#1: The Overall Story Is Just…Boring

This may seem obvious, but the main culprit for this issue is that your concept may not be strong enough. Developing a strong concept that resonates with people is one half of the equation and executing that concept in a creative way is the other half.

So, those are two pieces of a puzzle you will need to get right just to keep people awake while they read your script.

The concept is the core idea that runs throughout the entire screenplay. Your screenplay’s concept should get you excited just thinking about it and although it doesn’t have to be original — it has to feel original.

Solution #1

One way you can begin creating your concept is to start with a question such as “What if…?” What if aliens invaded our planet on Independence Day? What if a mercenary robot was sent from the future to kill a woman before she gave birth to a boy who grows up to be the world’s only savior? What if a spy was sent undercover to infiltrate a group of criminals and discovered he has been fighting for the wrong side of justice?

Solution #2

You can also think of movies you felt were pretty bad and use those as a starting point. That’s right — bad movies can serve as a jumping off point for your awesome concept. As a writer, you shouldn’t just think of a bad movie like the average consumer. Use it as an opportunity to exercise your brain on what YOU would have done to improve things.

What would YOU have done differently that could have saved this story from being a flop? Would you have had a more interesting villain? How would you have changed the overall plot if you had total control?

After you’ve answered some of those questions you just might find that you have a completely new storyline on your hands!

Solution #3

Once you’ve come up with a story concept, challenge yourself to go a step further by making sure the story actually says something. I’m not talking about the dialogue within the story — but the story itself. What’s the purpose of this story? Does it have a theme?

If not, then think about what it is your hero will learn once he reaches his goal. He or she should not be the same person they started out as in the beginning of the story. The plot to your cool concept is really just a visual way of showing how your characters resolve their inner journey or flaw.

In the boxing drama Rocky — Sylvester Stallone didn’t just play a boxer who wanted to beat the champion. He played a small time boxer who got a rare chance to fight the heavy weight champion by the stroke of luck. Rocky didn’t believe in himself. He didn’t have any real self esteem and believed he was a loser.

He took the fight to prove to himself that he wasn’t a bum — and he was willing to risk his life in the ring to prove it. The story’s concept is more of a love story and has a strong theme about self doubt. it wasn’t just a boxing movie. Get it?

#2: Your Screenplay Starts Off Too Slow

Not that your story always has to begin with explosions, fist fights and car chases but at some point the audience is going to expect something interesting to happen related to the overall plot.

Unlike a novel, a screenplay is meant to be written with brevity broken up into beats and moments. Within those beats and moments should be emotional experiences that move the story forward at all times. Just because you intend for a character to die a slow death doesn’t mean it should literally be a slow read.

Always keep in mind how your script would play out if you were watching it in the movies. One of the key things most great scripts share in common is good pacing.

Pacing isn’t a set speed at which things must happen, however things should happen at a pace that feels organic and natural to the audience. A lot of times genre plays a key role in how you pace your story.

If you’re writing a horror film then perhaps show us something creepy or scary every five to ten pages. In a thriller, we’ll expect a certain amount of suspense and action. Within a comedy the basic idea is to keep the crowd laughing, so whether there’s a punchline every ten pages will depend on the story — but for God’s sake make sure you get to the point!

#3: The Writer Runs Out Of Gas At The Mid-Point

Like any long journey, you can’t finish unless you know where you’re going. Imagine yourself having to navigate through a jungle. If your map is clear and to the point you will be able to get through with no problems.

Now, picture yourself trying to get through that same jungle without a map. You’d be wandering around until you eventually died! Crafting an effective story is the same way. You need to know where your main character is going otherwise you’ll bore your audience to death. 

A lot of writers get stuck at the mid-point because of many reasons. They haven’t thought the entire story through to the end, they’re unclear what the character’s goal is, the characters never change thus creating an extremely long first act…the list goes on.

So how do you get through this part of your story known as the mid-point? Well, let’s take a look at what should happen in your second act. Here’s a quote from Syd Field:

An important scene in the middle of the script, often a reversal of fortune or revelation that changes the direction of the story.

What is your character’s worst nightmare? In the second act of the story — show us. Ramp up the danger and fear factor for your main character. Turn the heat up. Your story should take us on a rollercoaster ride filled with emotions.

That is not to say there has to be massive alien invasions and buildings exploding, but there should be some type of change in the tone of the story. The stakes get raised, a ticking clock appears, the A & B storylines come to head…any of these will do. Just don’t bore us with the same stuff you showed us in the first act. 

Remember the original Karate Kid movie? Daniel is a new kid in town who gets bullied to the point of desperation. The bully named Johnny is a martial arts student and terrorizes him at every opportunity he gets.

An older man named Mr. Miyagi teaches and trains Daniel martial arts and has Daniel challenge Johnny in a major karate tournament — Johnny accepts and agrees not to bully Daniel while he trains for the fight.

During the tournament fight, which happens in the third act, Daniel fights his way to the finals to face his nemesis Johnny — until the climax hits us like a wrecking ball! Johnny’s sensai instructs one of his students (Bobby) to disqualify himself by injuring Daniel just before he faces Johnny. Take a look at the scene for yourself.

This is what some would also refer to as an “all is lost” moment because Daniel is injured and it doesn’t look like he will be able to face Johnny in a showdown. It’s an emotional rollercoaster for the audience because we’ve been rooting for Daniel the entire story to take Johnny out and redeem himself.

So ask yourself, does your climax have a strong emotional impact on the reader or the audience? Or is it something we’d sleep though?

#5: The Characters Are Cliche Or Forgettable