Has anyone read his _How Not to Write a Screenplay_ book? Most screenplay books I've seen look fairly useless becuse they all tell you to write a script with a tried and true (i.e. hackneyed) formula because it's what Hollywood knows how to market and the easiest way to a paycheck. I notice one of the amazon.com reviews complains that he has a problem with the use of the word "beat," as a stage direction, even though _The Sixth Sense_ is plastered with it, which strikes me as making the book less credible. I got the impression from the reviews that leaving characters' names in all capital letters is not desirable, even though I often see it. I tend only to use it when it refers to the character DOING something, as opposed to something about the character, or the character as an indirect object. Of course, I still write these as a hobby, right now, and I want to direct these things myself, so I am hardly an authority on what to do. Scott ---- To sign off Screen-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF Screen-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]