Day 10: THE REWRITE
Good morning everyone! TIME TO REWRITE. Woot! Here's the process I'd like you to follow for your rewrite. 2nd draft is due tomorrow (Friday) at 3pm via PDF. Email it to me at erinmcgathy@gmail.com with your teammates cc'd.
STEP ONE: Clear your head
-Go for a walk,
Watch a movie that has nothing to do with your script
Dance to music that has nothing to do with your script
JOURNAL
STEP TWO: Read it start to finish without marking it (for real)
STEP THREE: EVALUATE DRAFT
** Take notes to get ready to do your rewrite either directly on the script or in a separate notebook, but don't start editing until you have evaluated all four areas below ***
FIRST: Flow and Structure (KILL YOUR DARLINGS)
+ Flow
+ What feels right?
+ What is dragging?
+ Are there any scenes/ moments/ characters that you like, but may not be right for this script? (MARK THEM TO BE CUT)
+Where do you need to increase pacing?
+Do stakes need to be raised?
+Refer to the story circle
+ Anything interrupting the flow
+ Is one section proportionally too long? Is the beginning to draggy?
+DOES IT START WHERE IT SHOULD START (does it start in action? Can the start be lopped off?
SECOND: CHARACTER
+ Who is working and fleshed out
+ Who needs more fleshing out
+ Any character too vague
+ Who can be TURNED UP
+ Whose objectives are unclear
+ Can anyone be cut entirely? (Can two characters be combined?)
THIRD: DIALOGUE
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Do a “whack pass”
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Read through aloud and highlight or mark lines that are too long or not needed that you will rework or cut later in your rewrite. Is there a way to show something, rather than tell it? What feels unnatural? REMEMBER: Lines of dialogue are SHORTER THAN YOU THINK. Readers get bored with long paragraphs. Refer back to the example scripts.
FOURTH: Reread the ending/ final act
This is the extra fun part.
How can you make your ending stronger?
How can you build to this ending with foreshadowing?
Can you pepper what happens at the end throughout your script or throughout your characters arcs?
STEP FOUR: REWRITE
REWRITE: 5 or 10 Pages at a time
USE THE POMODORO! Watch the video on WhatsApp that corresponds with this if you haven't:
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Write 5 or 10 pages of script in the the Script Software depending on how fast a writer you are/ your personal preference. NO MATTER WHAT, start a new Script Draft for the rewrite. This will save you a step of trimming fat later.
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Go back and read those 5 or 10 pages, fixing typos, refining and cutting dialogue and scene description, shorten scenes then continue on to write 5/10 new pages.
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Repeat the pattern until you get to the end and then read through the whole draft.
REWRITE in SCRIPT SOFTWARE due TOMORROW AT 3pm.