If you’re just beginning, stay close to the basics: “Guy wants something badly and has trouble getting it.”

the testosterone-filled, self-aware, blood, guts, and bullets script.

The key is identifying the force that will get in the way of your character’s goal and building the scene around that.

Be careful, however. Stray from the dominant personality trait too much and the audience may become confused about your character. It’s a fine line, but when done well, this tool helps your character feel multi-dimensional.

a character accepts responsibility for his mistakes, you can allow a Deus Ex Machina to save him.

Take a character who desperately wants to get somewhere, then have him/her held up by someone who wants to talk.

“Voice has to do with how an author interprets the world on the page. It has a lot to do with language choice, the rhythm and flow of words. Sometimes it has to do with the author's point of view (John Hughes) or sense of humor (Shane Black, William Goldman) or the creative dialogue (Quentin Tarantino) or quirky characters (most of the above). If

Every genre has its own eccentricities. Every writer has his or her own voice. Every story has its own challenges.

Screenwriting is not a writing contest. It’s a storytelling contest - Screenwriting is NOT about how well you string words together or the beauty of your prose. It’s about how well you tell a story.