Screenwriting : The "Rewrite" by Michael Love

I think there are a few different types of "challenge" going on for me - the brainstorming/planning/outlining.....the first draft....and the rewrites.. Doing the planning and outlining is the biggest challenge to me, in terms of creative and analytical outputs. Writing is a challenge, too, to be sure....rewriting is less challenging than the first draft for me, since there is a lot less to do. Rewriting is more about choosing better words; strengthening the dialogues and narratives; making sure the pacing, scene conflicts, and tone are where I want them to be; and polishing, at least for me. That's a lot easier for me than the first two parts.

Same here Bill.

Well yes & no. My first draft was quick. More like story notes and place markers where things will happen. Technically it was my first draft, about 80 pages but now I'm on my 5th, and I believe final, draft. Since that first draft I have axed a much loved character and changed the relationships between 3 main characters. Yes, I found the rewrites more difficult but only until I realized absolutely nothing about the delivery of my story was carved in stone. I realized how much flexibility I have. My story is still my story. It hasn't changed but the characters & their delivery of my story have. FYI - I don't know how other Writers feel about it but 'Save the Cat!' story structure software helped loads. It's a Psychological Thrillers so there are lots of twists & turns (set up's & pay off's). I was getting lost in my own story until I could clearly see it's structure as well as the areas in which it lacked structure.

I definitely find it harder to motivate myself to rewrite. Sometimes it's hard to keep the foot on the pedal after finishing that first draft, but as they say, 'writing is rewriting' and it has to be done.

I have so many rewrites on my own.. I don't know yet. I have trouble packing all the best scenes into one movie. It turns into a trilogy or a TV series and I'm like," Will the audience grasp this in the first movie? " Some stories or screen plays are shorter.. but I'm all about the custom so If a person who signed my paycheck says "Rewrite.". Well, then how could I confuse them with the opportunity to shine in real time.

I find that the re-write is an endless endeavor, IF you let it be. Why? Because everytime someone new reads your last draft, they have an opinion and this can be frustrating. Don't get me wrong, when I get a feedback that I totally agree and realize that what this professional is telling me will enhance my screenplay, I will make the changes. Anyone else has had similar conflicts or issues?

Not really. Rewrites are merely just fixer-uppers for me. It's more difficult to actually shell out the first draft. I get writer's block sometimes.

It usually take me 3 months to write a first draft and two weeks to do the rewrites so writing the script is by far the most time consuming for me. However, neither seems very challenging anymore.

Thank you everyone for the feedback and insight.

You gotta it, buddy. We all here for one another.

Thanks everybody. IT was all helpful. Mindy

Michael: I don’t spend a lot of time rewriting first drafts unless someone is interested in developing a project. I do spend time polishing, as my experienced friend Bill C. mentioned. This includes removing non valued added dialogue, chopping unnecessary narrative, eliminating over used words or phrases and occasionally trimming a scene. Unless you’ve received feedback from a script consultant or producer, or another experienced reader/writer, you may be spinning your wheels rewriting. If you just wrapped your first draft, let it sit for a week or two then do a read through using the Final Draft speech control reader. Listen for awkward dialogue and evaluate how the story flows. From there do your cleanup work and see what happens. Let your instincts tell you if what you’ve done is working or whether or not you need to dig deeper into rewriting the story. If you have an interested party, then it’s a different ballgame. For example, I’ve spent several months developing a treatment with a director, wrote the first draft script in early April and tomorrow we’re going to begin going through the entire script to determine what works, what to trim and what to add. The director’s being very hands on during the writing process, to ensure there’s not a lot of nebulous feedback from the other parties involved in the project. He doesn’t want me wasting time rewriting without being 100% clear about changes he wants to make. He’s been making films for 30 years. So I have the utmost confidence in his opinions and ability to make the work better. But the short answer is no. I don’t find rewriting more difficult. Only more annoying, if I think what producers want me to fix or change doesn’t improve the work.

Rewrites are always harder it means cutting some of your babies off at the legs.