing that you don\u2019t realize that you\u2019re making. Mandell\u2019s sentiment on feedback is quite freeing. He argues that every time you\u2019re told you\u2019re doing something in your writing that may not be up to par, you\u2019re one step closer to perfecting your craft. Treat notes this way, and you\u2019ll never dread getting feedback again. <\/p>\n

Relax, You\u2019re Doing Fine<\/h2>\n

One last thing: to echo Mandell\u2019s sentiment on what makes a great writer, there is no concrete answer. \u201cAll you need is to have experienced love, to have experienced loss, and to have at least once in your life been deeply ashamed of something that you did or didn\u2019t do. You crave community, you crave meaning, you have fantasies, you have fears and nightmares, you\u2019re confused, you\u2019re trying to figure it all out. As long as you\u2019ve got that, you have what you need to be a writer. The rest you can get with research.\u201d That\u2019s what this all boils down to. You have a unique lived experience. Share it. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Author: Eric Hardman
\nThis article comes from No Film School<\/i> and can be read on the original site.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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