How not to write a screenplay; presenting to the executives.

Here are some basic do's and don'ts when presenting your script to an executive according to How not to Write a Screenplay by Denny Martin Flinn.

* Don't burn your bridges by not being stubborn and by acting accommodating.

* Don't argue, discuss, especially in the ego-driven movie business. If you tell someone they are wrong, they won't judge your argument, they'll judge you.

* Do nod your head and smile whilst you calmly pursue their point though to the end.

* Don't rationalize your writing, art stands for itself and what the reader gets from the pages.

* Do use the executive's vocabulary; when in Rome, speak Italian.

* Don't discuss casting, often a good role is-in their eyes-not a lucrative one.

* Don't dress better than the executive. You are the artist not another suit, they are executives because they want to rub shoulders with you.

* Do see it as their movie because that's how they see it. Possession is nine tenths of the law.

* Always say yes if they offer a drink as they feel appreciated.