Why rewrite now?

A guest post from screenwriter Tom Benedek.

Tom Benedek was the very first professional screenwriter I met when I broke into Hollywood in 1987. He had an office in the same building as me on the Universal lot. He also happened to be the brother of my agent Peter Benedek. Which is to say Tom and I go back a long way.

Tom is not only a talented writer — you can read about his lengthy list of credits and professional relationships here — he’s also an experienced educator and mentor having taught at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Tom and I launched ScreenwritingMasterClass.com in 2010, and it’s been a great experience. Tom’s next course is Pages II: Rewriting Your Script which begins Monday, June 26. Here are some thoughts Tom has about this unique online workshop and the rewriting process.

WHY REWRITE NOW?

Why now? Classic writing prompt for screenwriters. (Basic idea: Story circumstances happen for your main character at a specific time for specific reasons.) More on this another time.

Why rewrite now?

You have (or you can make) the time.
You have the presence of mind.
You believe in your story.
You see some of the flaws, but not all of them.
You know you need more perspective on what you have.
You may have forgotten what is really important about the script you had in mind, the idea you started with.
On and on…

That first draft is Act I. The rewrite is Act II. You’ll never get to Act III if you don’t get down with a serious revision.

Your draft is an opportunity to find your characters, to get to the heart of your story, discover what it really means, why it is important, to make something great, change the world, make a light that will shine forever, add another really good movie to a world that needs just that.

There may be one new scene in you discover that brings it all home. Or it could be a complete reimagining of the order of things. You find the path and you go there. Because that is what is necessary.

Give your draft love and kindness. Help it to find its way to be everything it is meant to be.

Why now?

The heart of every script is a situation with important ramifications for the characters. Something complex, maybe even unwelcome has to happen to some people. And you, the writer, must see your characters through it all. We must be there for our characters and each other. There probably isn’t an easy way out. But there is a way.

Why rewrite now?

Because the damn thing needs work. It isn’t done and neither are you.

Thanks for reading. I am now pumped to get back to work on my own rewrite. And to start the Pages II: Rewriting Your Script workshop at ScreenwritingMasterClass.com next week. I will be offering all the craft wisdom I can mixed in with my own brand of love and kindness to all writers and script pages in our workshop. Let’s lift everything to the next level together!

Use the structure of an online workshop and Tom Benedek’s mentoring to steer you into and through a rewrite of your script.

Pages II: Rewriting Your Script. Session begins: Monday, June 26, 2017.

For more information, go here.