Screenwriting : Wait! Don’t Get Rid of It! by Maurice Vaughan

Maurice Vaughan

Wait! Don’t Get Rid of It!

Make a folder(s) for your unused loglines, scenes, ideas, characters, etc. instead of getting rid of them. You could turn that logline into a script, use that scene in a different project, etc. later on. You could even mix unused loglines, scenes, etc. to make a new script.

Erin Leigh

I love this idea!

Maurice Vaughan

Thanks, Erin Leigh. I took unused ideas from three scripts and made a new script once.

Billy Kwack

Hi Maurice, yes, I have a folder of many ideas

Maurice Vaughan

Hi, Billy Kwack. That's great! I used to delete a lot of loglines, ideas, etc., but I started saving them. I haven't done it yet, but I'd like to take an unused character and make him/her the lead in a script.

Nathan Smith

Always a good idea to keep your old ideas. I still write everything out in notebooks which I still have in my office so that I can leaf through them now and then.

Richard "RB" Botto

Great reminder, Maurice Vaughan. My folders have folders :)

Maurice Vaughan

I like the idea of writing them down, Nathan Smith. I have my unused loglines, scenes, etc. on my computer. I plan on getting a USB flash drive this week too.

Maurice Vaughan

Thanks, Richard "RB" Botto. Some of my folders have folders too. My folders (and my laptop) were a mess, so I did a spring cleaning. It's way easier to find things now.

Billy Kwack

Hi Maurice, when I watch a movie and then I get a good idea, awesome

Ashley Renee Smith

Richard "RB" Botto- "My folders have folders" LOL! And then those folders have copies and backups in other folders!

Sydney S

Great tip, Maurice! It’s like sewing—always a good idea to keep the scraps because you never know when they might come together to create something unexpected. And that photo gave me a good laugh—thanks for sharing!

Maurice Vaughan

Thanks, Sydney S. You're welcome. It is like sewing! I wanted to use a fun, eye-catching picture. That's what I think about when making posts and promoting my scripts.

Ashraf Nahlous

I have one just called Ideas, I dump everything in it

Sallie Olson

I have a cork-board full of index cards, each with an as-yet unused idea. :)

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