Screenwriting : My first feature. by Christopher S Breen

I'm attending the Austin Film Festival (placed as a Second Rounder with a feature script), and a screenwriter mentioned at her panel (she's been nominated in the past for an Oscar for Best Script) that 15 drafts is a minimum. I've never done that many, but close, roughly ten. I may push that up now. I think you will find many different answers to this.

thanks, I kind of suspected that too, that's very interesting, thank you?

Nope. A story is done when an audience is done. I will “dot point”, think, discuss, restart, think. I don’t do many draft anymore. I do a draft and then numerous polishes.

No and it's a foolish way to look at the process.

I rewrite until I feel the script is ready. Sometimes five-ten drafts (or more).

It’s as many drafts as you need to get it feeling as good as it can be. It can be a handful or dozens.

I've written scripts with so many drafts I've lost count

thanks everybody, you've been very helpful

I think it was Hemingway who said a piece of writing is never finished

It depends on the script and complexity of the plot. For a no budget to low budget I would say 3 drafts. If it is a more complex plot 6 drafts. Everyone is different and it depends on you. I think if you write by outline vs writing by the seat of your pants makes a difference in how many drafts you do. There isn’t a right way it just depends on how you tap into your voice. I love outlines but other people hate using them.

If & when I sell it - that's enough rewrites.

I think putting a mandatory number of rewrites is a bit ridiculous. Some scripts will need a lot of rewrites, and others... not so much.