Here's instalment two...
GET THE STORY GOING
Not getting the story going is a big problem with many of the scripts I have read. It's always hard to gauge just how much or little an audience really needs to know. It's hard to know the best point at which to start your story - and different people will disagree vociferously about this. But what I do think is this:
You need to know your story - and then be bold with it. By 'know your story', I mean know what it is you are trying to do, what effect you are trying to have on an audience. It often seems from their scripts that writers aren't sure, or perhaps just lack the faith to make a firm decision and go with it. But the clearer are about what you want the story to do, the easier it will be to know how to get the story going.
Hook the attention from the outset. Reel us in straight away. Don't wait. Yes, the kind and genre of story you are telling will determine the tone and manner in which you do this. But you still need to do it. The more multi-stranded your story, and the larger the cast of characters, the harder this will be. But is an excellent example where a TV serial opening very quietly but surely and deliberately draws you in through seemingly episodic but precisely chosen moments.
Hit the ground running. This doesn't mean start with an action sequence. It means, start your story on page one. It's often very useful and effective to cut straight into the action, to open in the middle of an event, conflict or moment.
And the best way to do this is to show characters in action. Again, not an action sequence. But actively being themselves, making decisions, being active - doing things. And doing small things is 'action' so long as they are significant things that express the character and feed into the story that follows.
Try not to consciously preface, set up or introduce the characters and world. If you are showing your characters in engaging action - whether it's a sitcom, feature film or radio drama - then we are getting to know your characters and world in the best way possible. But if you are easing us into the characters and world before or outside the action of the main story, then they just won't hook the attention so well.
Beware obvious exposition and backstory. This is, of course, easier said than done. But audiences are much more capable of piecing together information and going with the flow than we usually think. If it's important in the story, then it should come out in the story. Don't shoe-horn information in - find an action, conflict or incident that shows it.
And I look forward to seeing the debate that follows...