Is rewriting actually "writing"?

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  • Is rewriting actually "writing"?

    I know it's not the same thing, but as some here know, I translate graphic novels from French into English for a living. Anyhoo, one of my clients is now getting into the film biz, so I've also been working on screenplays, treatments, etc.

    So: obviously, all my creative juices as a writer are involved when it comes to translating dialogue and action from French into English. I totally dig it. In some cases, the original text is not as great as I feel it could be, so I try to improve it in the translation. That's an inherent yet tricky part of translation work.

    Anyway, I love the gig, nothing to complain about, but I was wondering: I know a lot of screenwriters in HW actually make their living polishing other people's work. In some industries, that's called editing.

    If you're not rewriting the plot, coming up with new characters etc., and all you're doing (which admittedly is a lot) is "improving" the language, my question to people who do this, is this: do you feel like a writer?
    Last edited by Rantanplan; 03-01-2016, 07:58 AM. Reason: Took out production info.

  • #2
    Re: Is rewriting actually "writing"?

    Rewriting for development or production is not, in my experience, anything like editing. It's an all encompassing term that can mean anything from starting over on page 1 to dialog tweaks. It isn't about how it feels - it's writing, done by writers, and it's a big part of the job.

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    • #3
      Re: Is rewriting actually "writing"?

      Creating a script is a process. A big part of that process is rewriting. Taking that first version of the story and pushing it through your developmental process through a series of rewrites, once off the line that product should be impressionable or so we hope. The ones who can come off the line with impressionable work get paid for their services.

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      • #4
        Re: Is rewriting actually "writing"?

        Originally posted by Rantanplan View Post
        I know it's not the same thing, but as some here know, I translate graphic novels from French into English for a living. Anyhoo, one of my clients is now getting into the film biz, so I've also been working on screenplays, treatments, etc.

        So: obviously, all my creative juices as a writer are involved when it comes to translating dialogue and action from French into English. I totally dig it. In some cases, the original text is not as great as I feel it could be, so I try to improve it in the translation. That's an inherent yet tricky part of translation work.

        Anyway, I love the gig, nothing to complain about, but I was wondering: I know a lot of screenwriters in HW actually make their living polishing other people's work. In some industries, that's called editing.

        If you're not rewriting the plot, coming up with new characters etc., and all you're doing (which admittedly is a lot) is "improving" the language, my question to people who do this, is this: do you feel like a writer?
        It is a lot more than just "improving the language." A dialogue pass can completely redefine a character. Moving scenes around can change the meaning of a sequence. Trimming unnecessary elements can alter the entire theme of a script.

        Hollywood rewriting is so much more than the editing of other industries. I think the closest thing to what you're talking about is a "punch up," where a writer comes in to just add jokes or boost the drama of a script.

        When they say that screenwriting is really rewriting, that comes from the fact that this is a collaborative medium. You're not always rewriting a "bad" script to a "better" script. You'll be rewriting to match the brand of a certain director or rewriting to play into the talents of a specific actor. Rewriting because there's another script out there this script is too similar to or rewriting because they want it more similar to a script already out there.

        I would love to get paid to just "improve the language" of a script, but that isn't really a thing.

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        • #5
          Re: Is rewriting actually "writing"?

          In the computer sciences, this step of the creation process is known as "refactoring":

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_refactoring

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          • #6
            Re: Is rewriting actually "writing"?

            I get what everybody's saying, and I think any aspiring screenwriter, once they start learning about the biz, realizes that this is a huge aspect of the job, and that you can conceivably be what is considered a "successful screenwriter," i.e. working regularly and getting paid for it, without ever actually having any of your own original material produced. My question had more to do with how satisfying that is to the "artist within."

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