Last year, a scriptreader read 300 scripts for 5 studios, all the while taking notes on the problems and trends he saw. The number 1 problem? The story started too late in the script.
The top 20 problems with scripts submitted to studios.
The story begins too late in the script
The scenes are void of meaningful conflict
The script has a by-the-numbers execution
The story is too thin
The villains are cartoonish, evil-for-the-sake-of-evil
The character logic is muddy
The female part is underwritten
The narrative falls into a repetitive pattern
The conflict is inconsequential, flash-in-the-pan
The protagonist is a standard issue hero
The script favors style over substance
The ending is completely anti-climactic
The characters are all stereotypes
The script suffers from arbitrary complexity
The script goes off the rails in the third act
The script's questions are left unanswered
The story is a string of unrelated vignettes
The plot unravels through convenience/contrivance
The script is tonally confused
The protagonist is not as strong as [he or she needs to] be
Another interesting fact is that the most common location for these films-in-waiting was "some anonymous small town," which just narrowly edged out its exact opposite, a place called "New York City."
Everything that applies to scripts applies to novels as well, particularly entry and exit point. Enter each scene as late as possible, leave it as early.
Start with the inciting incident, and don't bother with silly prologues or backstory.
