Rule #1 - Learn all the rules and never break them.

Rule #2 - There are no rules.

I met a fresh newbie the other day. You know -- "I have the whole story written in my head. I just need to know, is there some special way it's supposed to look? And how do I keep people from stealing my idea once it's down on paper?"

My first impulse was to shake him and say, "Quit now and go do something that comes more naturally to you, like rocket science." If you're struggling with screenplay formatting, you're in over your head. You're not ready for the bigger challenges of learning story structure, subtext, or getting somebody, anybody, to actually read your perfectly formatted screenplay.

But, okay, let's talk about formatting.

Yes, there are standard formatting rules. You can -- and should -- read about them in any number of basic books and websites on screenwriting. You can -- and should -- buy professional screenwriting software like Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter, or you can write your screenplay online for free right here at FiveSprockets.com. Any of these options will handle the formatting for you automatically.

All the books and gurus are correct when they say your script must look like a script or it will be tossed in the blue bin for recycling. Readers may not have a heart about casually discarding a year's worth of your hard work, but at least they care about the planet. However, when you reach the point where you're looking for a consensus on whether a montage should be delineated with dashes or numbered paragraphs, you're obsessing unnecessarily.

Why? For one thing, the best solution is to skip the montage entirely. It's a cliché. More to the point, though, is that there are many "rules" for which there is no consensus. So while the books all agree that it's important to format your script "correctly" or it won't get past the reader, no two books agree exactly on what "correctly" means for every single screenplay element.

Some people say NEVER use a time of day in a slug line other than DAY or NIGHT. Others argue that rule is archaic and there are perfectly acceptable reasons to sometimes use MORNING or DUSK. Diablo Cody used both and still won the Oscar. I wouldn't want to be the reader who rejected JUNO for no other reason than the very first slug line was "EXT. CENTENNIAL LANE - DUSK". But point out a rule breaker to a guru and they'll patronizingly tell you David Mamet can do whatever he wants because he's established; and besides, you're not as talented as Diablo Cody so you'd better stick to the rules to get the readers on your side. As if "perfect" formatting will get a mediocre story produced. Personally, I'd hate to think a movie like GIGLI got made just because the margins were all in the right places.

Unfortunately, there are gatekeepers out there who are, themselves, nothing more than struggling, unproduced writers, just like us, who may never sell their own work because they think finding and defining a great script is all about not having any typos in it. And you'll never get your script past all of them because they're each playing from a slightly different play book.

So yes, read a few of the books and online guides on formatting. Fix your typos. Read lots of screenplays of produced movies. Get a feel for how a screenplay reads until "formatting" is second nature to you. When you find yourself debating with your screenwriting buddies on how many brads to use (answer: two -- but again, would anyone give JUNO bad coverage over an extra brad?) or the one and only way to specify intercutting between locations during a phone conversation, focus instead on the simplest way to make your baby read smooth and understandable.

And that brings me to...

Rule #3 - Stop reading rule lists and start writing your screenplay.

Dan Margules is a screenwriter and co-founder of San Diego Filmmakers. His award-winning short film, Begleiter, is available in a Special Edition from Amazon.com or happy-the-dog.com. It makes an excellent Christmas present.