Can you run through those cheeses again?

n the 1983 John Hughes comedy Mr. Mom, Michael Keaton loses his auto job and has to take care of the kids while his wife starts a career in advertising. With his new responsibilities come new decisions to make along with a slew of new choices to choose from. At the supermarket, he asks for cheese. The woman behind the counter quickly runs through about seven different varieties. Overwhelmed, he hems and haws before asking her to go through them again. The line of prepared moms groans behind him.

I received Final Draft, the screenwriting software, the other day. Today I sat down with ACYW and opened up the software. Before me lay a blank canvas. Problem is, despite reading a handful of screenplays, my screenwriting lingo is sparse. I don't know what cheese to order, never mind how much. Fortunately, no one's groaning but me.

I did a quick Internet search for screenwriting vocabulary, but didn't find anything comprehensive. What I'll do now is quickly flip through the five screenplays I have and jot down and index of terms. Then I'll tape them up on my wall for reference.

When it comes to formatting, I want to play by the rules. When it comes to story, I can have more fun.