Spelling errors!

[Hobbledehoy]

I've submitted to several contests and realized spelling errors subsequent to my entering. Will those errors affect my placement?

[nielsty]

It's hard to say - depends on the reader. Some of them will probably see it as unprofessional - others won't care and will instead look for potential. But is it one or two errors in the entire script or is it a bunch of them on each page? Because then you're in trouble...

[Hobbledehoy]

Just one or two in the script...

[dclary]

If the story rocks, one or two errors won't make a difference.

If it doesn't, readers will go out of their way to find a reason to turn it down (or rank another script higher)

[Mandy-Jane]

I judged a playwriting competition recently and came across several scripts with spelling errors. While one or two still made me mad, if everything else about it was good, then it didn't matter.

[dpaterso]

Spelling errors are definitely among the top 5,000 excuses that script readers will use to reject a script.

-Derek

[scripter1]

and are they obvious?Like everyone else, I'll say they are likely to annoy a reader but not enough to sink your script.

[Julie Gray]

If there's just a very few, for me that falls under the category of "we're all human" but if there are more than that, it will annoy the reader very much. But it's true whoever said earlier - if the story rocks, that kind of thing will be very quickly forgotten. I think if there are more than a few errors, to a reader it would appear is if you are sloppy and didn't bother to proofread or worse - that you don't have a handle on your use of language and spelling.

While a couple or even a few errors won't sink your script in and of themselves? It doesn't make you look very professional. So proofread really carefully before submitting to anything or anyone.

It's like going to a formal dinner party with a very small ketchup stain on your white shirt. Will you get tossed out or will people smile and understand, oh gosh, poor guy, he's human? Probably the latter. But it's embarrassing nonetheless. Do you want that, or do you want to show up looking impeccable in the first place?

[nmstevens]

I've submitted to several contests and realized spelling errors subsequent to my entering. Will those errors affect my placement?

If it's just a few -- and if they're not in the first page or two, I wouldn't worry about it. Readers generally understand that scripts are working documents and that the occassional typo will slip through.

But a large number of errors -- and especially real mistakes -- like there/their/they're type mistakes and most especially early mistakes, will definitely create a bad feeling. It just makes it seem as if you don't care.

And if you don't, why should they?

NMS

[Hobbledehoy]

If it's just a few -- and if they're not in the first page or two, I wouldn't worry about it. Readers generally understand that scripts are working documents and that the occassional typo will slip through.

But a large number of errors -- and especially real mistakes -- like there/their/they're type mistakes and most especially early mistakes, will definitely create a bad feeling. It just makes it seem as if you don't care.

And if you don't, why should they?

NMS

Whatever. I'm not going to cry anymore and just take it like a man.

[NikeeGoddess]

real mistakes -- like there/their/they're type
this is why you cannot trust spell check because won't catch these.
Final Draft has a great formatting checker thou - it won't let you print until you fix (or check and pass on fixing) the errors. don't turn this feature off.

[dpaterso]

Oddly enough MM2000's SmartCheck does the same thing.

-Derek

[J. Holmes]

I nevur misspel anithing. :)

[DanielD]

Spelling mistakes are common in screenplays(many of them considered great screenplays), whether earlier drafts or the actual final draft.
Though in most cases, there are only a few.
I have also noticed that certain letters tend to be the usual culprits. Therefore, it could be a spellchecker oversight, or that similar looking(shaped) letters are overlooked by the individual doing the proofread, and/or edit.
Though these days, with the technologies we have available to us, we have(In theory), a much lesser chance of this occuring.
Therefore, less excuses for oversights.
Daniel.

[WarrenP]

When I'm checking for spelling (and IRL I'm not a great typist so I tend to use teh lots, for example), I read my work backwards. Yes it takes longer to proof for spelling this way, but, for me anyway, is much more effective.

[zeprosnepsid]

I just wanted to take a minute to complain about Final Draft's spell check. It's awful and completely inadequate. People keep telling me to c&p and put the whole thing in Word when it's done but what a giant pain. I understand that an awesome spell check is not high on FD's list of things it does, but it still aggravates me.

As a side note, no the reader isn't going to care about a couple spelling mistakes. In fact, if your story is interesting and engaging they probably won't even notice.

As another side note, if you had other people read and review your script for you before submitting they will catch these things for you. That's one of the reasons you have other people read and review it.

[Hobbledehoy]

Yeah zep,

I was using Final Draft and it does suck. I didn't think about C&P to Word though. Sounds like a good idea.

[NikeeGoddess]

it's not the spelling that's a mistake. if the word is spelled correctly then FD or MM will NOT pick it up. ie - their, there, they're or you could easily say "he" when you meant "she". technically it's not wrong so it's your own fault. it's the grammar that you have to scrutinize the hard way.

[RainbowDragon]

If you were lucky enough to make an error in the midlde of a word, and your story is engagnig enoguh to keep the reaeder mvoing fast thruogh each and everery page, it'll prabobly go unnotcied. :)