Hello all!
My name is Ryan, a fairly nascent screenwriter with around a year and a half experience under my belt. I've been working very hard, writing lots and lots, and I'm excited to see what I can do in this field!
Very soon, I'm going to be starting a second draft for my most-highly reviewed spec script, but I've never done a second draft before. I had a couple questions. Obviously, everyone's process is going to be different, but I'm having trouble figuring out how I'd like to start, so I figured I'd ask this community!
Thanks in advance!
1) What steps should I be taking prior to starting? So far, I've gathered a handful of notes and feedback from readers, and compiled it into a list. Then, I read my script through a few times, scanning for errors and changes, and have put all those notes in a separate list. Should I be doing anything else?
2) Do I actually have to rewrite the entire thing from page 1? I really, really, really don't want to do that. I'd much rather rewrite sections that could use improvement, and copy and paste what I liked from my first draft. Is that viable? Is that a thing people do? Can I edit within my first draft, or is it recommended that I start from the title page all over again?
3) If I must start from the title page, and rewrite the whole thing, why must I do that?
4) Also if I must start from the title page all over again, should I even bother keeping the first draft around? Will keeping an eye on the first draft cloud my judgement in the second draft?
5) If it's kosher to edit within the first draft, as opposed to rewriting it, what pitfalls should I avoid during that process?
Thank you so much! Hope you're all doing well!
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Ryan, I find it easier to edit within the first draft than rewriting from the first page.
Glad you're here on Stage 32...and all the VERY BEST to you!
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Hey! Up to you really! Personally, I like to write my second draft from a blank page, to see which ideas stick around and which do I forget in the meantime, which is probably a sign that they were not strong enough in the first place.
But it all comes down to you!
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You say your first draft was highly-reviewed. Where are the notes you received? You start a rewrite based on this feedback.
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Keep what's good, cut the crap. It's that simple. Do that rewrite after rewrite until you can't find any more crap.
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Book recommendation: Screenwriting is rewriting - answers your question with step by step what to start with first and how to integrate notes.
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Erik A. Jacobson I've gotten some really positive feedback, which I'm very excited about. The notes provided were actionable, and I've accounted them as I prepare for the second draft.
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Thank you all so much for your comments, you've given me a lot of great feedback on this. I now feel more comfortable writing within my first draft, and eliminating the crap while shining the gold. I'm so excited for this spec, and the support and community I've found on this website is really inspiring!
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BEAT IT OUT. do not just dive in. get a 'board' and work backwards. What is your climax? How does it show your main character's major change? remember, it must be your most exciting scene in the movie (nothing else is allowed to top it). Work back. what is the plot point 2 or midpoint? it must be initiated by the hero. it must be the opposite of the climax (near failure or near success). Work back. What is plot point one at the end of act one - where hero CHOOSES to enter the upside down world. Once you have those, then beat out every single scene. Don't just dive in, you'll drown. (speaks from experience). And yes, you can reread old scenes, but don't copy and paste. Rewrite.
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A writer writes! Good for you
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I was once asked by my friend to help him improvise, review his script. And I told him what I could have done to his script, but he wasn't able to get what I'm suggesting, and I can't even specifically move/rewrite his script when their own understanding of how they wrote their script is unknown and where it falls as a pattern.
Like you said each one got their own method of writing and forming a storyline, so a writer got to know what's their method of writing and where, what the twists turns feedback fall in their script. Without knowing their own process of writing, it's kind of difficult to rewrite a script.
Check out this story structure method and see what works best for you.
https://www.storyplanner.com/story/category/story-structure
Now I use many techniques to write and I know for each story what I'm using. Because of that say if I'm using a card method or plot method or snowflake method which I often use, I can move those elements in the second draft and just fine tune a little bit rather rewriting whole thing.
So whatever method you build, you will know how to edit it and people's input you get may not be easy to rewrite as it would be a different approach. And if you don't know where what points falls in the script it's even difficult. I mean, there is a story arc, character arc or even flat arc or nonlinear and many more, and if you change one thing it affects many flow of the other elements too.
Now what you have listed the points is because you haven't yet figured out your own process of writing.
You might have seen here many people recommending Final Draft must haves, claiming it as industry standards, though I don't believe in those kind of statements as "People form industry not other way around" and many my own reasons. But why they are recommending that is because it unknowingly made a process flow internalized in their own writing method which is now hard to break it or try anything new.
So if you have Final Draft, try to write down what was the process you took to create your first script. And try to check that storyplanner site and connect/map the dots with the way you used in Final Draft to write your current script . And see what method was your best ways/process you are comfortable with. When you have clear idea of this you can than step back, track back or rewrite what you have written based on feedback you get. That's the whole deal and dilemma you are stuck in.