Screenwriting : My first feature. by Christopher S Breen

I'm attending the Austin Film Festival (placed as a Second Rounder with a feature script), and a screenwriter mentioned at her panel (she's been nominated in the past for an Oscar for Best Script) that 15 drafts is a minimum. I've never done that many, but close, roughly ten. I may push that up now. I think you will find many different answers to this.

thanks, I kind of suspected that too, that's very interesting, thank you?

Nope. A story is done when an audience is done. I will “dot point”, think, discuss, restart, think. I don’t do many draft anymore. I do a draft and then numerous polishes.

No and it's a foolish way to look at the process.

Everything is a first draft until you sign a contract to make it. Then it is multiple production drafts with or without you.

I remember the screenwriter (self-taught) of Antwone Fisher saying he did about 60 drafts before a producer got involved, and my old school mentors typed multiple drafts with a typewriter & carbon copy paper!

I rewrite until I feel the script is ready. Sometimes five-ten drafts (or more).

It’s as many drafts as you need to get it feeling as good as it can be. It can be a handful or dozens.

I rewrite until I think it is ready to be read by people in the industry. That might take two or three and sometimes a lot more depending on the script.

I've written scripts with so many drafts I've lost count

thanks everybody, you've been very helpful

It depends on the script and complexity of the plot. For a no budget to low budget I would say 3 drafts. If it is a more complex plot 6 drafts. Everyone is different and it depends on you. I think if you write by outline vs writing by the seat of your pants makes a difference in how many drafts you do. There isn’t a right way it just depends on how you tap into your voice. I love outlines but other people hate using them.

If & when I sell it - that's enough rewrites.

I think putting a mandatory number of rewrites is a bit ridiculous. Some scripts will need a lot of rewrites, and others... not so much.