What I learned from doing script coverage for a year...

Common problems with green/amateur writers:

I have read A LOT of scripts. From professional writers, to first-timers.

Shooting drafts, rewrites, un-produced scripts lost in turnaround.

I’ve seen the many stages of pre-pro on a screenplay. I even did coverage for a sizable company before I started selling my own material.

The point is, in my short years on this planet, I have digested a plethora of screenplays, for pleasure and for work (Don’t fool yourself; reading submitted scripts from friends and “acquaintances” is work without pay).

I’ve noticed a few things about the stories that get made vs. the ones that don’t.