1. Save $ - even $5 a month in a slush fund is better than $0 and a May deadline.

2. Make sure inner monologues and useless dialogue are cut

3. Peer review out the wazoo.

4. Spellcheck my friends. You ain't got no excuse not to do that there spellcheckin'.

5. Make sure you cover up any watermarks - look like a champ.

6. Make sure you have a logline that can fit into 100, 300, and 400 characters. You'll run into this constraint. Trust me.

7. Be prepared to describe what genres your screenplay fits into. Don't stumble here, rattle 'em off.

8. Optional: register with the WGA and/or the US Copyright Office, but there's a big one here that's worth watching, so yes, hit the play button.

9. Keep WRITING. Our first x amount of screenplays are garbage. Keep at 'em.

May the Almighty bless you on your filmmaking journey with boatloads of creativity.

P.s. 

Bonus Tip: If it’s not an ensemble piece like the Magnificent Seven, make sure everything contributes to your protagonist’s journey, even when the protagonist is not in the scene

...

Watch instead at https://youtu.be/VUfGOXdYF_E