I did it! I finished my screenplay! As excited as I am, I’m still not done. Now I get to enter the rewrite stage. Some call it editing, some call it revisions; either way it accomplishes the same thing. I’m going to read my script so many times I will know exactly what’s happening halfway down on page 64. The great thing about this stage is that my screenplay should only get better. I’ll realize that certain dialogue doesn’t fit with a character, or the action doesn’t move the plot forward at all, or a scene needs to be added here to arrive to the next scene better.
Why am I boring you with this? Because a rewrite is essential to a good script. If you think your first draft is going to cut it in Hollywood….well then you really are a dreamer and I’m sure we’d have fantastic conversations about unicorns and what color a T-Rex really was. But, a serious writer knows that no matter what you think of your own script, most of the people in the film making business will ask for a rewrite; so it’s best to hone those skills now. I’m sure your script is the best thing since Citizen Kane, but professionals in Hollywood will find every flaw and ask you to fix them.
What do you mean my script isn't perfection? You want a rewrite? Say what?
Right now I’m at that stage with a script of mine that has been brewing for years, yes, you read that correctly: years. Since it’s been a part of my life for so long, I know what scenes are essential and what scenes definitely need to be tweaked. For my first edit, I read the whole script through. I fix minor things: grammatical errors, accidentally skipped a word here, etc. For my second edit, I’m going back to “the drawing board.” I’m going to take my scene cards and see where I can pop in scenes that may have been axed initially, but now I’m realizing actually would work with the current draft.
I’m also going to create a second outline–based on the script I have and see if it’s the best outline. If not, I’ll keep creating them until I have one that makes absolute perfect sense. Will this happen in one night? No, not unless I buy an espresso machine. Or, maybe I’ll ask my sister if she wants to read it. She’s not a screenwriter, which helps decide if my script is worth pitching. If someone who goes to the movies doesn’t like the idea, no way in hell a producer will.
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