Re-writing Process for Screenwriters

Re-writing process for screenwriters: re-writing the screenplay

So you’ve spent months, maybe years on your feature screenplay and now it’s time to get it out into the big bad world. Earnest Hemmingway once said, "All first drafts are shit"

Follow these steps before you hack into your re-write:

• Take a few weeks off from the script. Don’t touch it,
don’t even look at it or think about it. Regain a fresh perspective. Let your fingers heal. Go back into the sunlight.

• Let 3 to 5 people (other than mom) read the script and then listen to their feedback. Do not get defensive. Take things with a grain of salt. But if 3 out of 3 readers say the same thing about your screenplay, you’d be a fool not to take note.

• When you start rewriting your script focus on specific elements during each pass through the script: on one pass focus only on your characters, on another pass focus only on story structure, on another pass focus only on dialogue, on another pass focus only on screenplay format and grammar, etc. This will hone your energies for specific problems.

• Cut, cut, and cut the fat. Typically, a first draft screenplay will run 120 to 150 pages and should be slimmed down to 90 to 120 pages by the second draft. William Goldman has said, “You must cut your darlings.” Get your knife and saw the fat before you serve the steak. A well trimmed screenplay coming in at 90 pages takes 30 minutes less to read than a 120 page screenplay - which means you've got a better shot at someone getting through the damn thing.