A question of rewriting.

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  • A question of rewriting.

    New to the board, so a first hello to you all.
    A quick question, that I am sure had s string, or thread already but rather than look back I thought I would throw it out there again. It's regarding rewriting.
    I just got finished with the first draft of my seventh script and now it's a decent into rewrite hell. I'm getting better, but it's still about as pleasant as going to the proctologist. I even went to Writers Boot Camp to see if they could lend some insight, which they did. Anybody got any stories on what works for them when they rewrite? Thanks.
    Seph

  • #2
    Sepheria...

    Welcome, Sepheria.

    Re-writing is hard work. I'm in the process of re-writing, too. Writing camp, books, classes, seminars--you can 'learn' yourself to death, but sometimes that doesn't matter. Sometimes it takes another writer to point you in the right direction, which is my case. Couldn't see what I needed to see because I was looking too hard! I found myself being more worried about structure, format, acceptability, etc. (you get the picture).

    Get the story written--get a good story re-written, then worry about the rules last. The re-writing process takes a lot of DISCIPLINE! Discipline seems to be the ruling word, IMO. It seems to be what's working for me right now. And, maybe others will be along to tell you what works for them.

    Anyway, welcome aboard, again, and good luck with that re-write!

    Cornell

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    • #3
      I believe a rewrite is only as good as the criticism that directs it, so you might as well not start unless you know exactly what you are trying to accomplish in so doing. It's much easier to rewrite if you are convinced that what you're fixing is truly that which needs fixing, and that comes from the advice of a good astute critic whose opinion you value. Cornell sounds like he (luckily) found such a person, as have I. I hope you do too. If I were you, I wouldn't bother attempting a rewrite until you do.

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      • #4
        I agree with Muck and Corn. What started out as a wade through a swamp, became a walk through a lovely birch forest with the help of some clear and thoughtful critiques. I still have to choose my path wisely, but I know where I am going, and the journey is much more pleasant.

        I had the advantage of having over a dozen reviews on my script. I pulled the "universal" comments...things virtually everyone mentioned, then chose one direction to take the script overall. (Another suggestion given to me by a critic.)

        I based the rewrite mostly on two very solid critiques I received. Oddly enough, the ending that was suggested to me, was one I had somewhat originally envisioned. In the process of writing, it sort of got away from me.

        That's maybe how you can tell if the critic fits your needs...how closely the reviewer matches where you were going with the story.

        I got some really wild comments. One person wanted me to turn my dramatic love adventure into a slap-stick comedy! Ignore that stuff!

        Anyway, got to get to work! Good luck to you.

        Janea

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        • #5
          Seph,

          I am currently rewriting my script now. I see the script in blocks of twenty five pages. I am on page twenty one at this time. Once I am totally content with the first twenty five pages, then I will move on to the next block.

          This helps me not get overwhelmed with the 110 pages I have to spruce up overall.

          Charli

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          • #6
            The simplest advice that I can give is to leave nothing off the table. Many of the problems that arise in a draft are there because certain ideas, or scenes, or characters "work" so well that they are set in stone in the writer's mind, and the writer simply can't imagine changing them.

            Everything should be up for grabs. A beautiful solo can wreck a concert, if it's the wrong solo in the wrong place. Sometimes things that work in isolation can cause problems in the context of a larger piece of work, and often the hardest part of rewriting is getting rid of that stuff, because often that's the stuff that made you start writing the script in the first place.

            NMS

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            • #7
              Rewrites

              Welcome to the board Sepheria. Congrats on your seventh screenplay. I just finished my sixth and taking a break for the next month...other than researching for my next one.

              Rewriting...I do the major rewrites the next day. In other words...I write five pages...rewrite those five the next day. There are a lot of writers on the professional level that do it that way...however one must do what works best for him/her. As soon as I reach fade out...I go back again and tweak and polish those scenes that are dragging...especially act two where most problems lie. I love the rewriting part...that's where I have the most fun in writing. No matter how good I think the first draft is...I go back and improve it. For me...I rewrite the next day for this reason...One the first draft is always rushed...just getting those raw words into play...the next day I fine tune the instrument to give it a better sound. After that I give my work to someone to edit my grammar (script grammar doctor) who will clean up those phrases, run ons, etc...in my case a woman who speaks four languages and loves to edit. When I get that draft returned...every page has corrections, suggestions...my editor uses a red pen...when I get the script back...it looks like it has bled to death. After correcting the mistakes, and final run through to check again...it's complete and off to WGAw to register and then over to producers that have requested my latest work for a read.

              Anyway...that's how I rewrite. Hope it helps.

              Gdover

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              • #8
                Re: Rewrites

                gdover,
                Thanks! I never thought of doing it that way, but maybe I should open myself to it. If you have producers waiting on your latest work, if that's what you meant, than you must be doing it right.
                Best to you,
                Sepheria

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                • #9
                  Re: Rewrites

                  Have finished four scripts, and have taken a month-long break or so (while I toyed around with some other ideas), am now ready to pull out those puppies and look them over, see what needs to be fixed, re-worked, etc... should be interesting... heh...

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                  • #10
                    Rewrite hell (long)

                    I feel your pain (meaning: I'm on page 80 of a second draft now)!
                    I wish I could say I'm basing this rewrite on the "universal" comments from a number of trusted people who read my first draft-- but frankly, my first draft was so crappy I really didn't want to show it to anyone. And yet...I think the first draft succeeded in the things first drafts are good for: I got the basic story down on paper, the draft convinced me I had a movie and that the project would be worth continuing, and it spotlighted all the key areas that needed improvement.
                    I have a full-time day job, and I get up at 5 a.m. to write most mornings for an hour or so before leaving for work. So it took me about two months to write the first draft (after I'd spent six months mulling, outlining, tinkering with the story and researching). I followed the age-old advice and put the draft away for a month to get some distance from it. Then I re-read it and began the second draft in October...but that turned out to be a false start, so I ditched those 20 or so pages and started again in late November. The funny thing is, I never even looked at my first draft during this rewrite. It was on my desk the whole time, but I kept finding the script got better as I "re-imagined" it and wrote it anew with only my outline as a guide.
                    So the good news is that my second draft made the script immensely better. The bad news is that this has been a slow, grinding process that's taking about twice as much time as the first draft did. I think it's because I glossed over a lot of key story beats in the original script, not really understanding my characters as well or not really dramatizing things sufficiently. So I'd say the second draft has been about finding the characters-- digging down to who they really are and what they really want, etc. I know this is something you'd find, ideally, before starting your first draft. But I think you can know only so much ahead of time, and sometimes it takes that first draft to really discover your true story and characters.
                    I think the third and subsequent drafts might be where the fun increases -- I'll get a bunch of people to read the script and comment, and once the major problems have been solved I can get down to rewrites that concentrate entirely on polishing dialogue or tightening descriptions, etc. I sure hope so!
                    Does my experience parallel what anyone else has found?

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                    • #11
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                      <pagetext>My second drafts actually come out better if I don't look at my first drafts at all, as in CallmeGina's experience. I usually find a better way of writing the same thing when I don't refer directly to my first attempt. It keeps me from being lazy. I write in Word and create a whole new document from scratch for a second draft.

                      Of course your second drafts are even better if you remove yourself from them for a month or two before attempting a rewrite.

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                      • #12
                        Re: A question of rewriting.

                        rewrite as much as you can and never stop. rewrite until the cows come home.

                        vig

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