Rewriting Your Script, Part 1: Set It Aside

Since dozens of writers used Go On Your Own Quest to pound out a first draft of their original screenplay, I decided to start off the New Year with a week-long series on rewriting, to honor their commitment and effort, and to encourage them [and everyone else] on their creative journey.

We’ve all heard the adage, “Writing is rewriting,” right? Perhaps nowhere is that more true than screenwriting. Aspiring screenwriters know this because of the number of drafts they go through to whip their script into readable shape. Professional screenwriters understand this because of the multiple drafts they do on any project, whether on spec or assignment.

Rewriting is just the nature of the screenwriting beast.

But that begs the question: How? What are some keys to the rewriting process? Instead of wandering around in the dark not knowing if you’re improving the story or not, is there a coherent approach to rewriting your scripts?

First off, the same thing applies to rewriting as to writing: There is no right way to write. There is no right way to rewrite. Every writer is different. Every story is different. And every rewrite is different.

That said, this week I will lay out some keys to the process. If they help you, great. Use them with my blessing. If they don’t help you, feel free to chuck them.

Part 1: Set It Aside

So you just typed FADE OUT / THE END. First draft done. Huzzah! What a bear that was. Days, weeks, months of work.

You feel good about getting through the first draft, but you know the script needs work.

First step: Set aside your script for two weeks.

That’s right: Two. Whole. Weeks.

Why? Several reasons.

#1: You need to celebrate. For most writers, there is nothing harder than completing that first draft. Every single scene represented an opportunity for you to turn back, give up and stop writing. Yet you prevailed. That is a victory, my friend, an achievement that deserves acclimation.

So call up some of your friends and go out on the town. Or locate your significant other… you know that person who’s been looming at the edge of your consciousness for months now… and take them out for a really nice dinner.

Best advice: Go to Costco and pick up a bottle of Veuve Clicquot for about $45. A great champagne and if there’s one time to drink some bubbly, it’s when you finish that damn first draft!

#2: You need to recharge your batteries. Writing a first draft is like going on a hero’s journey. You have to fight against Self-Doubt, Nagging Voices, and Life Intrusions. That requires a boatload of positive energy. The whole process can be exhausting!

Before you shift into rewrite mode, you need to recharge and regenerate, restore and rejuvenate. In fact, let’s coin a writing mantra right here, right now: Recharge. Regenerate. Restore. Rejuvenate. Then Rewrite.

Rewriting is a marathon. You don’t run a marathon right after you’ve… you know, run a marathon. So use these two weeks to recharge your batteries.

#3: You need to get away from your story. You know this in your gut. You know this in your mind. Why? Because how many times have you finished a draft and thought, “My God! This is brilliant! Magnificent!” Then some time later, you happen to read that draft again and you can’t believe you wrote such a piece of crap.

Look, you have gone into your story, immersing yourself in that universe, falling in love with those characters. Of course, you’re going to think your script is a wondrous piece of art because you have no objective point of reference.

Use this two weeks to extract yourself from your story. Get some distance. Time will do that for you. If you are really good about setting your script aside, not clicking it open to read through it one more time, not spending your free time thinking about your characters, just completely releasing the story into a virtual vault somewhere, then after two weeks you should be in a position where you do have what I call a fresh set of eyes.

And once you have a fresh set of eyes, you are ready for the next step: A Clean Read.

That’s where we pick up tomorrow.

Now go lock up that first draft, mark two weeks from today on your calendar “Begin rewrite,” then go out and celebrate!

FYI: Tom Benedek will be teaching the next session of Pages II: Rewriting Your Script through Screenwriting Master Class beginning February 18.

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