Most screenwriters have heard the Hemingway quote, The first draft of anything is shit or a variation of this sentiment. I have a method to polish a screenplay, which doesn't include spending months rewriting drafts. But if you do, more power to you. I get too bored quickly. However, if a script isn't filmed, one can always rewrite or polish the damn thing. And I often revisit scripts I've written and do more editing.
Years ago, I had a writer tell me he had revised his script forty-three times. Wow! That's dedication, but I think I'd prefer having a root canal.
Do you have a set number of rewrites you perform?
What is your rewriting process?
When do you decide it's time to move on to your next project?
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Wow, all excellent questions! For me it really depends. My big fault is I never subscribed to the common wisdom that the first draft is the "vomit draft"; I always considered this insulting! I'm a perfectionist so I try to make my first draft as perfect as possible, obsessing over every page before I complete it as a first draft....aye but there's the rub! By the time I cough out the first draft I'm so convinced of its perfection I don't want to revise it! A big mistake.... so what do you think? Do I need therapy?
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I spend a lot of time with my story in my head and outline. I will outline for weeks or years. Until the story has really shown itself to me (the great stories anyway). Or perhaps it is just me becoming the person that I have to, to write that story.
Either way. Only a few passes to make sure it works.
I wouldn’t trust Hemingway. 117 rewrites of an opening chapter, until his publisher stole it. Plus he liked bull fighting, calls him into question in my eyes.
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I do that, Phillip E. Hardy, "The Pro From Dover". Revisit scripts and do more editing.
I don't have a set number of rewrites that I do. Each project is different.
This is my rewrite process:
Visual rewrite (I visualize the script, making sure it makes sense/it's clear to the reader)
Dialogue rewrite
Character arc rewrite
Misc. rewrites (to make sure everything's taken care of -- I make sure I didn't accidentally put "INT." instead of "EXT.", I make sure scene headings match, I make sure the tone of the script is consistent, etc.)
After I finish rewriting, I check the script for typos. After I check for typos, I get notes, rewrite the script based on the notes, then if I feel the script is ready, I move on from the project/pitch the project.
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I'll rewrite a script until it's sold or I'm bored with it - whichever comes first.
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Only after it gets filmed. Period. Dan Maxxx here puts it best "It's a writing sample until it ain't"...and it's yours and you can re-write it to oblivion.
In my 20+ years of writing scripts I've come to maybe 4-5 filmable concepts so far...too much of a mindfuck to "Recycle Bin" anything...
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Phillip E. Hardy, "The Pro From Dover"
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The guy who wrote the three act play book said Fitzgerald knew a lot about pipe but he didn't know a damned thing about plumbing. And then there is the question as to whether or not Scott plagiarized from his wife Zelda. Good academic argument.
John: I don't know if F. Scott plagiarized it but the Great Gatsby is one of my favorite novels.
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Hemingway never tried to be a screenwriter, Dan. He is somewhat famous for hating Hollywood. He told some story about finishing a book, driving to the California border and from Nevada heaving it across the state line so some producer would pay him for the film rights.
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Most rewrites I've ever done is over 128 to one story, one script, which ultimately became my 3-part novel (and screenplay trilogy) over the course of 15 years. I don't ever want to rewrite a single letter of that story, never mind a word.
I heard "Uncut Gems" had a lot of rewrites, Stefano Pavone. I think it was over 100.
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100... Oy vey, Maurizio.
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"I worked on it for two years and nothing else." I think writers should have different projects going at once, Zorrawa. One main project and other projects. If one project falls through, they can have other projects to work on and pitch. Hope you have better experiences with your current scripts.
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Rewrites are always needed. I more or less completely rewrote my first cozy crime novel after editing feedback from an editor I hired. And then polished again with my agent. The best story is rarely the first draft. Though at some point, you have to decide it is ready. If you do pitch it to an agent/publisher/producer and get multiple feedbacks that it still needs some work then rewrite again. If it's the story you want to tell, dropping it and moving on isn't necessarily the right move. Every piece of writing will need rework. You may drop one, but you will have the same issues with the next and the next.
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Zorrawa:
If you want to make changes to a screenplay and get stuck, I recommend doing a simple brainstorming technique by yourself or with another writer who has read your work. A nice visual method is using sticky notes and a whiteboard or your computer monitor, and just think of as many one-sentence scene ideas as you can, organize them linearly, and see what you come up with. Don't overthink them and suspend judgment during the process.
Thanks for the technique, Phillip E. Hardy, "The Pro From Dover".
You're welcome, Zorrawa.
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Zorrawa:
Excellent. Let us know if any of these things work for you.