- Present progressive.
- Passive voice.
- It describes things that convey no story meaning.
- The sluglines are complex.
- The dialogue is all exposition.
- The prose style is literal and impersonal.
- No original images or details.
- Research errors.
- Bad grammar, usage and spelling.
- Improper format.
- Nothing happens.
First pages are your resume. They show that you know what you’re doing and that you’ll do a good job. Don’t waste it on a bunch of backstory, exposition and cliche.
Contest readers do not put your script down after one page, we read to critique the whole story. The most useful notes you get come from the best draft you can write.