Rewriting Your Script (Part 2): A Clean Read
In November, upward to 1,000 writers — myself included — took a crack at pounding out a script as part of the Zero Draft Thirty Challenge. Many of them reached FADE OUT / THE END. They’re probably like me, staring at my 86 pages of diamonds-in-the-rough amidst pages and pages of verbal manure pondering this question: How the hell do I rewrite this mess?
So I thought it would be helpful to do a GITS series on the rewrite process.
The first thing to acknowledge is that the same thing applies to rewriting as to writing: If 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 and next, I will lay out some keys to the rewriting process. If they help you, great. Use them with my blessing. If they don’t help you, feel free to chuck them… and find your own way.
But know this: Starting January 1, I invite you to join me in Rewrite Draft Thirty One: 31 days devoted to rewriting an original script. Hashtag: #RW31SCRIPT.
I will be hacking my way through my zero draft. If you have a draft from the recent ZD30 challenge or any script in need of revision regardless of its origin, mark your calendar. Take part in a communal effort to take our stories to the next level in this time-defined challenge.
Rewriting Your Script (Part 2): A Clean Read
What exactly is a clean read?
A clean read is where a writer sets asides their wants and desires, fantasies and attachments, prejudgments and opinions, and reads the script for what it is: a story.
You try to be as objective, clear-headed, and honest as you can about the material.
A clean read is not about you. It’s about the words on the page. What works. What does not work.
How do you go about doing a clean read? Here’s my advice:
- Set aside two full hours for the read. No interruptions. Mark it on the calendar if you must. But be prepared to read your script in one sitting.
- Print out a new copy of your script. Recycled paper, of course. Don’t read it off your computer screen, you need the tactile experience of fingertips on paper.
- Get a good pen. If you’re smart, you’ll snag a new one so you don’t run out of ink. Make sure the tip is thin enough to support writing notes in the margins.
- Find a quiet spot. Not the local coffee shop. Not the living room while your kids watch “American Idol.” A room. With a door. That you shut. To keep people out.
- Turn off all electronics. Every last one of them: Cell phone, computer, TV, radio. The lamp? You can leave that on. Squinting isn’t conducive to a clean read.
Now you are ready. You sit down. You get comfortable. Your script on your lap (I prefer my scripts the old-fashioned way: three-hole punch paper, two 1 ¼” brass brads, one top, one bottom). Your pen in hand. A glass of water at the ready (no caffeine or alcohol, you want a clear head).
And then…
Remember what you did when you typed FADE OUT? You heaved a sigh. A big sigh.
Now just before you flip open your script to read it, close your eyes and take a breath. A big breath. Hold it for a few seconds and focus on being here now.
Be. Here. Now.
Then exhale. Slowly. Open your eyes. And you are ready for your clean read.
What to look for in the clean read?
Generally this: What works. What doesn’t work.
The purpose of a clean read is for you to organize your general impressions of the story. That is your primary goal.
If you catch typos, unnecessary scene description, flat dialogue or clunky transitions, note those, too.
But your main focus is on the big ticket items: Characters. Themes. Structure. Pace.
Feel free to write all over the script. Margins. Title page. Backs of pages.
- If there are issues with your Protagonist, or if any characters seems unclear, especially in their relationship to the Protagonist, make note of those instances. On the other hand, if you feel like some moments really nailed characters and how you envisioned them, note those as well.
- If there are themes that you knew you wanted to work in, but they’re missing, or surprising themes that show promise, write down your impressions.
- If you feel like the Plotline takes too long to go somewhere, gets confusing, or wanders, note those. On the other hand, where you feel like the narrative really chugs along or key plot points just flat out work, make a note of those, too.
- If the script feels to move too fast or too slow, or it just clips right along at an excellent pace, write down those instances where it strikes you right or wrong.
You want to give yourself a set of real-time notes as you go through the script. This is invaluable in helping give you both a macro and micro view of your story.
Give yourself that full two hours. If you finish reading in less time, go ahead and review it again, continuing to make notes.
What to do with that mess of reactions and marginalia? I suggest working through each of the four aspects noted above: Characters. Themes. Structure. Pace. All with an eye toward creating a revision outline.
Tomorrow: Characters.
DON’T FORGET! Starting January 1, you are welcome to join me in #RW31SCRIPT, a month-long challenge to rewrite an original script from FADE IN to FADE OUT. Who’s with me? If you’re into it, join the Zero Draft Thirty Facebook page here.